Recommendations for Irish-language Learners.

An Amazon reader of my Irish-language language resources review asked me about simpler materials for advanced beginners than "Turas Teanga." Here's most of my response. I post it here in case others roaming cyberspace may find it useful.

Thanks for the kind note. I assume that you have seen my Listmania! selections on Amazon under "Learning Irish Gaelic"? This list may answer many questions.

I have not used the Eurotalk, although I have not heard that it's very deep; "Teach Yourself Irish" is considered ok, and there are newer related materials, by the way, "TY Irish Conversation" (not tested by me yet) and a great book (crummy binding however) by Eamon Ó Donaill called "TY Irish Grammar" that I would recommend. Indeed, Irish is daunting, and I make myself do as a mental workout twice weekly short paragraphs on my blog that I then translate, sort of, into stilted English that tries to reflect how I must think differently in Irish. It doesn't get much easier, but with time and practice I do find the irregular verbs are beginning to stick.

Here's some recommendations that have helped me. All except the first one I mention should be linked by my Amazon List. The one that is not is a "glance card"-- for easy reference, two sides, color, found in some Irish import stores that stock language materials or found at Oideas Gael's on-line shop in Donegal. I keep it by my side as I write. Also, a helpful verb paradigm book is "Briathra na Gaeilge" by Ó Murchú, a small paper booklet-- this may be sold only in Ireland and probably cannot be found in America.

Now, to materials that you can find via the List. I went two weeks to OG last summer and was overwhelmed! As a self-taught book learner, the emphasis on spoken Irish floored me, and many of my adult classmates were natives refreshing their school skills. Still, it exposed me to the rhythms, and there's a new CD with material from OG staff and other fluent speakers, "Spoken Irish," with a textbook out that I have purchased that may help at an intermediate level. My interest is not in conversing so much as reading, so OG may be better suited for a learner like you who wants to chat away in Irish! It's a great place with fine teachers, a bit harrowing for me who despite being a teacher as a student again became very nervous in the classroom! Liam, the director, is a devoted and admirable man. If you go, tell him I sent you! You can find out much more about OG on their website.

If you want Kerry Irish, there's a place down by Ballyferriter, and if it's Connacht, there's the Maírtín Ó Cadhain center in Carraroe. Steve Fallon in a book I review, "Travels with Alice," went there. The book's hard to find and unevenly written but I recommend it along with the accounts by immersion learners in Darerca Ní Chartuir's overview of the Irish language and its background. That book has info on the other adult schools. You can also go to Dublin and take classes there from Conradh na Gaeilge in the city center over a period of weeks. These appear the basic options. Other schools "exist" on the Net but they do not appear to be still in existence!

Books that might help? See the List, but I would not go for the commonly found Michael Ó Siadhail "Learning Irish" unless you like linguistics. I know students that love this, but it's dry and technical. I progressed 2/3 of the way through, and it did prepare me for the grammar, but it's dull. The Pimsleur 8 CDs barely will get you to order a drink in a pub. But they may be good for driving when you can repeat the phrases out loud.

For my purposes, wanting to understand grammar, I need more print help. The Irish Grammar Books by McGonagle (smaller form)/ Mac Conghaile (detailed edition) and the quirky "Beginner's Irish" by Gabriel Rosenstock are both useful references; Donna Wong's misleadingly titled "Learner's Guide to Irish" is really a grammar book, but I do use it as a reference a lot. As an American learner, she's more aware of what people like us get confused by. It's an expensive book probably only found in Ireland (CoisLife publisher) but it's a good investment. My teachers at OG tended to diminish books and suggested listening to radio and TV via the Net. and I admit I don't do this enough.

I wish there were more podcasts. I tried a year ago to find some, and you can search on my blog for the entry and two links. The BBC-Northern Irish site ironically beats hands down any other Irish site for learners. Download "Gíota Beag" and while simple, this series of short programs that you can upload to an MP3 or iPod will be perfect for you. Not that advanced, but hearing the strong Ulster accents in English and Irish will probably never leave your mind! BBC-NI is full of helpful materials that you can read, play with as games, and listen to. Highly recommended, and free...

