Irish cover version of hit becomes internet sensation
August 19, 2013
An Irish-language version of hit song ‘Wake Me Up’ by Avicii has become an internet sensation after racking up more than a million hits on YouTube.
The song was done as part of an annual music project by Coláiste Lurgan, an Irish-language summer school in Galway. The school and Gaeltacht course has been in existence for 40 years but has recently become a bit of an Irish-language Glee club. Besides ‘Wake Me Up’, the school has released many other Irish-language versions of songs such as Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’, Pompeii’s ‘Bastille’, and ‘The Cup Song’ from the movie Perfect Pitch — all of which are racking up hundreds of thousands of hits and spreading the Irish language across the world. Manager of Coláiste Lurgan Micheál Ó Foighil said the Glee reference was a compliment to the work teachers and students have done preparing the videos “That’s a big compliment,” said Mr Ó Foighil. “I have to watch Glee quite often myself as I have three young daughters at home.”
Mr Ó Foighil explained that the idea grew out of the traditional Galway wet weather and having to do something while stuck indoors. “Our first production was due to the weather,” he said. “It rained so much on one course that we were inside all the time that we decided to do something together. “Michael Jackson was after passing away, so we decided to do a version of ‘Thriller’. We had such a great time. From there it seemed a good idea to have one such programme on every course,” he said. Mr Ó Foighil said the expertise comes from the teachers, students, and past pupils, who all have helped make the videos look so professional. Such has been the success of the cover version, that Swedish DJ Avicii, who wrote ‘Wake Me Up’, took to Facebook, in advance of his Belfast gig last night, to profess his love for the Irish version. “This one is so cool! I can’t understand a word but I love it,” he posted.
www.irishexaminer.com
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 19 Lúnasa 2013
Irish Examiner – Conall Ó Fátharta
Language funding lost in translation
August 19, 2013
Even by the standards of the Assembly, the spending of more than £500,000 on the translation of Irish and Ulster-Scots in the last four years is a scandalous waste of scarce public resources.
There can barely be a person in Northern Ireland who relies solely on either language or who could not understand the same information in English. Instead the languages are simply cultural totems which are waved by either community as the public’s expense. It is often argued by supporters of the Irish and Ulster-Scots language that preservation of the respective cultures are vital. There probably is a valid argument for supporting cultural activities associated with either language, but that should not extend to the level of translating all sorts of documents into those languages or hiring people to translate the mutterings of MLAs who decide to conduct part of their debates in a language that only a minority of people understand.
Would this money not be better spent in the provision of facilities and resources in Irish medium schools, for example, rather than in printing material which is already accessible in a language that everyone understands. Supporters of both languages feel they should have identical resources financed from the public purse, even if that need cannot be demonstrated, as with the farcical Ulster-Scots voicemail service at Stormont which has never been used. In a province where waste in the public service is commonplace, it has taken a certain amount of ingenuity to find a new way of spending money with no discernible return. Perhaps those ministers responsible for the expenditure on these two languages would like to publicly justify it, especially at a time when the health service and education need more money or when welfare payments to the worst off in the community are being slashed. They would find it very difficult to put forward a compelling argument. It is time they stopped spending money on projects which feed nothing but the vanity of those involved.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 19 Lúnasa 2013
Belfast Telegraph
The Youtube approach to learning Irish
August 19, 2013
The man behind Youtube hit songs ‘as Gaeilge’ believes he has discovered an effective teaching method
Micheál Ó Foighil If language learning can be associated with something enjoyable, it makes the learning experience much deeper The hall is empty now, and the rain is bucketing down outside, but Mícheál Ó Foighil is in mighty form. “This is where we had the greatest party of all time,” he says, showing me the massive room where they filmed the music video that has become a huge hit on YouTube. Here, at the back of Coláiste Lurgan, an Irish-language summer college in Indreabhán in the heart of the Connemara Gaeltacht, students and staff performed their take on Avicii’s hit Wake Me Up in July. The video has now garnered more than a million views on YouTube. “It’s the biggest number of hits ever for an Irish-language song on YouTube”, says Ó Foighil proudly. “We knew when we were filming that we were doing something different, something special. We started at 7.30pm and we didn’t finish until 3am, but it was eight hours of pure joy. The energy, the buzz was electric.” Lurgan’s videos had already attracted a lot of attention on social media. A rendition of Pitch Perfect’s The Cup Song has had well over 400,000 views.
