Number of Irish speakers up by 7.1%

(March 30, 2012)
Irish Times via Gaelport
http://www.gaelport.com/nuacht?NewsItemID=7870

The Census recorded a 7.1 per cent increase in the number of self-declared Irish speakers.

Some 1.77 million people said they could speak Irish – 41.4 per cent of respondents.

More women than men answered “yes” when asked if they could speak Irish. Almost 45 per cent of women said they could speak Irish compared with almost 38 per cent of men. The Central Statistics Office noted that more women than men consistently identified themselves as being able to speak Irish.

Almost 31 per cent of 10-19-year- olds said they could not speak Irish. That increased to 36 per cent for 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds.

Of the 1.77 million who said they could speak Irish, just 1.8 per cent said they spoke it daily outside the education system.

This was an increase of 5,037 people since the previous census. A further 2.6 per cent said they spoke it weekly while 12.2 per cent spoke it within the education system.

Some 14.3 per cent said they spoke it less often – this was an increase of 27,139 and was the largest increase of all categories.

One in four said they never spoke Irish.

Of the 77,185 people who spoke Irish daily, outside the classroom, one in three lived in Gaeltacht areas.

The census recorded a 5.2 per cent increase in the Gaeltacht population. Some 96,628 people were living in Gaeltacht areas on census night 2011 compared with 91,862 in 2006.

Some 68.5 per cent of Gaeltacht dwellers said they could speak Irish and 24 per cent said they spoke it daily, outside the education system. This was an increase of 2.9 per cent on the number of daily Irish speakers in 2006. However, the number of Gaeltacht dwellers who said they spoke Irish less than weekly increased by 6.6 per cent.

The findings were welcomed by Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley. He said the increase in the number of people able to speak Irish was a positive development in terms of the 20-year strategy for the Irish language.

“The increase in the number of daily Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas is good news, particularly since the 20-year strategy has set a target of a 25 per cent increase in this area over its lifetime,” said Mr McGinley.

The Irish Times/This is Ireland, Census 2011 - Alison Healy

RTÉ News: Irish is third most used language - Census

(March 30, 2012)
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0329/divorce-rate-up-150-since-2002-census.html

Nearly 82,600 people (1.8% of the population) speak Irish every day outside of school according to the first definitive results of the 2011 Census. This makes it the third most used language in the country.

The Census figures, released by the CSO today, show that 119,526 of people in Ireland speak Polish at home while 56,430 speak French.

Meanwhile, 35% of people in Gaeltacht areas said they spoke Irish on a daily basis outside of the education system.

In addition to Irish and other languages, the Census recorded the standard of English among those who spoke foreign languages.

It found that those from Denmark had the highest ability, while people from Lithuania had the lowest.

Today's publication is the first of 13 reports on the Census results that will be published between now and the end of the year.

More at RTÉ News.

BBC News: Can foreign speakers help the Irish language survive?

(March 16, 2012)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17373880

For over a century, activists have been trying to save the Irish language. Can foreign speakers help keep it alive?

At a dimly-lit bar in Washington DC, a smattering of professionals gathered around a table to drink beer and speak Irish, with levels of varying success.

They all represented current or former students of Ronan Connolly's Irish language classes. Mr Connolly, an Irish native, has been teaching evening Irish classes for more than two years.

The students live thousands of miles away from Ireland. Some haven't visited in years, if at all. The group is not much bigger than a rambunctious family dinner party. Their language skills vary from fluent to very basic. But at a time when scholars are pondering the fate of the Irish language, could these American students play any role in its revival?

Losing strategy

Despite much effort to revitalize Irish, some activists are frustrated.

"Irish is surviving as opposed to thriving." says Mait Ó Brádaigh, a principal of an Irish language immersion school in Ireland's Galway County. As early as 1366, there have been records of Irish language under attack, and there has been a formal group in place devoted to preserving the language since 1893. But despite more than 100 years of effort, the campaign to save Irish has met with limited success, while other Celtic languages have made more progress.

More at BBC News.