I would strongly suggest listening to a show on the Net at TnG or RTÉ such as the soap opera "Ros na Rún" or Des Bishop's bilingual "In the Name of the Fada." These may have subtitles, that also help. A CD from the OG shop, "Gearrscealta," also can help-- it's six short films in Irish with subtitles in English. One, "Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom," can be seen for free from Atom Films on the net. I have a link to it from my blog page if you see it on the taglines on the right margin and go way down. My page also has many reviews of Irish-language learning materials, especially posted last year.

Rosetta Stone just came out with the Irish one, and I wish you could find out more about it. I think the same template is used for every language (the demo uses Turkish!): words superimposed on images that you match. The complaint is that learning the name for a camel is not that helpful for many other languages in this one-size-fits-all approach. I guess it's more of a home-schoolers or business exec's vocabulary builder. Not sure how grammar and sentences come into it, and the demo does not give you much to go on for a $200 product.

There's a simple, DOS only program from Liberation Software in Toronto that drills you in vocabulary that I have used. Extremely bare-bones, but good for the flash-card type of approach. The kind of item a grad student might benefit from, and there's even Old Irish as another option. You need the basics to use it, but it will reinforce the vocabulary. Transparent Language sells a 30-language or so (with Irish) Vocabulary Builder that uses flash cards and picture drawings on a simple CD-Rom. They also have an "Learn Irish Now!" CD-Rom that I tried but lacking a microphone never really got much into. You might check it out as it's cheaper than RS. I have a ten-year old version of LI, so it may be snazzier now. There's also a CD-ROM "Learn Irish" that I got a decade ago (originally from the Welsh label Sain) but again, without the mike, could not get the hang of; it also had annoying sound effects. "Turas Teanga" is too high a level for the likes of high-beginners, you are correct. I wish you could see subtitles in Irish on it, to get used to matching sounds to letters. For me, this is an overlooked element for such a visual learner as myself.

Bishop's series is recommended if you can handle the barrage of expletives. He's a New York stand-up comedian who moved to Ireland as a teenager and learned Irish at Carraroe in Connemara in a year. On the on-line magazine "Beo" published by OG, you can look up under "Agallamh Beo" an Irish interview with him; interviews each month help learners with extensive glossaries. For some reason, I found Bishop's a bit easier to get into than the usual Irish-born interviewee perhaps since his Irish was influenced as you or I might share by American English patterns?

Finally, Gaeltalk on line, via Litriocht.com (a seller of Irish learning materials, the biggest such site on the Net, but I prefer to support the non-profit OG shop who can order any item you want anyway!), offers chat live with a tutor that you can sign up for.

I can read, sort of, Latin, Old and Middle English, a bit of Hebrew; I speak Spanish, yet Irish keeps challenging me. I agree with you regarding the difficulty, but do not give up. Even in my stumbling, the fact that I can hear some echo of what my family once spoke inspires me.

Adh mór a chara, and let me know if I can be of further assistance. I hope to hear from you soon. All the best/ slán go foill...JLM

Photo: "Are you serious?"

Dhá barúil a thabhairt ag foghlaim Ghaeilge.

Léigh mé dhá litir faoi ag foghlaim Ghaeilge Gaelport.com an maidín seo. Bhí dhá litir ag scríofa chuigh "Na Amanna Éireannach" leo beirt scríobhaithe. Tá beirt a fhreagairt orthu an litir le Phaedra Keogh ag curtha sí féin ar feadh an seachtaine caite. Féic anseo ar blog agamsa má go mbeadh mhaith leat a léamh sísean, le do thóil. Bláthannaí, Duine & Gaeilge

Is an chéad litir le Siobhán Wells. Tá sí i gconaí i Bhaile Átha Cliath. Scríobhann sí faoi leibheál íseal an theanga. Measaionn sí ní raibh ag foghlaim mic aici féin an Gaeilge go leor. Ach, fhreastail sé cleachtadh na scoil aige le ceithre bliana déag. Shíl sísean gur go raibh múinteoirí go dona uirthi. Is mian léi a deisiú slí óige níos mo. Is maith leí an shampla den chéad scoth Dheas Mac an Easpaigh; d'ímir sé feín leis an teanga bheo. Foghlaimíonn Deas sí go hiontach le bliain amháin!

