Advantages of Irish to be discussed in WIT and Carlow
February 3, 2014
Irish language seminar for post-primary students, ‘Buntáiste Breise na Gaeilge’, to visit Waterford Institute of Technology and the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow.
In three weeks Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge will begin the spring series of the Irish language seminars, ‘Buntáiste Breise na Gaeilge’ in two different locations across Ireland for students in fourth, fifth and sixth year in secondary schools.
In recent years Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge has organised over thirty such seminars with almost 8,500 students from 257 post-primary schools from all over the country having attended the seminars nationwide. The seminar, which begins at 10.00am, discusses the advantages that the Irish language may afford students on their chosen career.
Guest speakers will give lively accounts of their own experiences and will encourage students to consider Irish as they choose their own career-paths in the future.
On Wednesday, 26 February, the Auditorium in Waterford Institute of Technology located on the Cork Road Campus will host the a panel of guest speakers including Máire Seosaimhín Breathnach, Irish Language officer with Waterford County Council, who will give an insight into her interesting job in promoting the language at all levels in the county.
Mairéad Ní Mhurchú who works as a producer-director with Nemeton in An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht will give an insight to her work within the media and the importance of Irish broadcasting in sports and Cian Ó Conchúir, founder of Sólás Na Mara and Helbhic Seaweed Baths, a modern healthcare centre located in An Rinn, who is also a Physio with the Waterford Senior Football Team since 2008, will give an insight to his work on the day.
Carrie Crowley will discuss the advantages that Irish gave her as a broadcaster, presenter, actor and writer and in her recent role in TG4’s soap Ros na Rún. Carrie will also give an account of how she came to present the Eurovision Song Contest 1997.
The Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow will host the seminar on Thursday morning, 27 February, where another former Eurovision present will be amongst the guest speakers.
The renowned actor Barry Barnes who hails from Wexford will give an insight into his work as a bilingual actor and the advantages Irish in his career. Barry will be well-known for his role as Aifric’s father in the TG4 teenage programme ‘Aifric’. He has also had roles in great films such as Veronica Guerin, Michael Collins, Kings and many others.
Emma Uí Bhroin who works as an Irish language Development Officer with Glór Cheatharlach in Carlow will highlight the importance of Irish as a spoken language in her area while promoting Irish language events in Carlow.
Carlow native Cynthia Ní Mhurchú will give an account of the many advantages the Irish language afforded her personally, as a barrister, presenter and columnist and also in her important role as presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin in 1994.
Other guest speakers include Co. Laois native and GAA President Liam Ó Néill who will give an inspirational insight into the GAA’s work with local clubs all over the country and how to promote the Irish language within the GAA. He will also discuss the importance of the language to him personally as he addresses the nation at many events in Croke Park in his native tongue.
Questions from students will be welcomed during the seminars, and students will be encouraged to take an active role in the discussions.
If you are a secondary school teacher or an individual who would like to attend any of the seminars in the coming weeks please contact Brígíd at Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge: 01 679 4780 or brighid@comhdhail.ie
As spaces are limited all schools must be registered before attending these events.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Póstaer Gaeilge le haghaidh comórtas Eircom do scoileanna
February 3, 2014
Winning words at Comórtas Uí Chadhain 2014 debating final!
February 3, 2014
Young orators from An Cheathrú Rua, Co. Galway and Dundalk, Co. Louth, have every reason to celebrate having been declared winners at the All-Ireland Final of Comórtas Uí Chadhain 2014. The event took place in the Examination Hall, Trinity College, Dublin, with the support of the college’s Oifig na Gaeilge, on Thursday last, 30 January 2014. Organised by Gael Linn,with the financial support of Foras na Gaeilge, Comórtas Uí Chadhain attracts the debating teams from Gaeltacht schools and Irish-medium schools, and over 50 teams have taken part in this national competition since October last.
In the junior section of the competition, the topic for debate was Tá deireadh le ‘comhar na gcomharsan’ in Éirinn!’ ( Good neighbourliness is at an end in Ireland ! ) Teams from Coláiste Eoin, Booterstown, Co. Dublin and Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, Tralee, Co. Kerry spoke in favour of the motion, with teams from Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair, Co. Donegal and Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, An Cheathrú Rua, Co. Galway, in opposition. The young orators were well-informed on the subject, and put their respective arguments across to the large audience comprehensively ! The standard of debating was so high, that the five adjudicators, Liam Mac a’Mhaoir, Colm Mac Lochlainn, Mícheál Ó Fathaigh, Caitríona Ní Bhaoill and Aingeal Ní Chonghaola, took some time in coming to their decision. There was great jubilation among the supporters of the Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin team ( Mary Ellen Ní Fhatharta, Clíona Ní Laoi and Laila Ní Fhatharta ) when they were declared winners ! The school has a long tradition in debating, and teacher Máirín Ní Dhomhnaill was extremely proud of her pupils’ great achievement, particularly as the school won the senior title in last year’s final !
