Ciarán Dunbar [This post has been provoked by this one, by Ian James Parsley] Before I embark on this short essay, sure to find no more than a single other in agreement, let me tell you of an encounter I had in Ballymena a number of years ago. One evening, having given on talk on the Gaelic of the Antrim Glens, now extinct save for the song Airde Chuain being a regular party piece amongst Irish speakers today, I encounter a gentleman …
Scéal le Colm Ó Broin i mBaile Átha Cliath : Tuairiscíonn Gaelscéal an tseachtain seo go bhfuil comórtas ar bun ag na Gaeil Óga chun an Gaeilgeoir fear is gnéasúla i mBaile Átha Cliath a aimsiú! Beidh ‘An Stail Ghaelach’ ar siúl i gClub Chonradh na Gaeilge ar Shráid Fhearchair Dé Sathairn seo chugainn. Bunaíodh Na Gaeil Óga in 2010 agus bhí an-ráth orthu ó shin i leith. Tá os cionn 80 imreoir cláraithe acu agus tá dhá fhoireann pheil …
Roinnt scéalta ó Ghaelsceal na seachtaine seo Rún reifrinn Shinn Féin Concubhar Ó Liatháin TÁ sé de rún ag Sinn Féin reifrinn a reáchtáil ar fuaid na 26 Contae mar straitéis chun ‘Éire Aontaithe’ a chur ar ais ar an gclár oibre polaitiúil. Tugadh an méid sin le fios le linn Scoil Samhraidh a reáchtáil an páirtí sa Mhuileann i mBaile Bhuirne ag an deireadh seachtaine. rún : intention Reifrinn : referendums Scoil Samhraidh : summer school Ceiliúradh Coláiste …
Tuairisc le hAnton Mac Cába D’OSCAIL Gaelscoil Neachtain i nDún Geimhin, Co Doire, don chéad uair Dé Luain. Tá 63 dalta ar an scoil faoi láthair. Cuireadh tús leis an scoil naoi mbliain ó shin, mar shruth Gaeilge i mBunscoil Naoimh Chainnigh ar an bhaile. Cuireadh an iarratas chuig an Seirbhís Pleanála ó thuaidh an seachtain seo caite le síneadh a chur leis an scoil. Is scoil rialaithe é Gaelscoil Neachtain. De ghnáth, luaitear an earnáil sin le scoileanna a …
Tuairisc le Méabh Ní Thuathaláin LABHAIR Ardmhéara Bhéal Feirste, An Bardasach Gavin Robinson ón DUP, amach go poiblí ar son na Gaeilge ag seoladh leabhráin, Logainmneacha Bhéal Feirste, ar na mallaibh. B’ócáid thar a bheith suimiúil í, dar le hAodán Mac Póilin, fear a raibh baint aige le gluaiseacht na Gaeilge i mBéal Feirste le fada agus a oibríonn le hIontaobhas Ultach, foilsitheoir an leabhráin. “Ní bhfuair mé duine ar bith ón DUP ariamh ag moladh na Gaeilge go dtí …
Tuairisc le Colm Ó Broin : Gaelscéal: Naíscoil na Daróige diúltaithe ag John O’Dowd Tá tuairisc i nGaelscéal na seachtaine seo go bhfuil iarratas le haghaidh naíscoil lán-aimseartha i nDoire diúltaithe ag an Aire Oideachais, John O’Dowd. Tá naíscoil páirt-aimseartha lonnaithe i nGaelscoil na Daróige i mBaile Mhic Robhartaigh faoi láthair ach níl sé ar chomhchéim le naíscoileanna Béarla sa cheantar dar le príomhoide na Gaelscoile, Oisín Mac Eochaidh. Bíonn Naíscoil Mhaol Íosa ar oscailt go dtí 12.00in ach bíonn …
Tuairisc le Colm Ó Broin, comhfhreagraí polaitiúil Gaelscéal : Tá conspóid ann i gcónaí faoi leacht in ómós Che Guevara atá beartaithe do Chathair na Gaillimhe. Cháin polaiteoirí in Éirinn agus Meiriceá an moladh – dar leo is ‘oll-dhúnmharfóir’ é Guevara a chur na céadta chun báis i ndiaidh Réabhlóid Chúba. Deir Rialtas Mheiriceá go bhfuil siad ag cur in éadan réimeas Chúba le 50 bliain anuas de bharr an easpa daonlathais atá sa tír sin. Ach fad is a …
Tuairisc le Colm O Broin : Fadhbanna le reachtaíocht Ghaeilge Tuairiscíonn Gaelscéal an tseachtain seo go bhfuil breis agus 80 dréachtscéim teanga ag an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta ag feitheamh lena ndeimhniú. Tá suas le 12 dhréachtscéim ag an Roinn ó bhí 2007 ann agus 11 cheann ó 2008. Deir an Roinn go bhfuil moill ar an bpróiséas de bharr cúrsaí achmhainní. Caithfear an cheist a chur – cad is fiú Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla a bheith ann nó …
Tuairisc le Colm Ó Broin Ginmilleadh: An cheist is conspóidí Tá agallamh againn an tseachtain seo le Sinéad Ahern ó Choice Ireland, grúpa atá ag iarraidh ginmhilleadh a dhéanamh dlíthiúil in Éirinn. Tá sí ag súil go molfaidh an grúpa saineolas ar chás ABC go mbeidh mná in ann ginmhilleadh a fháil má tá a saol i mbaol. Ní leor seo de réir Choice Ireland, tá siad ag iarraidh ginmhilleadh gan srian gan teorainn téarma a dhéanamh dlíthiúil. …
Le Colm Ó Broin Tá tuairisc ag Gaelscéal an tseachtain seo go bhfuil Dominic Ó Brolcháin ón SDLP ag iarraidh ar an Tánaiste, Éamonn Gilmore ceist Acht na Gaeilge a thógáil le rialtas na Breataine. Bhuail Ó Brolcháin le Gilmore i mBaile Átha Cliath agus dúirt sé ina dhiaidh go bhfuil dualgas ar Rialtas na Breataine Acht Gaeilge a “bhrú chun tosaigh” faoi Chomhaontú Chill Rimhinn. Níl mórán seans ann áfach go gcuirfidh Westminster acht i bhfeidhm beag beann ar Stormont. …