Is an dá litir le Tómas Ó Dúill. Tá sé i gconaí i Rath Droma i gContae Chill Mhantáin. Dúirt sé leis smaointe difríulaí. Ní aontaíonn an Dúillanach le Bean Uí Eochaidh (=Keogh) nó Bean Wells. Insíonn sé go mbeidh a foghlaim Ghaeilge a dhéanfaidh ar do chonlán féin. Bheith freagrach i gníomhartha tuismitheoiraí. Go minic, d'inis sé, ní dhearna siadsan féin ag glacadh le cúram. Tá gach duine ag lochtú scoileannaí.

Aontaim leis an Dúillanach. Ní aontaíonn mé an oiread leis Bean Wells agus mac aici. Is é mo thuairim go bhfuil ár foghlaimeoiraí ag tosú a obair nios airde. Caitheann an póbal na hÉireann siadsan féin ag fáil seans níos mo ag rá leis an teanga beo. Mura bhfuil Gaeilge acu ní mearim leo. Beidh cosuil Laidín. D'fhoghlaim mé Laidin agus Gaeilge. Ach, tá me iarraidh ag éirí an teanga in Éirinn agus an domhain anois; níl dúil agam ag fáil Gaeilge-- chomh leis Laidin-- go mbeadh ag cloiste ollúna go beag acu agus ag foghlamhtha beagán coláistí amháin iontu.

Two Opinions about Learning Irish.

I've read two letters about learning Irish this morning. There were two letters written to the "Irish Times" by two writers. The two of them responded to the letter by Phaedra Keogh that she herself had sent last week. Look here on my own blog if you'd like to read about it, please.

The first letter's by Siobhán Wells. She lives in Dublin. She writes about a low level of the language. She reckons that her son himself was not learning Irish well. But, he attended to his school lessons for fourteen years. She herself thinks that there were poor teachers for it. She has a wish to repair a better way for youth. She likes the first-rate example of Des Bishop; he plays with the living language. Des learns it wonderfully in only a year!

The second letter's from Tómas Ó Dúill. He lives in Rathdrum in Co. Wicklow. He says different thoughts. Mr. Ó Dúill doesn't agree with Ms. Keogh or Ms. Wells. He tells that learning Irish should be done as one's own responsibility. Parents are responsible for this action. Often, he told, they themselves do not accept the duty. Everybody blames schools.

I agree with Ó Dúill. I don't agree so much with Ms. Wells or her son. It's my opinion that we learners have to start to work harder. The Irish people themselves must find a better chance to speak with the living language. If they do not use Irish it will not live through them. It will be similar to Latin. I learned Latin and Irish. But, I am seeking the rise of the language of Irish and the world now; I do not have a desire to find Irish that--as with Latin-- would be heard only by a few professors and studied in a few colleges.

Grianghraf/ Photo: "Stop and speak Irish"Scoil Iognáid, Bóithrín na Sliogán- Gaillimh. Scoil na Míosa- Aibreán, 2003

Bláthannaí, Duine & Gaeilge

Déarfaidh mé rudaí teangeolaíochtaí agus luibheolaíochtái agus daongrafachtaí go beag fúthu. Tá sé litir ar Na h-Amanna Éireannach le Phaedra Keogh go fhoilseoidh ann inniu. (Féic síos, le do thoil.) Smaoineamh mé faoi an hábhar seo céanna freisin go minic. Aontaig mé féin léisan. Scríobh Keogh as drochbhláth an theanga ina scoileanna go leor ina hÉirinn.

Mar sin féin, tá mé ag iarraidh a usáid Gaeilge beagán agam. Cruinníonn mé leis obair ar an idirlíon go rianta. Go hiondúil, d'fhoghlaim mé féin amháin. Nílim ábalta cuimhne a choinneáil go líofacht. Déanann mé dearmad leis gach focal eile!

Ar ndóigh, caitheann mé ag léamh fiche noimoid ar an maidin nuair imíonn mé ar an mbus. Chríochnaigh agallamh Bheo leis Deas Mac an Easpaig le Caiomhe Ní Laighin inné. Bhí maith liom. Thosaigh mé air dó a trí nó a ceithre de sheachtainí. Léigh mé mír gach lá. Léifoidh mé rud céann aríst. Léann mé trí huaire air, ar an laghad.