A lively debate followed between the senior teams again from Coláiste Eoin, Dublin and Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, An Cheathrú Rua, Co. Galway, who were joined this time by students from Coláiste Feichín Naofa, Corr na Móna, Co. Galway, and Coláiste Rís, Dundalk, Co. Louth. The motion, ‘Tá géarghá le páirtí nua polaitíochta i bPoblacht na hÉireann! ‘ ( There is urgent need for a new political party in the Republic of Ireland) was well thrashed out by the speakers, with plenty of point-scoring and rebuttal from both sides! . Following further deliberation by the judging panel, first prize in this section went to brothers Mícheál and Neasán Mac Suibhne, along with Bearnard Ó Thoirealaigh, from Coláiste Rís, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Seán Ó Coigligh, the teacher who guided the pupils on their road to victory since October last, was delighted when they lifted the Gael Linn cup !
Guest chairperson on the night, former Government Minister Mary Hanafin, a former participant in the competition herself, praised the speakers in both debates for their command of current affairs and excellent oratorical skills. Showing a particular interest in the opinions expressed in the senior debate on the need for a new political party in the Republic of Ireland, Ms. Hanafin did not come down on either side, but encouraged the young people to take an active part in politics regardless, and recommended that, if they want to exert influence in time to come, they join some political party, rather than remaining independent.
The winning teams in both sections were each presented with the Gael Linn perpetual trophy and a cheque for €1,000, while prizes of €250 each were awarded to all other participating teams. Congratulating the winning teams, Antoine Ó Coileáin, CEO, Gael Linn remarked: ‘The Gael Linn debating competitions have been an important element in Irish education for over fifty years and are a major stimulus in the promotion of excellence in spoken Irish. Great credit is due to the generations of teachers who had championed the debates, giving many thousands of pupils the opportunity to participate’. As part of the prize in the Junior section also, the winners, Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, have been invited to take part in ‘Ri Chéile’, a public speaking festival organized jointly by Gael Linn and Comunn na Gaidhlig, Scotland with funding from the organization, Colmcille. This annual festival provides a platform at which young people from both Ireland and Scotland get the chance to explore the similarities between their respective languages and the 2014 festival will take place in Scotland in the autumn.
Further information: Niamh de Búrca 01:6753303/Niamh@gael-linn.ie or
Jamie Ó Tuama 01:6753303/jamieot@gael-linn.ie
Blitz iomána/camógaíochta trí mhéan na Gaeilge i mBaile na Scríne
February 3, 2014
Ró éileamh ar na deontais d’imeachtaí idirscoile
February 3, 2014
Ní thuigim a n-intinn
February 3, 2014
From June there will be six organisations looking after the Irish voluntary sector. Thirteen other organisations will have to get funding from elsewhere or go to the wall. None of the six is based in the North. This is bureaucracy gone mad. A lot of Foras na Gaeilge’s work has been highly successful. But why can they not build on what they have done? We lost the newspaper Foinse a few years ago. At that time Foinse was one of the best newspapers in the country. It was far better than most of the English language papers. It attracted top writers. The paper had problems regarding circulation and advertising. But instead of helping Foinse through this, Foras terminated its contract and gave it to Gaelscéal. The Gaelscéal staff lacked necessary experience and their contract was ended early. Now we don’t have a national newspaper in Irish. (The Indo publishes a small supplement every Wednesday, and that’s your lot.) Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge set up a very professional Internet site: www.gaelport.com It provides pieces of news about the Irish language as well as information about Irish events. It is a very good service: there is a demand for it, but the service is limited. The Comhdháil has a highly qualified staff, and with extra funding it could develop the service. Now an Chomhdháil will be gone in six months and this service will most likely disappear too.
www.derryjournal.com
Eolas ón Roinn faoi gComhchlár Dioplóma Iarchéime um Fhorbairt Ghairmiúil Leantach do Mhúinteoirí
February 3, 2014
Réalt Uladh 2014
February 3, 2014
Schoolchildren from all over Ulster will gather in Letterkenny on Saturday, 1 March 2014, for the annual Réalt Uladh competition.
