Ciarán Dunbar The South Belfast Irish Language centre An Droichead’s Féile is under full sail, here is the clár. There is plenty on, and not just in An Droichead (‘The Bridge’) but in a variety of venues up and down the Ormeau Road. I am afraid that people will have to chose between Griogáir Labhruidh (le Síle Denver agus The Daoirí Farrell Band) and John Spillane, more a god than a man really, who are playing on Friday night beginning at 7:30 …
Former chairperson of the Ulster-Scots Agency and blogger, Mark Thompson has blagged (in July) an interesting one on the future of the Ulster-Scots language on his blag ‘Bloggin fae the ‘Burn‘. It is a frank account of his views of the future of the Ulster-Scots language. Many would forcefully object to that discription of Ulster-Scots, I do not not have any objection but I believe from my own research that the numbers of speakers of Ulster-Scots as a language is …
Éirígí, the new kids on the republican block have been in the mouths of the people, or at least in the mouths of political nerds for a few weeks now. I know that in Belfast that they have attracted a fair scattering of younger Irish speakers but I wonder what impact they will have on the wider organisation? Section 3.5. of Éirígí’s constitution, also available in Irish on their website states .. To promote the revival of widespread, everyday usage …
I came across this Manx Gaelic story via Daithí Mac Lochlainn’s blog, Keltalingvaj Nova?oj, that is written in Esperanto by the way. UNESCO has yeilded to pressure from the Manx government and Chief Minister Tony Brown and has agree to reclass Manx as critically endangered. They had previously regarded the language as extinct. Phil Gawne MHK, a vel Gaelg ec, “This is tremendous news for the Manx language and demonstrates the effectiveness of Government, Manx language bodies and individuals working …
Rinne an sárchraoltóir Gaeilge, Rónán Mac Aodha Bhuí ráiteas láidre ar son na Gaeilge as oscailt Fhéile Chnoc Fola cupla seachtaine ó shin, bhí an scéal ag Nuacht 24. Is fada ó chuala mé óráid mar is ceart óir ní ardfheiseanna amháin atá leamh i saol na linne seo dar liom ach spreag an ráiteas seo mé go mór, cé gur chuir sé díoma orm ag an am ceanna gur mhothaigh sé go raibh air a dhéanamh. Ní leor an …
Speaking at the Pobal organised meeting on the 1737 Justice Act, Pól Ó Ceallaigh Ó Ceallacháin of the SDLP, speaking on behalf of Mark Durkan the SDLP leader, promised action on the question of the 1737 Justice Act. The act, which has been described by lawyers and historian Eamon Phoneix as a ‘penal law’ effectively bans the Irish language from courts in the North. Mr Ó Ceallaigh Ó Ceallacháin informed the well attended meeting that should the appeal following the …
Gaelic reading Sluggerites will recall I blogged a while back on a new book Padaí Láidir Mac Culadh agus Gaeltacht Thír Eoghain, a comprehensive work which could well be described as a handbook of the Tyrone Gaeltacht. It is a large volume which covers a wide variety of topics, profiles of native speakers, a small folklore collection and a summary of Irish medium education in the county to the present day. Learners of Irish in Tyrone will also be interested …
The Irish Language group Pobal will hold a meeting / conference in the Europa, Belfast at 10:45 on Saturday morning. The key speaker is the Canadian Commissioner for Official Languages, Mr. Graham Fraser. The meeting comes in the aftermath of the Mac Giolla Catháin case on the issue, lost earlier this year. The meeting is sure to be well attended and is sure to be a comprehensive overview. The question is whether Pobal are holding the meeting to listen to …
Before anyone condems me for this thread I would remind people that Slugger is concerned with culture as well as politics. In addition, much of what goes on here seems to me at least to relate to neither. I define culture narrowly, for me it is what YOU do, not what you aspire to do, nor your ancestors did. However that definition, what you do, leads one to widen the definition of culture to the realities of everyday life, in …
Agus ollmhargaidh Thuath na bhFál a phlé againn fá láthair, de thoradh ar thurcaithe i mBaile Andarsan ag dul faoi bhratach bhanríon Shasana, shíl mé go mbeadh an comhartha seo ón Sainburys úr ar Bhóthar Bhaile Andarsan iontach ábhartha – dhá theangach amach is amach. Middle Class Dub a chur ar an eolas mé faoi. Nach iontach gur comhlacht a bheadh clú air mar, bhál ‘quintessentially British’, ach is léir go bhfuil tuighbheál an difiriúil acusan air cad is ciall …
