Gaelport - From the Newspapers

Ainmniúcháin Ghradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh le dúnadh go luath

Gaelport — 03/02/2012 11:00:00

Ní gá go mbeadh Gaeilge líofa agat chun páirt a ghlacadh sa Ghradam. Is í aidhm an Ghradaim ná aitheantas a thabhairt do chomhlachtaí agus d’eagraíochtaí sa chathair a thaispeánann an Ghaeilge in úsáid ar bhealach ‘dáiríre,’ ‘cruthaitheach’ agus ‘feiceálach’ ina ngnó nó eagraíocht a léiríonn an tionchar a lean as seo ar an bhfoireann agus ar íomhá dhátheangach na Cathrach. Bhí oíche eolais ar siúl le déanaí in Óstán an Menlo Park chun deis a thabhairt do dhaoine casadh le hiarbhuaiteoirí agus le moltóirí an Ghradaim. Tá struchtúr nua i bhfeidhm don Ghradam i mbliana. Tá ceithre chatagóir i gceist; Miondíol, Fáilteachas agus Turasóireacht, Seirbhísí agus Comhlachtaí Eile. Roghnófar gearrliosta ón gceithre chatagóir agus roghnófar buaiteoir iomlán Ghradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh as buaiteoirí na gcatagóirí sin. Tá tuilleadh eolais ar an nGradam ar fáil ó Ghearoidín ag gearoidin@gleg.ie nó ar shuíomh Gaillimh le Gaeilge www.gleg.ie agus óna n-oifigí ar 091-568876. Foilsithe ar 1 Feabhra 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 3 Feabhra 2012

Oscailt oifigiúil ‘Cult Úr’

Gaelport — 03/02/2012 10:57:00

Is í an eagraíocht áitiúil Ghaeilge, CAIRDE Teo, a thosaigh an siopa i mí Dheireadh Fómhair chun leibhéal infheictheachta na teanga a ardú sa cheantar. Tá neart táirgí Gaeilge ar fáil sa siopa, leabhair Ghaeilge, cártaí le beannachtaí i nGaeilge, dlúthdhioscaí Gaeilge, léarscáileanna na hÉireann i nGaeilge, málaí scoile agus boscaí lóin le teachtaireachtaí Gaeilge orthu chomh maith le neart stuif eile. Bhí Colm Ó Baoill, oifigeach sinsearach le Foras na Gaeilge, an Comhairleoir Cathy Uí Raifeartaigh agus an Comhalta Tionóil, Cathal Ó Baoighealláin, i láthair ag an oscailt. D’fhreastail slua mór de pháistí agus daoine óga, príomhoidí agus múinteoirí ó Bhunscoil Chnoc Chaitríona, Scoil Ghramadaí Naomh Pádraig, Bunscoil Naomh Maolmhadóg agus ón Aonad Gaeilge i gColáiste Chaitríona air freisin. Sheinn Píobairí Ard Mhacha ar an lá agus thaifead Comharchumann na nOibrithe Cruthaitheacha an oscailt ionas gur féidir leo é a úsáid mar chuid de ghearrscannán ar an Ghaeilge in Ard Mhacha atá ar bun acu faoi láthair. Tá ag éirí “go hiontach” leis an siopa, a deir Seán Ó Maoilsté, Oifigeach Forbartha Gaeilge le CAIRDE Teo. “Tá daoine iontach tógtha leis an tionscnamh seo,” a deir sé, “Tá ag éirí níos fearr leis ná a cheap muid go n-éiríodh.” Foilsithe ar 1 Feabhra 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 3 Feabhra 2012

