Dioplóma i Léann an Traidisiúin i gCultúrlann Uí Chanáin, Doire
August 20, 2013
DFP staff received ‘Irish’ promo memo
August 19, 2013
ERSTWHILE Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said he didn’t approve the circulation of a free Irish language translation service number for public sector workers amongst his Department in April.
But he said staff at the Department of Finance and Personnel were informed of the helpline’s existence. Mr Wilson said his personal approval was not required but the circular was sent out as it represented value for money. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) Jim Allister asked the Minister whether he approved the circulation of the document “Courtesy Translation. Re:Freagra – Irish Language Helpline/Gaelchultúr” to departmental staff, and if so, why. Mr Wilson replied: “My officials were notified of the existence of this free helpline in April 2013 and in the interests of value for money advised staff of its existence. There was no requirement for my approval.”
Gaelchultúr was established in 2004 with the aim of promoting the Irish language and various aspects of Irish culture, including music, song and dance, in Dublin and other parts of Ireland. Since 2005, it’s been providing specialised Irish language training to public sector bodies.
www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 19 Lúnasa 2013
Londonderry Sentinel – Kevin Mullan
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
Cúntóir Naíonra
August 16, 2013
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
Bronze Age Jewellery Workshop
August 16, 2013
le Lidia de Lange
Saor in aisce / FREE
Spásanna teoranta, tá sé le cur in áirithint.
Limited spaces please book in advance.
091-870718
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Gaeilge Locha Riach once again brings a broad range of Heritage Week Projects before the town. A free of charge Bronze Age Jewellery Workshop will be held for 9-12 year olds (boys & girls) next Thursday afternoon.
Bronze Age Jewellery Workshop
Thursday 22nd August, 11.00 a.m.—12.30 p.m.
Ages: 9—12 years, boys & girls
Where: Irish Centre, Loughrea
Limited spaces please book in advance 091 870 718
Bilingual, fluency is not an issue.
Song and Dance Camp
August 16, 2013
19-23 August 2013
Esker, Athenry, Co. Galway
Info:
087-1953884 / 087-9192381 / 086-8070335
Target Groups:
•Children 4-8 yrs where one parent at least speaks Irish to them at home.
•Children 9-13 yrs where one parent at least speaks Irish to them at home.
Ag cosaint sábháilteacht leanaí: fógra faoi fhóin chliste agus grianghraif a thógáil
August 16, 2013
