Lost in translation -- Grainne gets in online spat for Tweeting ... as Gaeilge

Melanie Finn, Showbusiness Editor

GRAINNE Seoige's New Year's greetings on Twitter were obviously lost in translation for some of her fans, after she was criticised for using Irish as it was a "minority language".

The Galway Gaeilgoir (37), who is Features Editor on ITV's breakfast show Daybreak, got into a heated exchange with one of her followers on the social networking site this week.

Although she's now living part-time in London and was even dispatched to report back about the British troops living in Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, it seems, the presenter still hasn't forgotten her roots. She sent messages in Irish to comedians Dara O Briain and Des Bishop, 'tweeting' to wish them Happy New Year.

But she unintentionally incurred the wrath of one of her followers for writing in her native tongue.

The woman, whose username is Purple Pauline, upbraided the TV presenter for not using English.

"I prefer a language I can understand. Very rude to use a minority language. Unfollowed," she wrote on the star's page.

But not taking the comment lying down, Grainne sent a stinging retort, saying: "Pauline, it is in no way rude to use the language I grew up speaking at home everyday. I wish you luck."

The woman replied: "Sorry but it is rude in a public conversation. You could DM [direct message] if you don't want us to read it."

Right

Grainne replied to her: "I reserve the right to use any language I speak, at anytime."

Pauline then wrote a message to her in Polish, which translated into: "I will not listen to you", to which the Irish star replied: "That's your choice, just like I have mine, beir bua [best wishes]."

But this isn't the first time that there has been a language barrier between her and some of her British colleagues.

When she started on the early morning show, some of her fellow presenters had huge difficultly pronouncing her surname, and she even ended up having to help them out on occasions.

Grainne has been living part-time in London since clinching the coveted job on the same morning show as Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles last July.

The confirmation came shortly after the mum-of-one split from hubbie Stephen Cullinane.

mfinn@herald.ie