Ciarán Dunbar – Page 6 – Slugger O'Toole

UUP launch Irish language survey.

Ciarán Dunbar on March 14, 2009, 6:01 pm

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I am serious! Councillor William Graham UUP, Chairman of Moyle District Council launched Pobal an Chaistil’s A Survey towards Gaelic in North Antrim in the Mayor’s Parlour, Moyle Council Offices, up in Ballycastle on Thursday past! Nuacht 24 has the scéal. The survey has some radical findings, not entirely convinced that Councillor Graham has read it, but it is a very interesting development. Does anyone have a link to this story in English? Ciarán DunbarFreelance journalist, working mostly in Irish. …

Notes for the Saffron Clad Men of the Glens

Ciarán Dunbar on March 14, 2009, 4:34 pm

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I was doing the lent on the blogging, then I minded that I was agnostic! I have a love / hate relationship with the blogging ye see. But anyway, I have had an extremely productive blaggin free loch of weeks, at the coal face – I will reward meself with a post. First off – I condemn absolutely the recent outbreak of violence. It is simply pointless, counter productive. Wrong. However, given that it was directed as much at Sinn …

Suíomh idirlín úr nós*

Ciarán Dunbar on February 24, 2009, 12:05 am

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Tá suíomh idirlín úr ag an iris nós* agus silím gurb é an suíomh idirlín is fearr dá bhfuil againn i nGaeilge. Tá suíomh idirlín Raidió Fáilte iontach maith ach silím go bhfeil lámh in uachtar aige nós*.Is fiú go mór dul isteach ann óir is féidir trácht a dhéanamh ar na hailt agus eile, tá sé ceannródach amach. Ar ndóigh, tá ailt de gach cineál le fáil ann agus tá gach ábhar a chludach ann, seachas ceann amháin, an …

Daonáireamh Gaeilge Shluigéir 2009

Ciarán Dunbar on February 20, 2009, 7:06 pm

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In amanna, nuair a bhíonn líne cainte i nGaeilge anseo ar Slugger, ní bhíonn mórán teachtaireachtaí ann. Tugann roinnt daoine suntas ar sin, agus tuigeann roinnt daoine gur fianaise é sin nach bhfuil mórán Gaeilge ag daoine i gcoitinne. Ó mo thaobh féin de áfach, cuireann sé mo shaith iontais orm i gcónaí go bhfuil an méad sin daoine le Gaeilge ag blagáil anseo, go hannamh nó go rialta. Ar ndóigh, tá Béarla ag beagnach gach duine, mar sin ní …

Pol O Muiri (sic.), Sinn Fein (sic.) and some seirious speelling mistackes.

Ciarán Dunbar on February 19, 2009, 8:09 pm

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Blogger and columnist Pól Ó Muirí or as the Belfast Telegraph describe him on their website Pol O Muiri has caused a stir in the world of Gaelic blogging with his latest attack on Sinn Féin. Sinn Fein Irish is enough to make you sic. The article focuses on a leaflet produced by Sinn Féin recently in which the Irish language bits contained what were frankly, in my view, silly unneccessary errors, though they did not induce nausea. Any Irish …

Do yis like mount’ns?

Ciarán Dunbar on February 15, 2009, 3:56 pm

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Like mountains? Like walking in them? ? Like their names? Heading out for a dander this afternoon? If the answer is yes then I think you will appreciate the excellent Mountain Views website, ‘a hill walking resource for Ireland.’ You will find detailed maps, interactive outline map, walking routes, tips, photographs as well as place-name information of a very high standard, well worth a look. Ciarán DunbarFreelance journalist, working mostly in Irish. Have my own independent news website – antuairisceoir.com …

Ynsee Gaelg

Ciarán Dunbar on February 14, 2009, 11:28 pm

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I have blogged a few times on matters relating to Scottish Gaelic but let us not forget that Gaelic is spoken in Mann, equally as close to home. I want to highlight the excellent ‘learn manx’ website – learnmanx.com. The site includes lessons, achives of native speech, a dictionary, literature, folklore, news, games and other information, a veritable one stop shop. It is incredible that no equivalent exists for Irish or Scottish Gaelic, despite the superior resources available to them. …

