Learn Irish for less at Coláiste na nOileán
Feabhra 24, 2014
Located in the heart of the Connemara Gaeltacht, Coláiste na nOileán is one of the longest-running Irish colleges.
The college offers a number of course options. Five day summer Gaeltacht course for fifth and sixth class primary A specially designed five day residential course for fifth and sixth class primary students, this completely separate and fully supervised course is especially designed around parents’ requests and caters specifically for this age group.
Three week summer courses
The extremely popular three-week courses have made the college stand out from the rest with special courses for those sitting the Leaving Cert and Junior Cert 2014. Great emphasis is placed on the oral Irish test which accounts for 40 per cent of the awarded grade.
One, two, and three day Gaeltacht activity courses
The college also runs one, two, and three day mini Gaeltacht activity courses during the school year that would suit all ages from fifth and sixth class primary students to transition year in secondary. The courses include a huge range of activities, all through the medium of Irish, which make it a fun packed adventure.
Coláiste na nOileán believes that learning Irish should be fun as this helps to cultivate a love for the Irish language and its culture, a formula that has made Coláiste na nOileán a huge success for over half a century.
It is also running special offers for mid-term break and Easter. For further details on all courses and to download a brochure visit www.colaistenanoilean.ie or contact the college on 091 551933/595890 or email colnanoilean@gmail.com.
www.advertiser.ie/mayo
Irish language under threat
Feabhra 24, 2014
A chara, – As a Gaeilgeoir I prefer to communicate with government departments and State agencies as Gaeilge, but am coming to the conclusion there is an unofficial policy at Government level to discourage this. The following examples illustrate the point.
In the first year of the Local Property Tax, I wrote to the Revenue Commissioners requesting that all correspondence between them and me in that regard be done as Gaeilge, including explanatory booklet and bill. The request was ignored and I had no choice but to invoke the assistance of An Coimisinéir Teanga (the Language Commissioner).
I estimate that more than a dozen letters were written before that simple matter was successfully concluded – by me, by An Coimisinéir Teanga and by the Revenue Commissioners. Stout resistance was encountered from the last of those.
Recently I again had to invoke the assistance of An Coimisinéir Teanga to obtain the Irish language version of Form DD1 which applies to exemption from VAT and VRT for those with adaptations to their vehicles to suit a driver or passenger with a physical disability. Twice I wrote to Revenue for the form to be provided as Gaeilge but my request was ignored in favour of the English language version. The requested one finally arrived, as Gaeilge.
It is interesting to note that the Revenue Commissioners have an impressive website that pretends there is a choice of either official language but, on closer examination, it transpires that there are serious discrepancies.
By contrast, those in charge of collecting the household charge had no difficulty in doing the entire matter as Gaeilge and without fuss.
Many of my friends are Gaeilgeoirí but, sadly, several of them have abandoned their efforts to deal with the State as Gaeilge. They cite numerous examples of obstacles being placed in their paths.
Is it any wonder that Seán Ó Cuirreáin has resigned as An Coimisinéir Teanga?
Saturday’s march in Dublin shows there are many in this country who believe in the value of our uniqueness of language and richness of identity and also that most of those whom we have elected to lead us are not remotely interested.
– Is mise,
BRIAN Mac a’ BHAIRD,
Carraig Mhachaire Rois,
Co Mhuineacháin.
www.irishtimes.com
Protest over Irish language rights held in Gaeltacht
Feabhra 24, 2014
The Government’s failure to protect linguistic rights of Irish speakers was denounced in the State’s largest Gaeltacht yesterday, when hundreds of people braved southerly gales for a demonstration in Connemara.
The “Slán le Seán” protest, as it was titled, was held to mark the last day in office of the first Irish language commissioner Seán Ó Cuirreáin, who announced his resignation late last year over the State’s lack of commitment to providing adequate services in Irish for Irish speakers.
Yesterday’s event – coming just a week after an estimated 10,000 people marched in Dublin – is part of a nationwide campaign to seek equal treatment for Irish speakers on both sides of the Border.
Anybody who wishes to engage in Irish with the State or any of its agencies or bodies is entitled to do so Why are Irish language groups protesting?
Reiterating that they were “dearg le fearg”, or “red with anger”, the demonstrators, represented by Colm Mac Donncha of Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta, presented a letter of tribute to Mr Ó Cuirreáín at his office in An Spidéal.
