Blogtrotter

Gaeilge ag claiseach.

Tá Gaelport.com go bhfuil ag fhoilsiú dhá alt faoí an sláinte Ghaeilge an seachtain seo caite. Aríst, scríobhann Manchán Magan. Is maith leis ag plé go leor "No Béarla 2"! Inniu, scríobh mé go beag fúthu anseo-- an fear seisean féin agus an clár teilifíse nua. Léigh mé "Gaeilge? Cé Gall!" le Mánchan. (Tá sé imeartas focal as Gaeilge ní bhfuil as Béarla; is brí "Gall" = strainseir nó Sasanach! Tá ciall níos searbhe, ochón!) Agus chuir mé litirín ar an eagarthóir go "An Amannaí na gCathair na nAingeal" faoí dearmad a dheánamh acu. Thóg siad an learáid mhícheart na leagan cainte ansin, os cionn an píosa. Chuir ealaíontóir an focal "agat" ach "agaibh."

Bheul, deir Manchán ar "An Amannaí Éireannach" smaointe eile againn. Sílím go bhfuil níos hiomlán faoí stádas na Gaeilge. Insíonn Manchán uathu smaointe duairce fós. Creidim d'aithin mé an rud a bhí ar a chroí. Léigh mé a intinn. Foghlaimíonn mé beagán Gaeilge. Tá dúil orm a tosú ceachtanna sa seachtain a scríobh agamsa féin ann nuair go mbeadh an am saoire agam. Críochnaíonn mé frasaí as Gaeilge ina inchinn agam. Tá mé ag lorg ar an foclóir agam go leor, ach tá mé ag stadéar.

Tá Gaelport.com ag fail comhráite éagsúlái na Míchéal Ó Ceallaigh le Gaeilgeorí agus muintir na Ghaeltachtái. Tá siad ag insint faoí radhairc difriúila. Measaim go bhfuil moltaí níos fearr faoí an amárach na Gaeilge. Is an stiúirthóir í na Seachtain na Gaeilge Orla Níc Shuibhne. Rugadh agus tógadh Daire Bracken ina mBaile Átha Cliath. Is fidleír é na banna "Sleamhnú." Is an captaen fhoireann pheile Chiarraí é Dara Ó Cinnéide. Tá sé gcónai i gCorca Duibhne. Is bolscaire í Aoife Ní Thuairisg ar TG4. Maireann sí i gConamara.

Tá fuirseoir óg Des Bishop ann le deanaí. Is Meiriceánach é. Mar sin féin, d'imigh Na Cois Oir ar feadh na déaga. D'fhreastail sé scoil ina hÉireann. D'fhan sé aon mhí déag in aice leis Cois Fharraige ina Gaeltacht Chonamara anuraidh. Bhí mac leinn ina scoil leis foghlameoirái fasta, is cosuil mé. Rinne sé an clár nua, chomh Manchán, faoí an áit na Gaeilge inniu. Beidh ag déarfaidh "Ina t-ainm na Fhada." (Tá sé imeartas focal eile as Béarla amhain! Is ciall é 'fada' as Gaeilge air 'fad ruda'-- mar shampla, is ea 'sineadh fada' leis an guta.) Caitheann Des ag labhairt as Gaeilge. Tá sé ábalta déanamh magadh as an teanga nua!

Grooving in Gaelic.

Two articles that Gaelport.com's published this past week about the health of the Irish language. Again, Manchán Magan writes. He likes to plug his "No Béarla [English language] 2"! Yesterday, I wrote a little here about himself and his TV program. I read "Gaelic? What Gall!" by Manchán. (There's a pun in Irish that's not in English-- the meaning of "Gall" equals "foreigner" or "Englishman" in Irish! More bitter sense, alas.) And, I sent my little letter to the editor of the "Los Angeles Times" about a mistake that they made. They set up an illustration with the wrong expression there, above the piece. The artist put in the word "to you" and not "to you all/both."

Well, Manchán tells us at "The Irish Times" more thoughts. I think that these are more complete about the status of Irish. Manchán still speaks to us of gloomy thoughts. I believe the knowledge that's in his heart. I read inside his mind. I am learning a bit of Irish. I have a desire to start weekly lessons for myself to write in it when I might have the free time. I finish phrases in Irish in my brain. I'm looking in my dictionary a lot, yet I'm studying.

Gaelport.com finds Michael Kelly's various conversations with Irish-learners and the people from the Irish-speaking regions. Tá siad ag insint faoí radhairc difriúila. They are talking about different views. I reckon that they have better opinions about the future of Irish. Orla Níc Shuibhne's a director of the Week in Irish. Daire Bracken was born and raised in Dublin. He's a fiddler in the band "Slide." Dara Ó Cinnéide's captain of the Kerry football team. He's living in Corca Dhuibhne. Aoife Ní Thuairisg is a television announcer for TG4. She lives in Connemara.

Recently, there's Des Bishop, a young comedian. He's American. All the same, he left the East Coast during his teens. He attended school in Ireland. Last year, he stayed eleven months near the Cois Fharraige [seacoast district] in the Connemara Gaeltacht. He was a student in a school for adult learners, like me. He made a new program, like Manchán, about the place of Irish today. It will be called "In the Name of the Fada." (That's another pun only in English! The sense of fada is in Irish 'a long thing'-- for example, it's a "long stretch" over a vowel.) Des can speak Irish. He's able to make jokes in his new language!

Scríobhann/Written by Mícháel Ó Ceallaigh/Michael Kelly le Irish Times. 15ú Martá/ March 2008. How Gaelic Got Its Groove Back

Tugann/Contributed by Manchán Magan le Irish Times. 18ú Martá/ March 2008. The Plot to Make Irish an Alien Language

Grianghraf/ photo: Girl who loves Irish!