News through an 20ú lá Mí Dheireadh Fómhair

I think I'm just about caught up....
How Irish can be a language we all share (Oct 15, 2008)
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/lindy-mcdowell/how-irish-can-be-a-language-we-all-share-14002471.html
“Reports of a weekend march through Belfast demanding the introduction of an Irish language act put the number of demonstrators at anything from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand.”

Oh Cyndi, dear, you know you're still No.1 (Oct 15, 2008)
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/oh-cyndi-dear-you-know-youre-still-no1-1498865.html
“Cyndi Lauper has the strongest 'Noo Yawk' accent I've ever heard, so it was probably not the best idea to volunteer to teach her some Irish during the course of a transatlantic phone call that had a five-second delay due to being relayed through a London agency.”

MEP backs All-Ireland language initiative (Oct 16, 2008)
http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/3089
“Dear Editor,
“I fully back an independent report which has recently been prepared for the Ministry of Education in Northern Ireland which calls for all Ireland co-operation in the teaching of Irish and the putting in place of closer ties between Gaelic speaking schools in Ireland and in Scotland.”

Irish school proposal suffers major blow (Oct 16, 2008)
http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/1143/57/
“Dublin 15 parents are furious over a devastating setback which could end their dream of a local Gaelscoil after 12 months of planning.”

Huge support for Acht na Gaeilge at Belfast march (Oct 16, 2008)
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/35745
“Organisers of the Acht na Gaeilge demonstration held in Belfast on Saturday 11 October welcomed the huge turnout of people from across the country who made the march a vibrant and colourful event.”

Westmeath: Gaelscoil moves into new school (Oct 16, 2008)
http://www.emigrant.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66494&Itemid=23
The whole item:
“The two infant classes were taken by bus but the rest of the pupils of Scoil na gCeithre Maistri walked from their old school premises in Our Lady's Hermitage to their brand new school in Lissywollen. Principal Laobhaoise Nic Aogain cut the ribbon, with the help of one of the youngest pupils, and the two hundred and thirty two children rushed in to inspect the sixteen-classroom building which is close to the Athlone football stadium. The school was founded eight years ago when it opened with just forty pupils; it now has nine teachers and four learning support teachers.”

The cheers (Oct 17, 20008)
http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/the-cheers-1501855.html
Just a quick mention of TG4, not much more than:
“At the time, TG4 (which Kevin Myers memorably dubbed ‘Telefis De Lorean’ back when it was still called Telefis na Gaeilge) was surprising its early detractors by producing a range of original, offbeat programmes that appealed to a broader audience than hardcore Gaeilgeoirs.”

TG4 Celebratory Book Launch (Oct 17, 2008)
http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4281603&tpl=archnews
“The bilingual book ‘TG4@10: Deich mBliana de TG4' (Ten Years of TG4), celebrating the first ten years of the Irish language television station TG4 will be launched Friday, 17 October at NUI Galway.”
See also:
‘Ten years of TG4’ – Eithne O’Connell co-edits new book

Meeting Irish invaders on their home turf (Oct 18, 2008)
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/518896
Just the one item, I think:
“‘We gave up our language, and that created a kind of scission that has never healed,’ he says early one recent Sunday morning over a glass of water. ‘But it has produced an extraordinarily rich and pliant literary tool in what we call Hiberno-English. People think it's English, but it's not. My theory is that the Irish language is a very oblique language; it's a means of evasion rather than communication. So it's a very poetic language. We're a very basic people. We don't like to say things directly, we don't like telling the truth.’”

Sinn Fein 'must drop its self-serving agenda' (Oct 18, 2008)
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/politics/Sinn-Fein-39must-dro-pits.4605749.jp
“‘An Irish Language Act won't make anyone's life better – it won't put food on the table: it won't help with the utilities bills.’”

Be ready to fight the forces of reaction (Oct 19, 2008)
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/be-ready-to-fight-the-forces-of-reaction-1503208.html
“Finally, let me add that a government that claims to want to restore the rightful place of the Irish language in our nation should have published hard copies of the Budget in Irish as well as in English.
“Because of the Government's craven cowardice in failing to cut back on massive spending waste elsewhere, those who are fluent in their own language have once again been insulted and treated as second-class citizens.
“Irish is an official language of the State. Those who made this decision have betrayed the Irish nation. Come the revolution, they must be dealt with.”

Harsh lesson in budget cutbacks (Oct 19, 2008)
http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEWS+FEATURES-qqqm=nav-qqqid=36836-qqqx=1.asp
“Despite much talk that education would be sheltered from the brunt of the cuts, the detail of the budget actually shows that, as well as raising class sizes, it is scrapping various grants, mainly affecting the most disadvantaged, cutting teacher numbers and slashing funding.”
...“- grant for foreign-qualified teachers attending Irish courses in the Gaeltacht to be abolished – total savings of €200,000.”

Cork Film Fest Announces Short Winners (Oct 20, 2008)
http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4281606&tpl=archnews
...“‘An Foireann Codladh,’ directed by Danann Breathnach, collected the Gradam Gael Linn for Best Short Film in the Irish Language.”

‘Seacht’ To Broadcast On NI BBC 2 (Oct 20, 2008)
http://www.iftn.ie/distribution/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4281610&tpl=archnews&force=1
“Having broadcast on TG4 earlier this year ‘Seacht’, the eight part Irish language fictional drama series, co-produced between Stirling Film and Television Productions Tyrone Productions, and EO Teilifís, is to be broadcast from tonight (October 20) on BBC Two NI at 10pm.”

Language Act key to Assembly future – Adams (Oct 20, 2008)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1020/breaking75.htm
“How the DUP handles plans for an Irish Language Act will indicate whether powersharing in Northern Ireland will work or is doomed to failure, Gerry Adams said tonight.”