Mr Ó Cuirreáin said he was humbled by the level of support from Gaeltacht communities and Irish speakers across the island. “I always found it to be ironic that the State, which requires all students to study Irish up to Leaving Certificate level, it then fails to facilitate them, and in fact actively prevents them from using that language in dealing with State bodies,” he said, emphasising that his recommendations had all been “cost neutral”.
“To continue to do this over the years and generations is a folly which has pushed the language to the margins of society,” he said.
Mr Ó Cuirreáín said he wished his successor – the incoming Coimisinéir Teanga, Rónán Ó Domhnaill – “every success in meeting the challenges of protecting and promoting Irish language rights”.
A minute’s silence was held in memory of Éanna Griallais, a young man from Indreabhán who died over the weekend, before the participants then set out on foot from An Spidéal to Department of the Gaeltacht offices at Na Forbacha with banners and loud-hailers.
On arrival, actor and Fíbín theatre company producer Darach Ó Tuairisg read out a letter addressed to Minister of State Dinny McGinley, which was then presented to one of the department officials.
The letter calls for repeal or amendment of the Acht na Gaeltachta 2012 to ensure it sets the boundaries of the Gaeltacht according to linguistic criteria, and implementation of a clear policy throughout the Civil Service to ensure State services are provided through the medium of Irish.
Former Gaeltacht minister Éamon Ó Cuív and Sinn Féin senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh were among politicians at the demonstration, along with representatives from communities across the Connemara Gaeltacht.
www.irishtimes.com
Rúnaí Oifige lán-aimseartha á lorg ag Gaelscoileanna Teo. – Spriocdháta 26 Feabhra
Feabhra 24, 2014
Conradh Bliana
Duine fuinniúil, le sár scileanna eagrúcháin, riaracháin oifige agus cumarsáide, mar aon le hardchaighdeán Gaeilge atá de dhíth. Duine a bhfuil spéis, taithí agus saineolas i réimse an ghaeloideachais, mar aon le taithí agus tuiscint ar an gcóras oideachais agus ar obair phobail.
Scála Tuarastail: Oifigeach Cléireachais: €23,177 – €37,341 (ag braith ar thaithí).
Eolas faoi ghnó na heagraíochta ar fáil ag www.gaelscoileanna.ie
Tuilleadh eolais, sainchuntas poist móide foirm iarratais le fáil ar iarratas trí ghlaoch a chur ar 01-8535190 nó trí ríomhphost chuig blathnaid@gaelscoileanna.ie
Spriocdháta le haghaidh iarratas comhlánaithe:
5.00i.n. Céadaoin, 26 Feabhra 2014
Reáchtáilfear na hagallaimh Déardaoin, 6 Márta 2014.
Ní ghlacfar le haon iarratais i ndiaidh an spriocdháta.
Urraithe ag Foras na Gaeilge
Saving the Irish language is easy
Feabhra 24, 2014
In three years we could have as many Irish speakers as Iceland’s population. If the 800,000 Irish school kids had a choice, more than half would go to a Gaelscoil – voluntarily.
Demand is simply not met. There are toddlers picking up the language in three years. It won’t take long to turn this around.
Irish immersion schools, Gaelscoils, get top grades, because bilingual education is good for the brain. The waiting lists are a mile long.
Once we recognize how easy it is to save the language, through the successful Gaelscoils, we can all get behind them. Learning Irish may be daunting to some of us adults, but there’s no reason we can’t be wise and embrace our language and ensure the next generation has their right to an Irish-medium education.
Nasty anti-Irish talk is a symptom of an unhealthy complex. We need to get over it. No one should be guilty or made feel guilty for the historical circumstances that beat Irish up to give us English. That’s no excuse though for glib talk about how their spoken, living and literary native language is dead. We can be European for real, and love our language.
Ireland gained independence to be a sanctuary for Irish. It makes some of us anxious to think we have to learn Irish. To do our bit, we just have to be positive, and put pressure on the government in Dublin to support what most of us want – a thriving culture. We may not become Irish speakers, but our children can be. That means we tell politicians we want our Irish-medium schools supported. There’s no better way to assert our future, or ensure our rights to Ireland as our homeland.
Irish is waiting on the rest of us: in our names; our genes; in the landscape.
Despite the school day blues, Irish is an ironically popular and sexy language.
Gaelscoils have 45,000 students right now. The waiting lists are a mile long. If only half the Irish school kids got the access they want, Ireland would have an unquestionably strong 500,000 daily speakers. It already has more speakers than cold statistics convey.