Tuairisc le Colm Ó Broin : An tseachtain seo tá Gaelscéal ag cur na ceiste – an féidir leis an Bhille Gaeltachta an Ghaeltacht a shábháil? Labhair muid le hAire Stáit na Gaeltachta, Dinny McGinley, faoin cheist. Dealraíonn sé nach mbeidh airgead breise ar fail don phleanáil teanga atá in ainm is a bheith ina shlánaitheoir don Ghaeltacht. Tá plé ar an mBille agus na laigí agus buanna a bhaineann leis déanta san eagarfhocal agus ag Colm Ó Broin agus …
The 1st Ordnance Survey and the ‘Translations’ Debate : Much of the contemporary understanding and more importantly misunderstanding of the Survey comes not from academic examination of it but rather from a fictional play, Translations by Brian Friel, first performed in the Guildhall in Derry in 1980. The play made a considerable impact beyond that of its literary value and this has greatly influenced contemporary perceptions of the Ordnance Survey. This makes the play significant in any study of Irish …
An tseachtain seo in Gaelscéal léiríonn muid an Costas ‘fíorbheag’ a bhaineann le seirbhísí Gaeilge a chur ar fáil sa Phoblacht – aistriúchán san áireamh. Tháinig na figiúirí chun solais i bhfreagraí tugtha do John Deasy TD, Fine Gael, fear atá ag labhairt amach i gcoinne Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla le blianta. Tá go leor cainte ann faoin cháithnín ‘Bósón Higgs’ – ach an dtuigeann tusa é? Seans go mbeadh sé níos soiléire i nGaeilge shimplí na ndaoine? Tá go …
‘Ulster-Scots’ criticism of the Ordnance Survey : In recent times it has been reported that the 1st Ordnance Survey has come under criticism from Ulster-Scots groups. The geographer David Polley has written a M.Litt on Ulster-Scots place-names in Ulster which provides us with a useful critique of the Ordnance Survey from the Ulster-Scots viewpoint. Polley (2000, 108) has claimed that ‘Ulster-Scots may have been ‘edited out’ of the official place-name record,’ referring specifically to the place-name forms chosen by …
Cartography, Orthography and the Methodology of the Ordnance Survey The most significant aspect of the Survey with regards to this essay concerns its work on the orthography of Irish place-names employed on all subsequent Ordnance Survey Maps. As a result of the Survey the anglicised forms of Ireland’s place-names are fundamentally settled and, aside from the major example of Derry/Londonderry and a few minor examples, these anglicised forms cause no controversy. It is of fundamental importance to understand that the …
No aspect of place-name study in Ireland aside from origin and etymology has received more academic attention than the treatment of place-names by the British Ordnance Survey in the first Ordnance Survey of Ireland, 1824-1846. Various aspects of the Survey have been examined in detail by ethnographers and geographers such as Andrews (A Paper Landscape, The Ordnance Survey in Nineteenth-Century Ireland, (1st Edition 1975), Doherty (Irish Ordnance Survey : History, culture and memory 2006) and by Ó Cadhla (Civilizing Ireland, …
In a series of four posts over the coming weeks Ciarán Dunbar will explore why the single most important event in Irish place-names study and a significant event in Irish history, the 1st Ordnance Survey is almost universally misunderstood – But how do such simple everyday things such as place-names become involved in politics, in controversy and even in conflict? What is a place-name? What is a place-name? That question seems a very simple one at first glance but …
This morning will see the arrival of ‘Rith 2012’ in Belfast, organisers are confident that hundreds will turn out to support the event. ‘Rith’, the Gaelic for ‘run’ is a ten day event in which thousands of Irish speakers and supporters of the language will run from Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal to Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. The idea is based on the Basque ‘Korrika’. The runners began the epic journey on Thursday in An Bun Beag, …
By Katie McGreal Raidió Fáilte, Belfast’s Irish language radio station, wants to broadcast all across the 6 counties but the independent regulation and competition authority for the UK communications industry, Ofcom, refuses to give them permission to broadcast further than the five kilometres they are currently permitted. Ofcom say they cannot allow Raidió Fáilte broadcast further than five kilometres as they have a ‘community radio licence’ and that the broadcasting range for community radio is five kilometres – but this …
Work begins on ‘Gaeláras Mhic Ardghail’ The Irish language receives a huge boost in Newry this week when building work begins on the new Irish language centre, ‘Gaeláras Mhic Ardghail’. It is hoped that the work will be completed and the centre opened by September 2012 – in time for the centenary of Omeath Irish College, Coláiste Bhríde. Events will be organised in both Newry and Omeath to mark this historic event. “It will be an educational and heritage centre, …