Irish a ‘UK language’ – BBC

Ciarán Dunbar on February 12, 2009, 10:29 pm

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The BBC has an interesting story online – Local UK languages ‘taking off’ . The article concerns the group of Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh medium education – 20% of education in Wales is now Welsh medium. On the other hand anyone with an interest in the future of Scottish Gaelic will be anxious that growth in GME is far behind that in Wales and even here. Traditionally Gaelic speaking parents felt that an education in English was vital to …

Blagadóireacht, Sinn Féin agus ‘Cinisearacht’

Ciarán Dunbar on February 11, 2009, 5:03 pm

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Tá duine de na blagadóirí Gaeilge is mó clú, Cnocubhar Ó Liatháin a bhíonns ag blagáil anseo, ag maíomh go bhfuil lucht Shinn Féin ‘nó tacadóirí/leithscéalaithe an phairtí sin’ ag déanamh cinsearachta ar bhlagadóirí eile a thugann dúshlán do Shinn Féin, tá an scéal ar fad le léamh ar bhlag s’aige, iGaeilge. “tá blagadóirí ann, iad san a mhaíonn go bhfuil siad ar son na Gaeilge agus iad san eile a bhaineann úsáid as an nGaeilge anois is arís, a …

‘Tá todhchaí na teanga ag brath go príomha ar na daoine

Ciarán Dunbar on February 10, 2009, 7:24 pm

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Mar is eol do roinnt daoine agaibh fán am seo is dócha, scríobh An Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta ó dheas, Eamon Ó Cuív (Eamó), alt mór fada ar an Irish Times cupla seachtaine ó shin anois dar teideal – ‘Tá todhchaí na teanga ag brath go príomha ar na daoine’. Chuireas fáilte roimh a chuid focail. Duine ar bith dar léigh mo bhlag féin riamh, bheadh fios acu go mbeinn féin ag tacú go mór leis an mhana …

Plaid Cymru President in Belfast

Ciarán Dunbar on February 6, 2009, 7:07 pm

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Plaid Cyrmu President Dafydd Iwan was in Belfast today speaking at a POBAL organised debate, ‘Moving forward: protecting language; developing society,’ in conjunction with Féile an Earraigh. Iwan, a folk singer and former political prisoner spoke in favour of an language legislation but reminded listeners that campaigning and legislation go hand in hand, and that one was not more important than the other. As an admirer of Plaid Cymru I was keen to hear Dafydd on Talkback and I must …

Gaelscoil an Chaistil ar TG4

Ciarán Dunbar on February 4, 2009, 8:46 pm

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Díreach giota eolais úsáideach a chairde, beidh píosa ar Ghaelscoil an Chaistil, Baile an Chaistil le feiceáil anocht ar Nuacht RTE1 ó 5.15 agus ar Nuacht TG4 ag a 7.00. Beidh siad ‘ag amharc ar an obair atá idir láimhe againn anseo i mBaile an Chaistil ó thaobh cur chun cinn na Gaeilge.’ Is é Gaelscoil an Chaistil ceann de na Gaelscoileanna is mó clú air ó thuaidh, is scoil é a tháinig ráth mór air le blianta beaga anuas …

David McNarry and the Conservative link-up.