Mícheál Ó Foighil, who has been the manager of Coláiste Lurgan since 1996, never expected this amount of attention. He maintains that the students are his priority, but “if it creates a buzz for them, that’s great”. The enterprise dates back to a very rainy summer in 2009, when creativity was called upon to relieve cabin fever. Many videos later, they have a YouTube channel, TG Lurgan, and a recording studio. “It started off as a bit of fun, and it’s still a bit of fun,” says Ó Foighil. “Our job here is to influence our students, to give them an opportunity that makes them feel they are producing something that’s relevant. We are helping them make the transition from learning the language to using the language. And in this way we are normalising the language.” He says it is all voluntary, not for profit. Everyone appearing in or working on the videos is either a student or staff, he says, except for a number of local professionals who have lent their support. He sees the creative process as being hugely beneficial to learning. “Teamwork brings people together; everything is being done through Irish, but they don’t even notice it. The emphasis is not on the language but on the job at hand. The point is we’re doing the transition from learning to using. It’s a question of confidence. The more you practise, the more confident you get. If language learning can be associated with something enjoyable, it makes the learning experience much deeper, much richer.”
Coláiste Lurgan, one of the first purpose-built summer colleges, was founded in the late 1960s by Mícheál’s father, the late Pól Ó Foighil, who was an Irish-language activist and politician. He feels the extent of the reaction to their videos online shows there is huge love for the language. “It re-enforces the idea that people do love the language. Even though they may not speak it, it’s part and parcel of their DNA. People will respond to an opportunity to engage with the language.”
Failed by the system
He sees most of the comments being posted on the videos highlight the fact that so many generations of Irish people are being failed by the system. “People are leaving comments lamenting the fact that they can’t speak their own native tongue, but that they’re proud of what we’ve done. Why is it that, after 13 years of schooling, most people cannot speak the language confidently?” He puts this down to an ineffective education system. “The Taoiseach does have empathy for the language, but he is misguided. Ninety-five per cent of the budget that is spent on the language is spent through the Department of Education, but there is not much to show for it. Huge opportunities are being lost. The system is banjaxed. Irish people are being denied something precious in their lives by an ineffective system, and that’s sad.“ Ó Foighil says we are on dangerous ground regarding the language, because “the establishment is throwing in the towel … They are using it as an excuse that people can’t speak it, to downgrade it.” He believes it is not too late. “The Irish language has a huge future. People want to learn it. What needs to be done is to get the education system functioning properly, and that is not a question of resources. They need to find out what right buttons to press to keep people engaged.” The Lurgan team have certainly found the right buttons. Ó Foighil says there are eight more videos in the pipeline, and, adds “the next one is a very special one altogether”.
www.irishtimes.com
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 19 Lúnasa 2013
The Irish Times – Róisín O’Hara
Planning decision due on Gaelscoil de hÍde next month
August 16, 2013
By the start of next month, Gaelscoil de hÍde in Oranmore, will know whether it has received planning permission for its new school.
The application follows a grant of outline planning permission and the purchase of the site by the Department of Education earlier this year. This current application is seeking approval for the construction of a twostorey school with 16 classrooms, a general purpose room, library, resource and other rooms.
A decision is due from the Galway County Council on September 3. Independent Galway West TD Noel Grealish has welcomed the application, pointing out that the school has 292 pupils and 20 staff, all of whom are housed in temporary accommodation on a halfacre site, with no playground space, or other facilities. The annual rental cost of prefabs is €200,000.
www.advertiser.ie/galway
Súil Siar – Saol na scoile
August 9, 2013
Ná milltear an samhradh fada buí
August 7, 2013
Irish-medium education sets a high standard
August 6, 2013
IN his opinion piece on Irish-medium education (Comment, July 30), Danny Kinahan is unfairly dismissive of the role of Irish-medium schools in helping to create a truly integrated education system.
He rejects the many possibilities it affords for educational cooperation and plurality. Contrary to Mr Kinahan, I unequivocally state that Irish-medium schools are open to all parents and pupils who seek an excellent, bilingual educational experience. Regarding the question of whether Irish-medium schools deliver a quality education, the previous chief inspector’s report, under the previous assessment arrangements, shows that 83% of Irish-medium pupils achieved Level 4 or above in English Keystage 2 assessments. It also showed 79% achieved a similar standard in maths, out-performing their peers in English-medium schools. This trend continues under the new assessment arrangements.
