‘Ní míchumas atá orm – is buntáiste atá ann’
January 7, 2014
Rith 2014
January 6, 2014
Rith 2014 is a national Irish language festival that will take place between the 7-15 March 2014 during Seachtain na Gaeilge. On March 7th 2014, a marathon run will commence around the island of Ireland, passing the specially designed baton to a different runner/group at the end of each kilometre.
Rith 2014 is also a fund-raising activity, with a special fund established as a result of Rith that will be used to promote the development of Irish in the community. Rith 2014 will be run through 14 counties from the 7 – 15 March 2014 and finishing nine days later in Belfast where the special in the baton will be revealed to the public. The 1000km course has been laid out for a massive cross-county relay race, running from morning to night, starting in Baile Bhuirne in co. Cork to Belfast over a nine day period, with thousands of people taking part across the 200 towns/townlands and countryside on the route.
Rith 2014 is an enjoyable and innovative way for communities to celebrate the Irish language and culture in a visual way across Ireland. To take part and register with Rith 2014 just visit www.rith.ie
This wonderful event will celebrate the Irish language and for 9 days member of the public in towns, cities and in the countryside so why not join in the fun and run.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Tráth na gCeist Bórd Feachtas
January 6, 2014
Ceiliúradh na Nollag i mBunscoil an Iúir
January 6, 2014
The surprising people speaking up for Irish
January 6, 2014
THE resignation of the Irish-language commissioner, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, is “undoubtedly the worst blow to the Irish language in many years,” say Irish-language group, Conradh na Gaeilge.
Ó Cuirreáin, appointed as the first commissioner in 2004, and re-appointed in 2010, says many civil servants and public body employees are only capable of conducting business through English. Ó Cuirreáin accused the Government of hypocrisy, and said Irish speakers in Gaeltachts were being neglected. But the Irish language is being embraced by new speakers, and this is welcomed by Foras na Gaeilge, which is responsible for the promotion of the Irish language. Dr John Walsh, a lecturer in Irish at NUI Galway, says Irish is attracting unlikely practitioners. Walsh is involved in an EU-funded project, ‘New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe’, led by Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. It involves 15 partners from Europe. Other languages include Basque, Catalan, Galician and Scottish Gaelic.
Walsh defines a ‘new speaker’ as someone who has learned Irish outside of the home; either at school, through adult classes or some other formal means. “Our project is about finding out what has encouraged these people to make thedecision to learn Irish, what their views on Irish are, what their experiences ofspeaking it are, and how they relate to native speakers,” Dr Walsh says. A few non-Irish nationals have been interviewed for the project, which is in its early stages. “The non-Irish nationals are a very interesting group, because they don’t come to the language with the baggage that a lot of Irish people bring to it. “They may be motivated through heritage connections to Ireland, or they’re simply people who are interested in integrating more fully with Irish culture. Some may be interested in moving to the Gaeltacht,” he says.
Dr Walsh says that he knows of a student from the Czech Republic who is learning Irish, and he’s aware of a number of West of Ireland-based Africans learning the language. “I know that there’s a certain amount of non-Irish nationals going to Gaelscoileanna. They’re very often people who are linguistically open, because many of them would speak three different languages already. I had students in the past who worked in a school in west Dublin, where a lot of the non-Irish nationals were very well-disposed towards the language. Their parents wanted to learn it as well,” Dr Walsh says. Some enjoy learning another language. “Irish can be an interesting challenge for them. It’s not a burden for them,” he says. However, some of the new speakers “experience hostility from Irish people. Some people don’t like the fact that a French or Spanish person would know more Irish than them. But, in general, they’ve viewed with admiration.”
Walsh says that few non-Irish people studying Irish at NUI Galway are complete beginners. They come to the university having previously attended an introductory course. “Irish is taught in a lot of universities outside of Ireland. You can study Irish in Poland, and there are dozens of universities in North America where Irish is taught. “People from these backgrounds can reach quite impressive standards of Irish. The question of difficulty in learning the language comes from some Irish people who have their own attitudes towards the language,” Dr Walsh says. “Through preliminary work that we have done on the new speakers, we’ve found that they’re very committed, and will overcome the intricacies of another language and get to grips with it.