The lifestyle magazine nós* is now 11 issues old and still going strong with its quality rising with each issue. Nós* is of course almost unique in Gaelic language publishing in that it survives without funding. It survives on sales and advertising, on pure capitalism. A brave stand in these days of economic woe and the difficulities of the print industry. It is also the only one to feature both the Scottish and Irish standards of Gaelic, both of these …
Seolfar sa Chultúrlann an tseachtain seo chugainn (18ú) leabhar úr fá Ghaeltacht Thír Eoghain agus cainteoirí dúchais Thír Eoghain ‘Padaí Láidir Mac Culadh agus Gaeltacht Thír Eoghain’. Tá sé scríofa ag Pádraig ‘Gael Linn’ Ó Baoighill agus foilsithe ag Coiscéim. Is leabhar den chéad scoith é, tá léite agam cheánna. Tá eolas fá na daoine, fán Ghaeltacht mar a bhí, fán chanúint agus tá dlúthdhiosca ann ina bhfuil scéalta agus eile ann ó bhéil na gcainteoirí dúchais chomh maith, roinnt …
Like many others on Slugger I’m sure, I regularily listen to Talkback on BBC Raidio Ulster, presented by David Dunseith. I would struggle to find a firm reason as to why I do however and I must admit that some of the regular callers simply annoy me due to the fact that they are not very knowledgable nor rational. Aside from the general prejudices and leanings of the BBC I have always found Talkback to be fair and balanced and …
BBC Radio Four’s, Law in Action program, in my opinion one of the finest programs on the radio, covers this week the issue of compensation to victims of clerical sexual abuse in Ireland. Well worth listening to. Ciarán DunbarFreelance journalist, working mostly in Irish. Have my own independent news website – antuairisceoir.com – which is in constant need of material. I am the former editor of the newspaper Gaelscéal, www.gaelsceal.ie
A challenge to the Administration of Justice (Language) Act of 1737, often dubbed by lawyers, historians and Irish language activists as the last of the penal laws, bans the Irish language from court proceedings and legal documentation has failed. The case was taken by Shaw’s Road Gaeltacht resident, native Irish speaker and musician, Caoimhín Mac Giolla Chatháin. Mr Justice Treacy dismissed the plaintiffs assertions that the Act controvenes European Charter for Regional and Minorities Language and secondly that the Act …
Simon Doyle in today’s Irish News carries the story of a family who are angry about not getting a place in the Irish language stream in St. Catherine’s Armagh (subs needed). The school has decided to limit its intake into the IME stream to 25 pupils per year, a figure which falls far short of the number of children emerging from IME in north Armagh, anyone with that figure should get in touch. I have spent sometime speaking to pupils …
‘It is not possible to secure the future of the Irish language without establishing new communities in which Irish is spoken as the primary language’. This is the mission statement of BAILE, which was established to found ‘new Irish speaking communities.’ I maintain that it remains as true today as the day with formulated it. It is my personal conviction that no future is guaranteed for the Gaelic language in Ireland without settlements ‘in which Irish is spoken a the …
Tonight sees the launch of a long awaited book, ‘Towards Inclusion: Protestants and the Irish Language’ by Lurgan man (agus fíorGhael!) Dr. Ian Malcolm. It will be launched in the Canada Room, Q.U.B, tonight at 6:00 pm. It is a book that I have longed looked forward to reading, I hope to review it on Slugger before too long. Ian is well known (and very useful!) in the Irish language media as he represents the unionist view. The following is …
Tá Nelson McCausland againn anois mar aire cultúir ó thuaidh. Ní féidir linn a bheith claonta is dócha ach os rud é go bhfuil sé fógartha aige go bhfuil cogadh cultúir ar siúil ó thuaidh, tá cuma ar an scéal go mbeidh cúrsaí idir lucht na Gaeilge agus na húdarais ó thuaidh athraithe go hiomlán agus go n-imeoidh sé chun donais. Tá trua ar leith agam do na Gaeilgeoirí sin a chaith na bliantaí ag cur an Ghaeilge chun tosaigh …
The BBC have apologised for the remarks of reporter Gareth Gordon following Bairbre de Brún’s election as an MEP. Bairbre spoke first in Irish, to howls of derision from the TUV and others after she topped the poll in the euro election. This prompted the BBC to lower the volume and for reporter Gareth Gordon to remark … ‘I’ll say something in English until she say’s something in English’ Following a flood of complaints from Irish speakers, Irish language organisations …