Shíleann mé faoi Ghaeilge fós. Fuair mé leis eolas faoi bláthanna léana ar mo intinn go luath! Tá Keogh i gcónaí ina Áth na Fuinseoige. Chuir mé cuairt anseo. Tá sé gaírdíní go halainn ansin. Chaith mé ag dul ar fad ag fáil an radharc seosan lasmuigh cá bhfuil mé i gcónaí. Thiomaint mé an iarnóin seosan triu ar bruchbhaileannaí Ghallchnó agus Coibhina Thiar. Tháinig mé an bóthar difriul. Bhí bóthar motair ag dúnta. Ní raibh sé ag oscailte. Chónaic mé an mullach na sleibhte leis capín shneamh. Rug mé ar feiceáil go beag ar mustard scéine ar an cnoc in aice leis an bóthar, ach níl sé go leor. Cén fath?

Maireann duine ar imeall anois. B'fhéidir, bhí siad ag tagtha le Oileáin Fhilpeaneacha go pairceannaí sin i gcluasa ansin. Feiceann tú an straid leis an ainm: "Leann na Mainile." Tógann siad teachtaí milte. Cailleann cluainte. Thiteann crannaí. Úlloird bás a fháil. Tá sean-scéal ina gCathair na nÁingeal agus fobhaileannaí ar feadh an treimse go bhfuil i gconai anseo. Beidh scéal amháin. Chuala mé siadsan riamh ó shin nuair bhí mé óg.

Flowers, People & Irish

I'll talk about things linguistic and botanic and demographic a bit. Here's a letter to the Irish Times from Phaedra Keogh published today there. (Look below, please.) I think about this same matter often as well. I myself agree with herself. Keogh writes concerning the language's ruination in many Irish schools.

Nevertheless, I am attempting to use my little Irish. I gather my work on the Net regularly. Usually, I learned by myself. I'm not able to keep a memory for fluency. I make a mistake with every other word!

Of course, I spend twenty minutes reading in the morning when I go off on the bus. I finished an interview in "Beo" with Des Bishop by Caiomhe Ní Laighin yesterday. I liked it. I started it three or four weeks ago. I have read a bit each day. I would read something again. I read it three times, at least.

I thought about Irish also. I found information about wildflowers in my mind earlier! Keogh lives in Ashford. I visited there. It has many beautiful gardens. You must go a distance where I live to see this view outdoors. I drove this afternoon through the suburbs of Walnut and West Covina. I came a different road. The motorway was closed. It wasn't open. I saw on the summit of the mountains a little cap of snow. I caught a little look at wild mustard on the hill near the road, but there was not much. What happened?

People live in the outskirts now. They came there perhaps to these fields on the fringes from the Philippines. You see a street with the name: "Manila Way." They built thousands of houses. Meadows are lost. Trees fall. Orchards die. This is an old story in Los Angeles and the suburbs during the period that I have been dwelling here. The story will be the same. I have heard it ever since when I was young.

'Wretched' level of Irish in schools
Madam, - How amusing it is that it takes a man from Flushing, New York (Des Bishop) to arouse even a bit of interest for our young people in the Irish language?

How typical is it that the RTÉ programme aired last Thursday (In the Name of the Fada) ends with Bishop - alias Mac an Easpaigh - trying to get explanations as to the inexplicable lack of spoken Irish in our schools, with the Minister for Education waffling on about change. And the conversation about Irish was in English!

How frustrating is it that we have been carrying on with this charade for the past 50years and more and that my son who, 38 years after me is in fifth year, cannot string one sentence together in a language that he has been learning for 13 years?

Could we please come to our senses and either confine the poor, even wretched, teaching of this beautiful language to gaelscoileanna or teach it so that people can actually speak it? If it took Bishop only one year to get there, why do we not have one or two years in primary school where everything is taught through Irish? - Yours, etc,

Phaedra Keogh, Killiskey Cross, Ashford, Co Wicklow.