“It shows the importance of attitude. None of the new speakers talk about the fact that they’re struggling. They’re speaking Irish quite happily and want to get better. They often talk about it as if they’re on a journey and haven’t quite got there yet. “But any objective analysis would say that they’re very good already.” Some Irish are learning the language to move away from nationalism. They’re not speaking it for patriotism. “I think a certain generation associates nationalism and patriotism with political violence in the North. But, for a lot of young people, it’s all about being tolerant and open. They tend to be very accepting people, with liberal views towards the world. “They’re accepting of all sorts of diversity. The older generation that we’ve spoken to are much more nationalist. “They might have been at school in the 1940s and 1950s, when Irish was much more strongly associated with nationalism,” he says. With the new speakers of Irish come changes in the language. “We’ve definitely experienced all sorts of linguistic innovation across the spectrum. Nobody is replicating the traditional model. Researching language revival is part of this project.
“Irish is being brought into the future. Some people can be quite daring, almost transgressive, deliberately breaking rules and almost revelling in it. Other people are more conservative, as they try to stick to the style of the Gaeltacht areas,” Dr Walsh says. While purists may not like to see Irish changing, Walsh says that “one of the cardinal rules is that language changes.”
www.irishexaminer.com
Gabh chuig Goitse!
January 6, 2014
First language planning notices published
January 6, 2014
Request for submissions regarding three language planning regions announced under Section 7(3) of the Gaeltacht Act 2012
The Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dinny McGinley, T.D., has announced the first notices regarding the language planning process for the following Limistéir Pleanála Teanga:
Ciarraí Thiar
Cois Fharraige
Gaoth Dobhair, Rann a Feirste, Anagaire and Loch an Iúir
Under the Gaeltacht Act 2012, the Gaeltacht was divided into 19 separate language planning regions, with the intention that a unique language plan would be drafted for each selected region. It was agreed at that time that a supervisory body would be named in each region to work alongside Údarás na Gaeltachta in implementing the language plan on the ground. In May of this year, it was announced that the language planning areas had been redefined, which meant an increase from 19 distinct areas to 26.
Announcing the beginning of the application process today, Minister of State McGinley said, “I am delighted to announce that I have published the first three notices under section 7(3) of the Gaeltacht Act 2012. These notices officially mark the beginning of the language planning process on the ground in these areas”.
Organisations will be given up to 2 months from 16 January 2014 to apply to Údarás na Gaeltachta to be selected to prepare and implement language plans in the areas. Language plans will be prepared over a 2 year period and following Department approval, plans will be implemented, with assistance from Údarás na Gaeltachta, over a seven year period.
“Now that the language planning process has been officially initiated in 3 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas, I am hopeful that a further 10 notices will be published in respect of 10 other areas next year with the remainder to follow thereafter,” said Minister of State McGinley.
Director of Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Kevin De Barra, said that more was expected from the Department: “Only three regions out of twenty six were announced today. It will be a long time before any progress is made should the Department continue with this approach. These regions will have two years to draft a language plan which, following ratification from the Department, will be implemented over a seven year period”.
“No details regarding the resources or support that these regions will receive throughout the process have been released. The Government must prioritise the implementation of this process and the provision of resources to the parties involved”.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Feighlí leanaí
January 6, 2014
Irish language plans
December 20, 2013
OFFICIAL plans to preserve and protect the Irish language have gotten under way.
Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley has asked for groups in three Gaeltacht areas to submit language plans.
Gaeltacht areas in south Kerry (Ciarrai Thiar), Connemara (Cois Fharraige) and Donegal (Gaoth Dobhair) were notified to submit their proposals for the scheme. Local organisations in the selected areas have until January 16 to apply to be selected to submit language plans. A further 23 areas will be selected over the coming two years.
www.independent.ie
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 20 Nollaig 2013
Irish Independent
Comórtas na Nollag Lár Sráide
December 20, 2013