Icelandic has only 330,000 speakers, but none of the unhealthy bickering about the language’s death.
If Dublin let the schools happen, we could feel a little more secure in the world about the future of the Irish people. What does it cost? Irish teachers speaking Irish instead of English is not expensive. No big deal. No big cost.
There is nothing dead about Irish. To say so is a willfully ignorant meme that gets curmudgeons excited. The fact of the matter, however, is that dead people don’t talk.
Death talk is just a tactic, or philosophical-orientation, to kill it. Irish has great, globally popular support. It just needs more kids to have proper access to it.
Irish kids having immersion schools is a right. The Irish state was founded to assure that right, and other rights too, but that one is pretty clear. Ireland is a sanctuary for Irish. Duh. (Is that an Irish word?)
We all wish the old educational system hadn’t had its mean teaching monopoly for so long. Hebrew was luckier and went from a few rabbis speaking it to 9,000,000 in a generation.
Irish is getting it right now. It just needs Dublin to meet demand and let kids go to Gaelscoils.
If Ireland is not a sanctuary for the Irish language, then it will become culturally assimilated like Idaho. There are very few Irish people who really want that fate.
If you can’t learn Irish then help the kids who do to do so. There should be no Gaelscoil waiting lists. If an adult doesn’t have time to learn the language, he or she does have time to support Irish-medium schools, the highly successful – but wrongly curtailed – Gaelscoileanna.
www.irishcentral.com
Obair pháirtaimseartha do mhúinteoirí Gaeilge
Feabhra 20, 2014
Tá painéal á chur le chéile ag Gaelchultúr de mhúinteoirí Gaeilge a bheidh ar fáil (go háirithe i rith an lae) le bheith ag múineadh ar chúrsaí an chomhlachta do dhaoine fásta.
Cáilíocht riachtanach: bunchéim sa Ghaeilge nó san oideachas
Cáilíochtaí inmhianaithe: céim mháistir sa Ghaeilge, cáilíocht mhúinteoireachta
Má tá spéis agatsa san obair seo agus má tá na cáilíochtaí cuí agat, seol CV agus litir iarratais chuig Riarthóir Ghaelchultúir, Róisín Ní Mhaolchallann, ag roisin@gaelchultur.com.
Foisithe ar Gaelport.com
Stiúrthóir Naíonra
Feabhra 20, 2014
Stiúrthóirí Breise ag teastáil ó Naíonra Céimeanna Beaga, Inis, on 25ú lá Lúnasa 2014 ar aghaidh.
Cáilíochtaí: ‘B.Ed’ nó céim 8 i gcúram leanaí & oideachas na luathbhlianta.
Líofacht sa Ghaeilge riachtanach.
Litir iarratais, C.V. agus litreacha molta chuig:
Naíonra Céimeanna Beaga,
f/ch Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg.
Gleann Aibhne,
Bóthar an Ghoirt,
Inis,
Contae an Chláir.
Roimh an 31ú lá Márta 2014.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Lá Mór ar shráideanna Átha Cliath
Feabhra 20, 2014
Bhí Gaeltacht Chonamara agus pobal Gaeilge chontae na Gaillimhe fud fad an chontae go láidir i measc an tslua ollmhór a thug aghaidh ar shráideanna Bhaile Átha Cliath Dé Sathairn seo caite do Lá Mór na Gaeilge.
Is ceiliúradh teaghlaigh agus mórshiúl ollmhór ar son chearta teanga a bhí i Lá Mór na Gaeilge, agus tharraing an mórshiúl pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta agus Bhéarlóirí le dea-mhéin don teanga amach ar na sráideanna sna mílte lena dtacaíocht a léiriú don Ghaeilge. Arsa Donnchadh Ó hAodha, Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge “Tá Conradh na Gaeilge fíorbhuíoch do na sluaite a tháinig amach sna mílte ar shráideanna Bhaile Átha Cliath Dé Sathairn chun seasamh a ghlacadh ar son a gceart teanga, agus chun tacaíocht an phobail don Ghaeilge a léiriú do na Rialtais thuaidh theas, go háirithe i bhfianaise na drochaimsire a bhí againn ar fud na tíre le seachtain anuas.