Irish Times, 2008-04-25

Iómhá /Image: Label of a Lemon Crate/Lipéad chliathbhosca liomoid, 1920. "Mountain View, Covina"

Ag breathnú Des Bishop ag mallú

Bhí mé ag breathaithe an chéad dhá eipeasóid na shraitheanna nua Dheas Mac an Easpaig (a shlionne as Gaeilge). Scríobh mé faoí "In t-Ainm na Fhada" an seachtaine seo caite anseo. Is maith liom gur ag spraoi leis an Gaeilge. Duirt sé féin againn ina lucht feachana: tá sé furasta! Níl sé níos ard. D'éirigh mo chroí nuair chonaic an radharc seo. Tá sé ag sneamh ar cuan in aice leis Lheitir Móir ar an cois fharraige Chonamara. Lhéim uisce a bhaint amach as bhád an madra de, freisin. Smaoinim gur ní raibh an trá níos fuar orthu!

Fuair sé féin ag foghlaim ar an teanga leis mhic léinn Cholaiste Lurgan. Is mór i a dhúil sa léann. D'imir sé cluiche peile ar aghaidh an foireann Cheathrú Rua. Thiomaint sé ar an bóthar triu An Spideal. Bhí aithne liom an stáisiún peitril chéana féin ansin. Líon mé an carr agam aít ann sin nuair tháinig mé ar an bealach amháin go An Clochan go dtí i gcathair nGallimh ar feadh ceithre shamhraidh seo caite.

Mar sin, lhabair Des an-focail mallachtachaí díobh ar feadh seó grinn ar an bhoinn is minic go bhfuil a scannanú fós. Léigh mé ina agallamh go cliste Dheas leis Caiomhe Ní Laighid ina Beo: Eagran 83; Márta 2008 ní bhfuil ag iarraidh Des an sraith (ag craoladh araon RTÉ) a líonta leis tuairimaí aige seisean feín go laidir ar aghaidh an Eaglais Chaitleceacht an mí-úsaid gnéis le buaicheallí-- agus ag bréagach faoí hómaighnéasach agus collaíocht a chur ina thost i measc sagairt leo féin. Insíonn Des Chaoimhe uirthi go raibh a fheadfaidh duine eile bariulaí go cumlacht aige de thaisme; níor tuigeann siad fúthu as comhthéacs. Tuigim seo.

Afach, chuir Des mallachtaí go leor nuair go bhfuil ag obair ar an ardán. Feiceann mé an gnáthchúrsa aige ar an sraith sin. Ach, sílím níl ábalta tuiscint a ghnáth duine uilig ar an lucht feachana ar an RTÉ. Leoga, ceapaim ní bhfuil duine eile is mo i n-Éirinn go mbeidh aontú liom. Nílim leanbh ann. Níl siad ag cur le chéile liom mar sin an sean-chúltur cráifeach ansiud go mbeadh ag insint focail níos salach chomh Méiriceánachaí is mo ag roghnaigh a rá go oscailte ina seol go laethúil. Mar sin féin, tá sé ag athrú!

Watching Des Bishop cursing

I was watching the first two episodes of the new series of Des Bishop (son of the bishop= his Irish surname!) I wrote about "In the Name of the Fada" this last week here. It pleased me that he's enjoying the Irish. He himself tells us in the audience: it's easy! It's not very difficult. My heart rose up when I saw this scene. He's swimming in the harbor near Lettermore on the coastline of Connemara. A dog makes a leap into the water from a boat, also. I think that the beach was not very cold for them!

He found himself learning the language with the students at Lurgan College. He's a great student. He played football against the Carraroe team. He drove on the road through Spiddal. I remembered the same gas station there. I filled my car there in that place when I came on the same way from Roundstone into Galway city during those four summers ago.

Still, Des speaks lots of curses very often to us doing the duration of his stand-up comedy act that is filmed also. I read in the intelligent interview of Des with Caoimhe Ní Laighid in issue 83 of Beo, March 2008 that Des did not want the series (aired on behalf of RTÉ) to fill with his own strong opinions against the Catholic Church with its own sexual abuse of boys-- and the lying about homosexuality and silencing sexuality among their clergy. Des told to Caoimhe that other people could by chance be able to come upon his powerful opinions; they would not understand them out of context. I understand this.

However, Des puts (into use) many swear-words when hé works on stage. I see his routine on that show. But, I think that some people viewing in the RTÉ audience are not able to understand his habit. I'm not a child. Indeed, I perceive that most other Irish people will not agree with me. They do not support me since the formerly pious culture over there would be telling dirtier words than most Americans choose to say openly in daily life. This is changing, nevertheless!

