Iarnród Éireann is focusing on bringing the Irish language to the fore as Máirtín Ó Catháin reports

Connemara writer, Tom an tSeoige, composed a song for the ages about two young men on the train from Galway to Dublin as they set of for England in the 1950s. It is called ‘Mé féin agus mo Mhate’. It was a lonely journey. The lads hardly spoke much but it was enough to identify them as Connemara emigrants on their way.

In a different world now how comfortable do people feel when speaking Irish on the Iarnród Éireann trains and how do others feel around them ?

You would expect they would feel good but Iarnród Éireann wants to get the real evidence in an upcoming survey. You might meet them soon on the Galway-Dublin train.

Iarnród Éireann says its all positive and staff members conversant in Irish will wear the Fáinne, a long standing emblem of proficiency in the language.

The winds of time have blown.

The lads in Tom an tSeoige’s emigration song had just one emblem – a one way ticket.