“Bhí gach duine den deich míle duine a d’fhreastail ar Lá Mór na Gaeilge sásta seasamh a ghlacadh ar son na teanga agus iad ag gníomhú chun todhchaí dár dteanga a chinntiú. Tá an dúshlán curtha ag lucht Lá Mór na Gaeilge ar na Rialtais thuaidh agus theas anois – an bhfuil siadsan sásta todhchaí a roghnú don Ghaeilge agus gníomhú ar ár n-éilimh láithreach?”
Deir Julian de Spáinn, Ard-Rúnaí Chonradh na Gaeilge “Níl pobal na Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta thuaidh theas sásta le ceachtar an dá Rialtas mar gheall nach bhfuil siad ag tacú leo nó ag soláthar cosaint dlí sásúil dá gcearta bunúsacha daonna lena dteanga a úsáid. Níl sa mhórshiúl seo ach tús an fheachtais chun cothrom na Féinne a bhaint amach do phobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta ar fud an oileáin.”
www.advertiser.ie/galway
Slán leis an gcoimisinéir teanga
Feabhra 20, 2014
Eagraíodh Lá Mór na Gaeilge sna sála ar fhógairt Sheáin Uí Chuirreáin go mbeadh sé ag éirí as oifig mar Choimisinéir Teanga, mar gheall ar easpa tacaíochta an Rialtais ó dheas do chearta teanga phobal na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge.
Is é an Domhnach seo chugainn, 23 Feabhra, an lá deireanach do Sheán Ó Cuirreáin ina phost mar Choimisinéir Teanga, tar éis dó deich mbliana a chaitheamh ag obair le dúthracht ag iarraidh ar an státchóras freastal mar is cuí ar phobal na Gaeltachta is ar phobal na Gaeilge. Beidh deis ag daoine i gConamara agus i nGaillimh an meas atá acu ar Sheán a léiriú ar an Domhnach seo chugainn, nuair a bhaileoidh daoine taobh amuigh dá oifig sa Sídheán, an Spidéal, le litir a thabhairt dó ag gabháil buíochais leis faoina chuid oibre. Ina dhiaidh sin máirseálfar chomh fada le Roinn na Gaeltachta, áit a mbeidh litir don Aire Stáit, Dinny Mc Ginley, á shíneadh isteach ag iarraidh air féin agus ar an rialtas deireadh a chur leis an gcur i gcéill agus díriú ar na baic atá ag an státchóras freastal mar ba cheart ar lucht labhartha na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht ina dteanga féin.
Tá eolas breise faoi imeachtaí an Domhnaigh le fáil ó 091 593185, 086 4048881 nó 091 567824.
www.advertiser.ie/galway
Bain cáilíocht idirnáisiúnta amach sa Ghaeilge
Feabhra 20, 2014
Ar mhian leat dearbhú a fháil maidir leis an leibhéal Gaeilge atá agat? Tapaigh an deis sa bhliain 2014 le scrúduithe Theastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG).
Is córas scrúdaithe é TEG d’fhoghlaimeoirí fásta Gaeilge. Tá baint aige leis an bhFráma Tagartha Comónta Eorpach do Theangacha.
Tá éileamh leanúnach ó fhoghlaimeoirí agus ó mhúinteoirí Gaeilge ar cháilíocht TEG atá aitheanta ag an Roinn Oideachais, Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta, Coimisiún Fulbright, An Garda Síochána agus eagraíochtaí eile.
Tá sé fógartha ag Ionad na dTeangacha Ollscoil na hÉireann Má Nuad go mbeidh scrúduithe Gaeilge á reáchtáil i naoi n-ionad ar fud na tíre agus thar lear i Nua Eabhrac, Prág, Páras agus Ottawa.
Tá gné nua ag baint leis an gcóras scrúdaithe le cúpla bliain anuas a dhíríonn ar scileanna labhartha amháin. Is féidir páirtchreidiúint TEG a bhaint amach agus an scrúdú cainte amháin a dhéanamh ag gach leibhéal. Is buntáiste mór é an pháirtchreidiúnt seo do dhaltaí meánscoile atá ag réiteach do scrúduithe cainte Gaeilge mar aon le daoine fásta a bhfuil cumas láidir labhartha acu.
Beidh scrúduithe 2014 ar siúl i mí Aibreáin, Bealtaine agus Meitheamh. Is é an spriocdháta d’iarratais ná 21 Feabhra 2014 do na meánscoileanna agus 14 Márta 2014 d’iarrthóirí eile.
Is féidir tuilleadh eolais a fháil ar www.teg.ie nó glaoch a chur ar (01) 708 3737.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