Ciarán Dunbar on February 3, 2009, 5:29 pm

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Just to pick up on some of David McNarry’s comments on Stormont Live on an ‘Irish Language Act’. David McNarry : ‘Barry, if you are that fond of Ireland, you know, go sit in the Dáil’First of all, most unionists I feel would disagree with David’s implication that ‘Northern Ireland’ is not part of a geographical Ireland. One of the few things that I find many Nationalist and Unionists agree on is a distaste for the Southern State’s appropriation of …

Irish back in print – Nuacht24

Ciarán Dunbar on January 25, 2009, 1:39 am

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Apologies to Gaeilgeoirí as you may have read most of this last week – Just over a month since the final edition of Lá Nua the Irish language is back in print in Belfast. Nuacht24 is a weekly available An Druma Mór and in print from the Cultúrlann at a price of just 30 pence. The paper, produced by Lá co-founder, Eoghan Ó Néill, is growing and developing with each new issue. The material is taken from the Irish language …

Nuacht24

Ciarán Dunbar on January 16, 2009, 5:15 pm

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(Post refers to developments in Irish language media, I have written it in an Ulster Gaelic dialect to see if anyone can tell) Bhál a chairde, tá muinn anois beagnach mí ar aghaigh bho chaill muinn an nuachtáin laethamhail Gaedhilge, Lá Nua ach cheanna fhéin tá páipéar úr i gcló i mBéal Fearsaide cois cuain. Tá leagan na seachtaine seo den pháipéar nua, Nuacht24 anois ar fáil bho shuíomh An Druma Mór AGUS tá sé ar fáil i gcló sa …

Big Ian on Raidió Fáilte

Ciarán Dunbar on January 13, 2009, 3:10 pm

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As reported by An Drum Mór yesterday and picked up by the Belfast Telegraph today, the Rev. Iain Paisley has given an exclusive interview with Raidió Fáilte , Belfast’s Irish Language Raidió Station. The interview by Caoimhe Ní Chatháil can be heard this Friday at 13:00 on Raidió Fáilte (107.1fm or online). Don’t panic! Ian is not speaking in Irish, the interview will be in English. Interesting at least. Ciarán DunbarFreelance journalist, working mostly in Irish. Have my own independent …

‘Celebrating Ulster’s Townlands’

Ciarán Dunbar on January 13, 2009, 1:22 am

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Just in case people are not aware of it I wanted to bring to your attention the Ulster Place-Name Society’s ‘Celebrating Ulster’s Townlands’ exibition/booklet which is available on their website here.The exibition as clickers on the link will discover is pretty comprehensive and offers a very good introduction to the subject. A subject which in my view should form a part of a ‘Gaelic Studies’ course which I would favour as an optional subject in our schools. The little known …

Newton Emerson lets rip on Ulster-Scots.

Ciarán Dunbar on January 11, 2009, 12:29 am

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Irish News columnist Newton Emerson has launched a scathing attack on the Ulster-Scots agency and the Ulster-Scots ‘language’. Newton’s views on the subject are somewhat less charitable than my own.Wha’ A cannae unnerstaun at aw is but fur why tha magazine is screeved in tha Inglis leid an nae in guid oul braid scotch. Dae thems tha wurks fur tha bord nae knae tha thar nae daen nae favours for thems tha’ spake hamely at aw wi’ this way a’ …

Badger Expert Speaks Out.

Ciarán Dunbar on January 11, 2009, 12:10 am

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Over at the Gaelic News service An Druma Mór Nuacht, which has recently launced a pdf. version of itself, badger expert Dr. Pól Mac Cana has revealed some strong opinions on the coming Badger Cull.Hopefully, a translation will appear somewhere in the near future, but for those not fluent in Irish I will translate a snippet or two … de réir na taighde eolaíochta de ar a bhfuil piarmheasúnú déanta – agus sin 30 bliain taighde ar Eitinn vs. Broic …

Iontaobhas Strikes Back

Ciarán Dunbar on January 7, 2009, 8:20 pm

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Well we have had some attacks from the Dublin media lately on Gaelscoileanna, obviously some people are starting to get a little worried about a sector which just keeps growing. Needless to say Ms 7 Mrs Carey’s article was heavy on bile and light on facts, if not devoid competely. Concubhar Ó Liatháin, who enjoys a pint or two round here has also noticed this story. It is good therefore to see Iontabhas na Gaelscolaìochta striking back with a little …