January 6th, 2007
Speaking of Irish…
Perhaps it had something to with the spirit of the new year and resolutions, but after watching RTE’s excellent Arts Lives programme, Flann O’Brien - The Lives of Brian, I ruefully remarked to the other half about how I wished my spoken Irish wasn’t so patchy. Flann, who not only wrote many of his Cruiskeen Lawn columns in The Irish Times as Gaeilge, also had a wonderfully inventive line in Hiberno-English that pops up in his books all the time.
Then over Christmas, a special report on Six One news about the state of our native language revealed that more people than ever are signing up for classes with Conradh na Gaeilge and elsewhere.
Continuing the Gaeilge theme, this week just as I declined the opportunity to struggle through a radio item in Irish in honour of Nollaig na mBan (which is today), I spotted an article by Manchán Magan’s in yesterday’s Irish Times (subs required). In it, the documentary maker outlined the idea behind his new documentary, No Béarla, which begins on TG4 this Sunday, January 7th at 9.30pm. For the programme, Magan took to the motorways and boreens of Ireland, speaking Irish to everyone he encountered to see if anyone would converse back to him in the mother tongue. The results are surprising, and often weirdly hostile.
Blogorrah has some YouTube moments from the doco while Stellanova is ticked off with The Guardian (who reproduced the article yesterday) for referring to our native language as ‘Gaelic’ in a sub-heading.
Many people blame the way the language is taught in schools here for the lack of ongoing interest. The fact that most of the texts were deathly dull (did anyone enjoy Peig?) didn’t engender a grá for the language. Magan believes that having few chances to use the language in day to day life is another factor in its decline, but then cites a new generation of young Irish speakers, fresh from the Gaelscoileanna all over the country who use the language regularly, think it’s quite cool and use Irish in text messages. Whether the true percentage of Irish language speakers in Ireland is 25% or 3%, perhaps it’s still not enough.
January 6th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Despite some weird spellings and misprints in the present edition, “An Béal Bocht” is actually very good Irish - I mean, not just funny, but high standard as Irish.
Actually, the main reason why anybody should read Peig, An tOileánach, and Séamus Ó Grianna’s work, is the fact that then you can get all the in-jokes in An Béal Bocht.
January 6th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I’ve heard Manchán talk about this on radio and watched the clips. While it does seem funny and is a great idea, it doesn’t bode well for the Irish language! I’m surprised that there is an antagonistic attitude to Irish by some, although others did at least give it a go.
My dad will generally ask somebody for something in Irish before he does it in English. I don’t think there has ever been the kind of reaction shown here, bemused is probably the best way to describe the majority of the reactions.
January 7th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I had a €30 book token to use up over Christmas and one of the things I bought was a book of Irish grammer as it always annoyed me that I got my B in the Leaving by just learning everything off rather that really understanding it (bean mná ban argghhhh). What’s unusual about the book is that it is in English. Five pages later and I understand more now than 14 years of schooling taught me. Highly recommended: “Irish Grammer Book” by Nollaig Mac Congáil.
As for young uns, I’m not sure. My eldest nephew has been in Gaelscoil since the age of 4 (now 16) and the thought of using Irish outside of school is pretty laughable to him and his Bebo buddies.
January 8th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I passed five languages in the Leaving, including Irish and Latin. The struggle to master grammatical rules certainly helped me to master English syntax and vocabulary. But many of my fellow students came to hate Irish because of teachers with authoritarian personalities and because they consider Peig et al to be culturally irrelevant to the real, unromantic Ireland. Schooling leaves chips on shoulders, doesn’t it?
January 9th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I’d like to see that documentary. I’d imagine the hostile reactions are because of spoken Irish stirring up memories of it being forced into people at school. I’d definitely have enjoyed the Gaeilge more if the curriculum had been a bit more modern.
Flann O’Brien is brilliant. I was blown away by the lunacy of The Third Policeman.
January 14th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Tá mé ag foghlaim. Coincidentally, I am also moving to a Gaeltacht next week and am looking forward for the chance to practise my spoken Irish. I am much better at the reading and writing than the speaking, and also much better at Irish to English than English to Irish. (And by better, it’s all relative. I’m sure there are 4 and 5-year olds out there who could run rings aroung me.)
I know I could live here for the rest of my life without learning Irish, but I think I would be missing out on something.
January 14th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
If anyone recorded the Flann O Brien documentary could they please, please post it on YouTube. I have missed it on TV twice and would love to see it.
January 16th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Unfortunately haven’t had a chance to watch ‘No Bearla’ thus far, it was given quite a favourable and very witty review in the Guardian recently
At the other end of the scale was Ian ‘O Doherty in the Irish Indo, heaping scorn on the program and Magan himself with the usual tired ’smug middle class Gaeilgóir’ clichés
January 18th, 2007 at 1:42 am
The teaching of Irish is, as mentioned above, a disgrace!
Look, for example, at the subjects which are of direct use to out economy: science, business, and technology etc. They are well-resourced, encouraged and highly regarded. Irish, which is of immeasurably cultural and tourism value, has been neglected, ignored and taught as if it were in a hedge school.
Now, Fine Gael want to make it optional after Junior Cert. I say, make it relevant, modern and engaging. If in a generation, standards have not improved, the compulsory nature of Irish can be revisited. Can we really disregard the language without giving it a fair shot to prosper?
As Sinéad highlighted, Young people love it. It is cool, whether that be thanks to Hector or Hieudi. Take the lead from the young uns, I say, it’s them who’ll have to speak it.
January 19th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I’ve just heard on Ocean FM, which is local radio in Sligo and Leitrim, Marian Harkin MEP (Independent) becoming the first Irish MEP to use Irish in the Strassbourg parliament. Interesting thing is that she used the occasion to highlight the possible execution of some convicted prisoners in Bulgaria. Now that’s a humane way to use Irish in our grim modern world.