A couple random news items

Obama brings Moneygall cousin to his local for a pint (March 19, 2012)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0319/1224313528438.html
Eat your hearts out, politicians of the world. An accountant and a pub-owner from Moneygall, Co Offaly, spent close to an hour with the most powerful man on earth on St Patrick’s Day. Henry Healy – a distant cousin of Mr Obama’s – and Ollie Hayes arrived at the White House at 11.30am on Saturday for a tour of the West Wing, including the Oval Office, while the president worked elsewhere. When they met Barack Obama at the diplomatic entrance, the Irishmen presented him with a Moneygall soccer jersey emblazoned with “2012 Is Féidir Linn”.

Students develop app to help decipher 'Cork as she is spoken' (March 23, 2012)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0323/1224313766333.html
"Included are 'You’re about as useful as a Kerryman with a hurley', 'Go away you langer' and 'Shove Wesht' – meaning move over."

An Grinch ar Ghoid na Nollag

A version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, adapted for the Irish for Máire's Meánrang Gaeilge, 2011.

Baineadh sult as an Nollaig i mbaile na Who,
Ach théadh an Grinch thar an tséasur gan fiú.

Bhí an ghráin ag an nGrinch ar an Nollaig, fadó.
Bhí a chroíse chomh fuar agus róbheag faoi dhó.

"Caithfidh mé stop a chur uirthi go deo!"

Níor mhaith leis an torann, ná bréagáin na féile,
Síor-canadh is casadh is 'chuile shórt eile.

"Gread leis an gcallán is guthanna caola!
Curfaidh mé scrios ar a mbuac na teile!"

Go tobann ansin, chum seisean a bheart.
Foirfe go holc, is go foirfe mícheart.

Shleamhnaigh sé síos isteach ina dtithe,
Idir gach uile Who, ag codladh sa luí.
'Chuile Who-leanbh sa leaba theolaí.

Ghoid sé na bronntanais sactha sna stocaí,
Féiríní beaga 's crainn mhóra fhlocaithe;

Gach mír den bhia is gach naipcín gréasta;
Thóg seisean uatha fiú rósta an fhéasta.

Ach tugadh faoi deara an gadaí ag Who,
Páiste amháin, tugtar léi Cindy Lou.

"Cé thusa ansin? Cén fáth ' bhfuil tú ann?
Céard atá tú ag déanamh anois lenár gcrann?"

"Cuirfidh mé caoi ar bholgán amháin.
Sin í an chúis a tháinig mé ann.
Agus beidh mé ar ais le bhur stuif agus crann.
Mar sin, téigh a luí, agus ná bí ag stán'."

Ansin chuig a chluas, bhí fuaim ag teacht.
Glortha ag séideadh go soléir is beacht.

Ach ní raibh siad brónach ar bith, nó go dona.
Ba é ceol lán d'armóin agus mothú an-sona.

Cé go ndearna sé cinnte a dhícheall beag scallta,
Baineadh tada amach ansin, go ginearalta.

Tháinig an Nollaig in ainneoin a iarrachta.
Bhí na Whos fós ag ceiliúradh in aghaidh a choireachta.

"B'fhéidir nach bhfuil as na siopaí an bhrí,
Ach maireann an Nollaig anseo inár gcroíthe!"

D'fhoghlaim an Grinch gur an meon an ní 's deise.
Bíonn rudaí go deas, ach níl siad ach breise.

Tháinig an mothú isteach ina chroí,
Agus maireann sé beo ansin ceart i gconaí.

Mar a d'fhás a chroí féin an lá maith sin faoi thrí.
Agus maireann sé beo ansin ceart i gconaí!!

Closure of commissioner's office condemned

(Nov 17, 2011)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1117/breaking40.html

The decision to close the office of the Irish Language Commissioner has led leading Irish language groups to question the Government's commitment to the protection and long-term development of the language.

The Government revealed its plan to merge the commissioner's office with the office of the Ombudsman as part of the public sector reform programme announced this afternoon.

The language commissioner’s role was to monitor compliance by public bodies with the provisions of the Official Languages Act and to take measures to ensure the right of citizens to use their language in official business with State agencies.

More at irishtimes.com

Recent news

...from Gaelport, which has many additional interesting items and is a highly recommended stop for info. Seriously, I had something like sixteen articles open to mention, but that amount seemed egregious. Go look around for yourself.