Image/iómhá:Comic Irish Curse

"In t-Ainm na Fhada" leis Deas Mac an Easpaig

Tá mé ag léamh agallamh Beo ann an seachtaine seo. Nuair tá mé go bhfuil ag géabh a thabhairt ina traen, léann mé ar feadh beagán noimead. Tá mé ar an leath bealaigh triu sé. Téann mé níos mall go leor as Gaeilge. Tá mé ag iarraidh a chleachtadh líofach Ghaeilge agam. Is mian liom a fásadh stór focal orm.

Fuair mé an mí seo gur alt an-maith orm, leoga. Is Deas Mac an Easpaig Meiriceánnach é; ach tá sé fuirseoir Éireannach go aithnidiúil. Tá sé ag obair seó grinn ar an bhoinn. Is dhá bliain is tríocha d'aois anois. D'imirt sé as Nua-Eabhrac go hÉirinn agus é ceithre bliana déag d'aois.

Bhí suim aige riamh sa Ghaeilge, dúirt sé Caoimhe Ní Laighin Bheo, an iris idirlín go iontach as lámha le chéile Oideas Gael. Rinne Deas dhá straith araon ar RTÉ cheana féin. Bhí siad ráchairt an-mhór orthu. Faoí deireach, tá Deas ábalta a staidéar an teanga i d'Tír an Fhia i Leitir Móir i nGaeltacht Chonamara, ina gContae nGallimh. Bhí sé ag déanamh clár nua faoí an eachtra seo go dana. Is é "In t-ainm na Fhada."

D'fhoglaim an t-uafás bainte amach aige anuraidh. Tá na straith nua teilifíse seo ag forbairt a scannánú Dheas ag cur roimhe an blas fhíor-Ghaeilge Chonnacht a fáil air taobh istigh de bhliain amháin. De réir Caoimhe, is an t-éacht aige. Measaim sí go bhfuil "ag éiri go breá le Bishop ó thaobh na bhfuaimeanna de-- is geall le dúchasach de chuid Chonamara anois". Mar sin féin, imreoidh sé os comhair lucht féachana lán Gaeilgeoirí mar chuid de sheó speisialta. Craolaidh na straitheannaí is nua RTÉ 1. Chuir tús léi ar an 13 Márta. Fheadhfai tú ag breathnaim an chéad dhá eipeasód ar an idirlín ar an nasc síos. Chonaic mé siad inniu. Scríobhfaidh mé fúthu an t-am ina dhiaidh sin, nuair iarrfaidh mé as Gaeilge, afach.

"In the Name of the Fada" with Des Bishop

I've been reading an interview in Beo this week. I'm only part of the way through it. When I take the train, I read for a while a few minutes. I go much more slowly in Irish. I've been wishing to practice my Gaelic fluency. I want to increase my vocabulary.

Indeed, I found this month a very good article for me. Des Bishop is American; but he's a well-known Irish comedian. He works in stand-up comedy shows. He's thirty-two years old now. He left New York for Ireland when he was fourteen. He's had an interest before in Irish, he told Caoimhe Ní Laighin of Beo, the splendid on-line magazine "hand-in-hand with" Oideas Gael.

Des has made two series together with RTÉ. These were received very well. Lately, Des has been able to study in Tír an Fhía in Leitir Mhór in the Connemara Irish-speaking district, in Co. Galway. He's done a new program about this bold adventure. It's "In the Name of the Fada."

He learned to accomplish a great deal for himself the past year. This new TV series is developing around filming Des taking on getting the flavor of true Connacht Irish within only a year. According to Caoimhe, it's a great achievement. She thinks that "Bishop's gotten on nicely with the sounds-- it's like he's a Connemara native now." But, he will play before an audience full of Irish speakers as part of a special show. The newest series will be broadcast on RTE 1. It started on March 13th. You can watch the first two episodes on-line at the link below. I saw them today. However, I will write about them next time when I try Irish.

Beo agallamh/ interview: Be careful/Bí curamach! Feic suas/Look up Eagrán 83/ Márta 2008

Grianghrafái & epeasódaí chlár na RTÉ /Photos & episodes of the show:
www.rte.ie/tv/inthenameofthefada

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!