Des Bishop is a stand up comedian from New York.He’s spending a year learning Irish in one of the most vibrant parts of the Connamara Gaeltacht. It’s compelling viewing, whether you are a fan of the language or not. Just don’t look if you are easily offended. There’s great riff on the ‘an modh coinníollach’ (the present conditional) in the second episode. His ultimate aim is to do as whole set as Gaeilge by the end of the year. As …
De bhrí gur gné bhunúsach den Chomhaontú Feirsteach cé gur tháinig an DUP agus Sinn Féin ar chomhréiteach maidir lena chuid prionsabail polaitíochta, b’fhéidir is beag an t-iontas nach bhfuil an féinmhuinín an beirt araon chomh láidir na bhí sé nuair a bhí siad an cuid is mo den freasúra neamhoifigiúil do gach eile! Thart ar Bheo, scriobhann Robert McMillan: “Ó bhí na stailceanna ocrais ann i 1981, chonaic muid an páirtí ag fás as cuimse, a bhuíochas d’obairt na …
Dar leis an La Nua, de Sathairn, ag Ard-Fheis speisialta, d’athraigh Conradh na Gaeilge a chuid bunreacht. “Ba é príomhaidhm an Chonartha de réir an tseanbhunreachta ná “pobal náisiúnta saor Gaelach a choth ach t? sin athraithe anois go dtí “an Ghaeilge a athréimniú mar ghnáththeanga na hÉireann”, sa leagan úr”. Dúirt Daithí Mac Carthaigh gur: “Theastaigh uainn go mbeadh aidhm an Chonartha soiléir, sé sin, cur chun cinn na Gaeilge. Ní amháin go bhfuil áit na Gaeilge ag croílár …
Bhi thuarascáil ar nuacht TG4 cupla lae ó shin go raibh suim mór ag an Irish News chun nuachtán laethúil a fhoilsiú ina áit Lá Nua da theipeadh an teideal sin ar a chonradh. Ach ar an príomh leathnach inniu tagainn an nuacht go mbeadh an todhchaí Lá Nua slán. Abair Máirtín Ó Muilleoir: Is vóta muiníne é i Lá Nua an t-infheistiú nua ó na scarshealbhóirí, ina measc Grúpa Meán Bhéal Feirste, agus i gcomhar lenár bplean le costais …
Deirinn daoine sna Gaeltachta ó am go ham, nach bhfuil fíor Gaeilge ag aon duine, ach rugadh iad léi mar theanga dhúchais. I láthair na huaire tagann an formhór den na cainteoirí i dTuaisceart Éireann ón bhfoghlaimeoirí in am amháin nó eile. Ach ní raibh sé mar sin i gcónaí. Rinne Colm ag Lá Nua giota beag taighde insan thaifeadtaí ag an hAcadamh Ríoga na hÉireann, i mBaile Átha Cliath. Tig leat a bheith chlisteacht le cainteoirí dhúchais ó Máire …
There’s a useful translation of Eoghan op ed in La Nua doing the rounds at the moment (below the fold). You can find the original here. It reflects a large strand of thought amongst the Irish language section of civil society. He argues that the language has fared particularly poorly in the interparty negotiations, and that accordingly they feel abandoned by parties like Sinn Fein and the SDLP who had previous pledged support.Where were you, our friends in power? Eoghan …
Seo rud nua do Tuaisceart Éireann, clár teilifíse ar BBC darbh ainm Imeall Geall. Ag tosú anocht ag a deich a chlog ar BBC2. Dar leis an bolscaireacht a bhaineann leis, beidh sé: Irreverent, relevant and passionate; Imeall Geal (Bright Edge ) is brand new in alternative late-night chat and entertainment! It will be fronted by two of Ulster’s brightest new presenting stars, Tomaí Ó Conghaile, (BBC Radio Ulster’s Blas) and Gráinne McElwain (Budding TG4 talent) . They will steer …
AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central Nice wee short from Atom films about a man (Stephen Rea) who wakes up one morning only speaking and understanding Irish…. H/t reader Mark… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
The some-time odd jobbing band member and new poetry editor at The New Yorker magazine, Paul Muldoon, has had a busy year, but not too busy to collaborate with Irish language poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill on a new dual-language collection of poems, The Fifty Minute Mermaid, published by Gallery Press. Niall O’Gallagher gives the collection a glowing review in the Guardian today. From the Guardian review The range of Ní Dhomhnaill’s Irish in these poems is dazzling. She weaves the …
I have to say that I have been flying in and out of Ireland, north and south, as the market dictated, for about twenty five years. On too few occasions have I been greeted in Irish. But it seems that the one carrier that could be relied upon to use the cúpla focail on landing, Aer Lingus, will no longer do sonot do so on their new Belfast service. Republican Sinn Fein are not happy, “Aer Lingus have long claimed …
