Saturday, June 11, 2011

Coláiste Lurgan

Tá níos mó ná cupla scoil thumoideachais Ghaeilge ar fáil in Éirinn. Thug mé cheann amháin faoi dheara go háirithe, darbh ainm Coláiste Lurgan. Tá sí suite i gCois Fharraige- Indreabhán, Contae na Gaillimhe, go sonrach. Tharraing an cheann seo m'umhail uirthi, mar gheall ar an oiread seo ábhair atá saothraithe acu ar an idirlíon.

There are more than a couple Irish language immersion schools to be found in Ireland. I noticed one in particular, by the name of Lurgan College. It's located in Cois Fharraige, Specifically, Inveran, County Galway. It caught my eye because of the shear amount of internet presence they've done well to cultivate.

This is Irish as it lives and grows.

Tá trí shuíomh YouTube acu:

Lurgan

Lurgan Inniu - Lá sa gColáiste

Abair Leat - Teanglann ar Líne

..agus leathanach Facebook chomh maith:


Seo í an Ghaeilge mar a mhaireann is a fhasann sí sa lá atá inniu ann.

Seo cupla sampla de na físeáin ar fáil acu:

Ceol: Sé amhrán le Chéile



Abair Leat!- Céard atá uait?‬

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

President gave Queen 'speake Iryshe' book written for Elizabeth I

Here's something a bit lighter in tone:

President gave Queen 'speake Iryshe' book written for Elizabeth I (May 31, 2011)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0531/1224298146326.html

A copy of a 500-year-old manual on how to “speake Iryshe” was presented to Queen Elizabeth just hours before she used her cúpla focal to open her speech at Dublin Castle.

On May 18th, President Mary McAleese presented the Queen with a gift of a replica of the Irish Primer, which is stored in the library of the State guest house at Farmleigh. The book was written by an Irish baron, Christopher Nugent, and presented in 1564 to Elizabeth I after she reputedly requested help with the language to assist her efforts to spread the Protestant Reformation among her subjects in Ireland. (More at www.irishtimes.com.)

Gov't goings-on

Of course there's plenty, but these are the two that caught my eye.

Minister wants modern method for Irish (May 31, 2011)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0531/1224298147073.html


Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs Dinny McGinley has said that technology used to teach foreign languages must also be used to teach Irish in schools.

The Minister was elaborating yesterday on a Dáil statement last week on plans for the 20-year Irish language strategy, introduced in 2006, which aims to increase the number of people speaking Irish on a daily basis from 83,000 to 250,000.

Irish in danger of dying out in Gaeltacht shortly, says FG (May 27, 2011)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0527/1224297853373.html


By Marie O'Halloran

Government plans to prioritise saving Irish language usage in Gaeltacht areas have been criticised as elitist by Opposition TDs who claimed the language revival was an urban phenomenon.

Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs Dinny McGinley (FG) said the Irish language may not last beyond the next 15 or 20 years in the Gaeltacht.

Developing Irish in the Gaeltacht “is my biggest priority”, he said. Mr McGinley was speaking during the Dáil debate on the 20-year Irish language strategy, introduced in 2006, which aims to increase the number of people speaking Irish on a daily basis from 83,000 to 250,000.

Mr McGinley quoted US president Barack Obama who said during his Dublin rally that “broken Irish is better than clever English”.

But Catherine Murphy (Ind, Kildare North) said the Irish language’s revival has not been in the Gaeltacht but in urban areas. She said it was “almost an anti-establishment revival”. The Government’s key objective was to maintain the primacy of the Irish language and its related culture in the Gaeltacht, but by being “exclusive” greater emphasis is given to “rural culture” and it ignores “new avenues for revival of the language”. She said “development of the language needs to be inclusive”.

She said many people who wanted a revival “are not particularly interested in Irish dancing or Gaelic games” but some people “believe Irish has to encompass all things or nothing. This creates a resistance in some people, which is not in the interests of the continued revival of the language”.

Former minister Éamon Ó Cuív (FF) said a review the Minister was “threatening” indicated a plan to “narrow” the powers of Údarás na Gaeltachta. He criticised TDs for showing a lack of respect for the first language of the State, the oldest language in western Europe, by failing to use earphones in the Dáil to listen to the translation when Irish was spoken in the chamber. Later Aengus Ó Snodaigh (SF, Dublin South Central) said TDs failed to wear the earphones because they were “ashamed” anyone would see they did not understand the language and he suggested “discreet” earphones could be used. Luke “Ming” Flanagan (Ind, Roscommon-South Leitrim) said he mostly did not use the earphones because it forced him to learn.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said “we all own the language. It doesn’t matter about our political opinions”. Referring to the words in Irish spoken in Dublin by Queen Elizabeth and President Obama Mr Adams said “there is more Irish on the Queen’s website than on the Labour Party website”.

Seán Kyne (FG, Galway West) said “conversational Irish is the key to the survival of the language” and that there should be two subjects in the Leaving Cert, one for conversational Irish which should be compulsory and the other “Irish as it stands”.

Then every student would “engage with the living language”.

The debate continues.

News from the cousins

BBC Alba on Freeview on June 8 (May 23, 2011)
http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/bbc_alba_on_freeview_on_june_8_1_1640610

BBC Alba is to be available on Freeview from June 8.

Alasdair Allan MSP commented: “I am delighted that after much campaigning the BBC Trust has decided to allow BBC Alba on Freeview, where it will be going live in only a few weeks. I know that the channel also became available on Cable last week.

“This is a major step forward for both the channel and the Gaelic language. Every person in Scotland should soon have access to this excellent and important channel." (More at www.stornowaygazette.co.uk.)

New Gaelic scheme for teachers (May 25, 2011)
http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/new_gaelic_scheme_for_teachers_1_1643315


Twelve teachers from across Scotland are taking part in a unique pilot training programme to assist with the increased demand for Gaelic-speaking primary and secondary school teachers.

In a new partnership between Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Glasgow University, the teachers have spent a concentrated four days being taught various aspects of language development in the classroom. Demand for the programme has been overwhelming and preparations are already underway for it to be repeated. (More at www.stornowaygazette.co.uk.)

Teachers go back to classroom to learn to give lessons in Gaelic (May 26, 2011)
http://www.scotsman.com/news/Teachers-go-back-to-classroom.6774454.jp

Soaring demand for children to be taught in Gaelic has led to a pilot scheme to train non-native speakers.

Glasgow alone has seen the number of pupils taught by teachers speaking Gaelic rather than English almost double in less than four years.

Now a pilot scheme at Glasgow University has seen 12 teachers from across Scotland, who normally teach in English, learn how to teach in Gaelic. (More at www.scotsman.com.)