Competitors will show off their Irish language reading, singing, writing and acting at the event which will take place in the Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
The primary aim of Réalt Uladh is to encourage the children’s confidence in their spoken Irish and to celebrate Gaelic culture.
Réalt Uladh is an important event in the school calendar and hundreds of students take part each year. The entire competition is through Irish and competitors of all levels from Naíscoil up to Year 8 in primary school are invited to take part.
The success of Réalt Uladh is expected to continue again this year with as more age groups have been included to meet the current demand.
Hundreds of preschool and primary school children will compete in over 30 competitions on the day including Poetry Recital, Reading, Writing, Singing and Drama. Children are put into categories according to age and ability and all are welcome to be in the audience on the day.
Primary school entrants may take part in up to 10 competitions and the closing date for entries is Thursday, 6 February 2014.
For more information and entry forms visit www.realtuladh.com.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
An gceiliúrann tú Oíche Fhéile Bríde?
January 31, 2014
Galway created sexy Irish — now it must maintain it
January 31, 2014
Just last week the RTE player featured a video shot in Galway in January 1964, exactly 50 years before. It was classic black and white television reportage style of the type that exemplified the early days of Montrose and focused on the news that week that Galway was planning to become an official Irish-speaking city over the next few years.
The reporter spoke to Mayor Martin Divilly (grandfather of Galway Bay fm’s Jon Richards), businessman Paddy Ryan, university president Martin Newell and a whole host of what you’d call ordinary folk, all of whom thought it would be a great idea if the city became Irish speaking. Then, like now, most of them said that they had but a few focails, but that they would be willing to learn.
The Galway of that video was a grey place, one that you could never imagine would turn into the colourful carnival capital of the west, the party hub of Ireland, the place to which tens of thousands of young people would flock every year to have their heads turned and their hearts stolen. In the latter part of the half-century that divided the two eras, the Irish language eventually came to play a large part in the culture of the city, nurtured through by the establishment of media such as RnaG and Tg4 and a host of other public and private groupings.
Suddenly, the city and county were bearing the fruits of the newfound sexiness of the language. Businesses proudly bore their signage and menus in Irish. Attractive males and females took to the airwaves to bring the new sexy Irish to a new generation. It was as if Peig Sayers had never existed. But with that in mind, it is all the more surprising that next Monday, a crisis meeting about the treatment of the mother tongue is to be held in the county.
The public meeting is being organized as part of a new language rights campaign that has been established in response to the crisis created by announcement of the Language Commissioner, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, that he would be stepping down from his position as a result of the lack of engagement he has received from the Government. The meeting will be held in Seanscoil Sailearna, Indreabhán at 8.00pm and language activist, Donncha Ó hÉalaithe, and Julian de Spáinn, general secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge will be keynote speakers. It will be chaired by Nórita Ní Chartúir, from Acadamh na hollscolaíochta Gaeilge, NUIG.
The meeting is open to everyone in the community and it will provide the opportunity to focus on the actions needed to fight for the language rights of the Gaeltacht and Irish language community. Monday also happens to be the closing date for entries into this year’s Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh 2014 hosted by Gaillimh le Gaeilge. That competition more than anything else has helped draw in businesses who would be less than confident about their ability to be seen as promoting Irish, but this has eliminated any such awkwardness and resulted in Irish being increasingly visible throughout Galway city. Your business or enterprise can and should be entered in this competition.
Ba chathair uathúil í Cathair na Gaillimhe riamh anall, áit dhifriúil. Chun uathúlacht na cathrach a chosaint, is í an chloch is mó a bheas ar ár bpaidrín ná leanúint ar aghaidh ag troid ar son na Gaeilge. Cuirtear tús leis an gcath chun a chinntiú go mbeidh ról ag an nGaeilge labhartha agus scríofa i nGaillimh na 21ú haoise sa chaoi go mbeidh na daoine sa 22ú haois in ann leanúint ar aghaidh ag baint leas agus tairbhe aisti.
Galway has always been a city of uniqueness, a different place. It will be the strength of our conviction to battle to maintain the Irish language that will continue to define it as a different place. Let the battle begin to ensure that spoken and written Irish have a role to play in the Galway of the 21st century, so that the people in the 22nd century will continue to enjoy the benefits it brings.
www.advertiser.ie/galway