Ní raibh fhios agam a riamh roimhe seo cé gur thosaigh Kevin Myers a cuid saol polaitíocht mar “Leftie amach is amach”. Mar a d’inis sé le Caoimhe Ní Laighin ar Beo.ie, “bhain mé go láidir le polaitíocht na heite clé – creid é nó ná creid!” Faigh amach a fáth gur bhog sé chomh iomláine go dti an taobh eile den speictrim polaitíochta. Rud éigin le baineann le Winston Churchill, ach go hairithe an mion-cogadh cathartha nimhneach i dTuaisceart …
Interesting argument from Robert McMillan in the Irish News yesterday, on the DUP Culture Minister’s dismissal of the case for encorporating protections for the Irish Language in a legislative Act (quote continues below the fold). Update: O’Cuiv to work with Poots to find a way through? He has gift-wrapped the Irish language and handed it to Sinn Féin. “No, we don’t want it, you keep it” is his message, therefore perpetuating the perception that the 2,000-year-old Irish language was created …
A short Irish Times news report notes the re-uniting of some of the surviving manuscripts of the Annals of the Four Masters, compiled by four friars, chiefly by Franciscan scholar Micheál Ó Cléirigh, in the early 1600s – a time of political upheaval. The exhibition at Trinty College Dublin is open to the public from today 9th October to 21st December and is part of the Louvian 400 programme. Digitised images of the manuscripts are online. As are the translated …
Fascinating discussion going on over at Talkback around the protests in favour of the use of Irish in the Assembly. It’s coordinated to coincide with a debate on Ulster Unionist MLA David McNarry’s motion to object to an Irish Language Act and ask for a directive requesting all members of the Executive to refrain from its use in the Assembly chamber, in committees and in letters to MLAs. The motion has come in for stern criticism from Naomi Long who …
There’s a bit of controversy around TG4‘s decision to slot an Irish language version of South Park in the early evening slot. Leascheannasai Padhraic O’ Ciardha: “It’s an extremely popular and globally recognised animated series with a twist,. We’re very happy to have got the Irish language rights for it and this allows us to devise our own script, without compromising the integrity of the programme.” So far, he claims, there have been no complaints from the public. It’s broadcast …
Interestingly the proposed Irish Language Act featured in a speech by William Logan Sovereign Grand Master of the least political of the three main loyal institutions, the Royal Black Institution last Saturday in Bangor. No great fan of the Martin and Ian show, he landed a few barbed comments in that direction, labelling it a “cosy and insidious arrangement” is dangerous because it may lead to “many slow, incremental and subtle changes which would go unnoticed and unchallenged”.Then he turns …
Thaitin an t-agallamh seo go mór liom ag an t-am a chlois me leis ar an clár raidio Bhlas. Go h-áirithe an dóigh go cheadaíonn an t-iriseoir Eoghan Ó Néill Seanadóir úr Eoghan Harris dóthain am agus spás chun a cuid freagraí a chur le cheile. Ní tharlaíonn sé sin go minic… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest …
As noted previously, the parties seem short of concrete arguments on the merits and de-merits of the proposed Irish Language Act. Much of the public discussion comes down to: we’re having it; or, you’re not! Gerry Adams’ plans to tell the (currently belaboured) Minister for Culture Edwin Poots that he had already negotiated it separately with the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The BBC reports. Mr Poots insists he is not bound by promises made by the Prime Minister. …
Like Mark Twain, the rumours of the death of the Irish language have been regularly exaggerated. In fact what’s most remarkable is its healthy resistance to government and official indifference. But no one who loves the language can deny that in its designated heartland, na Gaeltachtaí, it is getting harder and harder to find it being used as linga franca of the day. Indeed there seems to be a cut off point in the age groups that still unconsciously use …
Malachi O’Doherty notes the paradox of a Limavady born British Minister who has cut translation services to immigrants, suggesting they make more effort to use English in their dealings with a government, which at the same time has promised legislation that will oblige it to respond to citizens in the Irish language, most of whom already speak English fluently.
