My own views in brief are that I would object to compulsory Irish, but taking it head on would be counter productive because it is so important from a symbolic point of view to Irish nationalism (even if most people don't want to speak it or make an effort around it). I do not object to the state spending money on it, because nobody else will, but since a substantial share of the population now object to the compulsory aspect you could argue that teaching people who dont want to learn the language is a waste of money and it is not rationale in terms of developing the language. Instead, the funds should be focused on those who wish to learn it, the TV station etc, so those involved would get more money, while those who do not wish to would not have to do so.
In relation to the Protestants, this was probably the feature of the new state that they objected to most, even if some notable Protestants were involved in the nationalist revolution and language movement, most found it objectionable because it had no link with their heritage. In a sense their heritage did not count in the new set up. Although it must be said that the new state treated the Protestants minority well on the whole, notably in relation to education, it was around the Irish language that it was most intolerant of the protestant position.
In this regard, I would also argue for parity of esteem for English in the constitution as this is the language that most people speak, it is the language of the Irish Diaspora etc. In symbolic terms it would also recognise that there has been an English speaking tradition on the island as well as a Gaelic tradition, and one is not superior to the other. The Irish variant of republicanism gives priority to the Gaelic nationalist tradition, and this is expressed in the constitution, in relation to the status of Irish as the first language, whereas true republicanism would afford parity of esteem to both languages and both traditions.
In the event of the end of partition, which 32 county Republicans aspire to, compulsory Irish would be a non-runner in Northern Ireland. A new 32 county Ireland would have to accept that there were historically two ethnic groups on the island and for one of these for the most part Irish was not part of their cultural set up. By making Irish compulsory the state failed to recognise this; in a united Ireland if it comes to pass they will have to! Learning compulsory Irish would be just as unattractive to most northern Protestants today as it was to southern Protestants in the 1920s. However, the northern Protestants could not be forced into learning Gaelic the same way as southern protestants were in the 1920s. Why not change this sooner than later. As immigrants enter Irish society in increasingly larger numbers the section of the population for which Irish is not part of their cultural heritage increases further, but the biggest group of objectors to compulsory Irish are now neither Protestants nor immigrants.