I challenge Mr Kinahan’s defeatist presumption that the low percentage of pupils from a Protestant background at Irish-medium schools won’t change. If anything, the argument should be made that the percentage will increase, particularly following the growth of Gaelic-medium education in Scotland where the vast majority of pupils are Protestant. This refutes the assertion that there is a lack of interest or a disconnect among the Protestant community. Our view is that demand for this new, vital and dynamic sector will increase across all sections of the community when parents become more aware of the choices available to them. Prince Charles has spoken passionately about the Gaelic language, acknowledging not only its cultural and linguistic benefits. A truly shared vision for education should not pigeon-hole entire sectors and pander to the ‘them-and-us’ mentality.
I challenge Mr Kinahan to play a positive role in ensuring that language is never perceived as a political weapon, rather that it can be enjoyed and learned by all for the many benefits it offers to children – bilingualism, cognitive advantages, greater tolerance and cultural awareness.
DR MICHEAL O DUIBH
Chief executive, Comhairle na Gaelscolaiochta
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Cruinniú Poiblí do mhná tí in ionad Naomh Pádraig, Dobhar
August 2, 2013
Making the great escape to the Gaeltacht
August 2, 2013
Famous faces recall their Gaeltacht experiences
Ruairi Quinn, Minister for Education
I only attended Irish college once — as a 12-year-old with a couple of my older brothers. It was based in what is now today known as Trabolgan Holiday Centre in Cork but the facilities at the time were so primitive it reminded me of a prison camp. I recall two of my brothers escaping from the camp and they got as far as Whitegate Oil Refinery before they were caught. I’m always reminded of the film The Great Escape whenever I think of my time in Irish college!
Siobhán Bastible, News presenter, TV3
The Gaeltacht for me was invaluable as I was about to attend an Irish-speaking school, Coláiste Íosagáin, in Dublin, coming from an all-English primary school.
I was 11 when myself and my cousin Jennifer were sent to Coláiste Ciarán in Carraroe, Co. Galway. My parents were enthusiastic about us learning to speak as Gaeilge and all of my six siblings had gone to the Gaeltacht at one point or another.
I do remember struggling to speak for the first week but it gradually got easier. We were in a house of around six other girls. I was always late for breakfast and missed the Rice Krispies, my cereal of choice! The ‘full Irish’ didn’t appeal to me!
There was a social element to Coláiste Ciarán, but at the age of 11, my cousin and I didn’t avail of it. We were simply too young — the other girls were mostly in their teens and had a ball, according to the talk at the breakfast table some mornings.
Like most of my generation, I’ve travelled in Europe, Asia and America… but to appreciate other cultures, we must also understand our own.
and one who missed out…
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent TD
I would love to have gone to the Gaeltacht when I was younger. Unfortunately, this was the preserve of the more well-off. When it came to a choice between feeding us and teaching us Irish, my parents were forced to do as many before had, and that was to choose food. Pity it had to be that way, still is. A bit like brown bread, the poor only get to eat it when the rich didn’t want it.
www.irishexaminer.com
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 02 Lúnasa 2013
The Irish Examiner
Getting lucky as Gaeilge
August 2, 2013
If you’re going to try and make Irish appeal to the i-Pod generation, then Micheál Ó Foighil, bainisteoir at Coláiste Lurgan in Indreabhán, Co Galway, seems to have found the very answer.
This is cutting-edge Gaeilge, brilliantly tailored in what Micheál describes as ‘New Age Irish’: typical three-week summer courses running from June to late August but with an emphasis on music, performance and making Irish trendy and applicable to the teenage market.
It’s no surprise, then, that the college in south Connemara has in the last 18 months become something of a home-spun internet sensation on YouTube. This summer, the students’ version of Daft Punk’s dance hit ‘Get Lucky’ — ‘An Ádh Nocht’ in Irish — clocked up an incredible 62,000 hits, registering 10,000 hits alone within just 24 hours of being posted. (Their ‘Cup Song’ has had almost 250,000 views).
In short, it’s ‘Gaeilge Rap’, performed and filmed by Blanchardstown student Ian Mac Gabhann and with the Irish lyrics subtitled at the bottom so viewers can sing along, with the song recorded in the Coláiste’s own state-of-the art studio.
The team in Indreabhán have also launched an Irish language video app.
www.irishexaminer.com
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 02 Lúnasa 2013
The Irish Examiner