The Irish language in urban areas (Oct 4, 2011)
http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx?treeid=37&NewsItemID=6810
"At a public seminar organised by Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge in Cork last week, the public were informed on the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish language."
[Includes link to PDF of presentation slides]

Draftplan for Gaelic in Scotland 2012-2017 (Oct 7, 2011)
http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx?treeid=37&NewsItemID=6834
"This is second national Gaelic language plan and it sets out the role of various organisations and supports which will be required to boost the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland."

Countdown to Oireachtas na Samhna (Oct 18, 2011)
http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx?treeid=37&NewsItemID=6897
"Ireland’s longest running arts festival, Oireachtas na Samhna, will take place from 1st-6th November in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry. Thousand of visitors are expected to attend the festival which has been travelling the country since the end of the nineteenth century."

Gtv live from Oireachtas na Gaeilge (Oct 18, 2011)
http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx?treeid=37&NewsItemID=6906
"A new website will be launched into cyberspace shortly, hosted by Gaelscéal and Gréasán na Meán, the new service will cater to those who can’t make it to Killarney at the beginning of next month to attend Oireachtas na Gaeilge."

Writer O'Nolan honoured by stamp

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1004/breaking38.html

Writer O'Nolan honoured by stamp (Oct 4, 2011)
(click link to see image of stamp)

A commemorative stamp celebrating the centenary of the birth of writer and columnist Brian O’Nolan has gone on sale.

The popular author, who wrote under a number of pseudonyms including Flann O’Brien and Myles na gCopaleen, was known and loved for his satirical style.

The 55c stamp is adorned with a portrait of the writer by his brother, artist Micheál Ó Nualláin.

O’Nolan was born in Strabane, Co Tyrone, on October 5th 1911 but spent most of his life in Dublin.

He entered the civil service in 1935 and served as private secretary to three successive ministers in the Department of Local Government.

His first novel, At Swim-Two-Birds , was published in 1939 and was followed by several books and plays including The Third Policeman (1940), Faustus Kelly (1943), The Hard Life (1960), and The Dalkey Archive, produced on the Dublin stage in 1965.

Under the name Myles na gCopaleen, he wrote the comical Cruiskeen Lawn column in The Irish Times from October 1940 until his death in 1966, aged 56.

An Post said the stamp and a special first day cover by Irish designer Steve Simpson may be viewed and purchased at irishstamps.ie, at the GPO in Dublin and main post offices.

Irish language pack for schools stresses rights

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0928/1224304856772.html

Irish language pack for schools stresses rights (Sept 28, 2011)
By Lorna Siggins, Western Correspondent

STUDENTS FROM Coláiste na Coiribe in Galway were told yesterday by the official Irish Language Commissioner that they were “guardians of an important and endangered aspect of world heritage”.

The students were present at the launch of a new information pack which is to be presented to every second-level school in the country by An Coimisinéir Teanga Seán Ó Cuirreáin.

The multimedia educational initiative developed by his office in An Spidéal, Co Galway, aims to give students an insight into language rights in the overall context of universal civil and human rights.

Bilingual lessons and projects on the theme will be taught as part of the Junior Certificate course in civil, social and political education, Mr Ó Cuirreáin said yesterday.

The initiative was also endorsed by Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley.

The Junior Cert module will address the advantages and challenges of multilingualism, and explore the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The pack for classes includes an award-winning short film, Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom (My Name Is Yu Ming), about a young Chinese man who learns Irish before visiting Ireland. He experiences communications difficulties at first, until he finds himself a job as a barman in the Gaeltacht.

Images of Irish national identity compiled by Nuacht TG4/RTÉ with a soundtrack from The Coronas will form part of a lesson on culture and nationality.

A novel element is the inclusion of a set of task cards that will ask students to explain elements of Irish society to a visiting Martian. Another lesson involves developing bilingual stationery and signage.

Mr Ó Cuirreáin said that the initiative had been tested in 15 schools on a pilot basis last year.

He explained that the module can be taught through Irish, through English or bilingually.

“More than anything else, this project should ensure that students are given a context for their learning of Irish in schools and that they understand and respect the concept of language rights,” he said.

Mr Ó Cuirreáín forecast that it could be “potentially the most important initiative undertaken by this office since its establishment, if it sees significant numbers of students each year being taught the importance of language rights”.

© 2011 The Irish Times

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?‬
‪

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.)