The art of boxing clever

Gaelport — 03/02/2012 10:56:00

The concertina was introduced to Irish music in the middle of the 19th century after being invented by Englishman Charles Wheatstone around 1829. Archives indicate that it became the popular vernacular instrument in Co Clare around 1860. Ever since, it has been synonymous with the country's rich traditional heritage. So it is fitting that Oidhreacht an Chláir, a community-based company out of Miltown Malbay, have, as part of a new master class initiative, chosen the free-reed instrument as its initial focus for a monthly series of tutorials. This weekend, master-concertina player Noel Hill will conduct an intensive course, aimed at the advanced and intermediate advanced student. According to Hill: "I'll concentrate on style, phrasing and fingering technique, ornamentation and embellishment." Barry Taylor of OaC's management committee says of the new venture: "The concertina being such a fundamenttal instrument for west Clare, it seemed a logical thing to start with. And probably the foremost name in modern concertina playing is Noel Hill, a west Clare person. It seemed like an obvious thing, and Noel is very enthusiastic about the idea. He pointed out that in Clare there are a lot of people who teach the instrument." Oidhreacht an Chláir is a not-for-profit, community-based company that was launched in 2003. Taylor outlines its origins: "To be truthful, the original idea was Dónal De Barra's. He believed there should be some kind of organisation based in Clare for the preservation of Clare music, its tradition and traditional customs. So from there we started writing what might be the aims and objectives of such an organisation and then we began to gather a few more people around us. That was the starting point." Now housed at their fully refurbished permanent headquarters - Áras OaC in Miltown Malbay, next door to the one-time home of renowned uileann piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973) - the group has a close association with the annual Summer School, dedicated to Clancy's memory. "Two of our management committee, Harry Hughes and the late Muiris Ó Rocháin, founded the Willie Clancy Summer School. The school caters for students at all levels," says Taylor. "But we thought that it might be quite a nice idea to have something a bit more specialised for people at a more advanced stage - thus the master-classes." "Most of the people we thought might come are fairly young. So we decided we would try to give them more than an appreciation of concertinas and concertina players - not just the techniques of which Noel is obviously proficient at passing on. We've tried to make it a more rounded thing as well," he says. "We've a guy called Stephen Chambers and he's probably the world's leading expert on the anglo-concertina, certainly in the Irish context. He's got a huge collection of concertinas, going back to the very first ones." "Stephen is going to come along on Sunday morning and show a selection of them to the students, and then I'll talk about some of the older players from the area - those from the early and middle part of the 20th century. We hope they'll be interested in that. One of the fundamental aims at OaC is for the younger generation of musicians to be able to connect back into the heritage of traditional music." As part of this weekend's programme, Noel hill will give a concert at The Market House in Miltown Malbay. On Saturday students will have a full day's tuition with Hill. According to Barry Taylor: "We've restricted the numbers so he'll be able to give an amount of attention to each individual. We've left Saturday night fairly free because there's a number of sessions in the town that some of the students might like to participate in or listen to." OaC have plans for regular monthly classes in Miltown, with fiddler Martin Hayes due to take charge in March. Flautist and member of The Chieftains Matt Molloy, is lined up for the following month. Oidhreacht an Chláir's master classes take place in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare this weekend. For info see www.oac.ie Foilsithe ar 2 Feabhra 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 3 Feabhra 2012

Gaeilge le Chéile na míosa

Gaelport — 03/02/2012 10:54:00

Tagann daoine, a bhfuil suim sa Ghaeilge acu, le chéile ar an gcéad Déardaoin de gach mí le linn na bliana chun an Ghaeilge a labhairt go sóisialta. Beidh fáilte go háirithe roimh dhaoine atá chun freastal ar Chúrsaí Ghaelchultúir an earraigh. Cead isteach saor. Foilsithe ar 2 Feabhra 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 3 Feabhra 2012

Cór an Aifrinn

Gaelport — 03/02/2012 10:49:00

Ceiliúrtar an t-aifreann trí Ghaeilge ar an gcéad agus an dara Dé Sathairn de gach mí ag 6.15i.n. Iomainn thraidisiúnta ach go háirithe a cantar. Beidh fáilte roimh dhaoine nua ag an gcéad chleachtadh cóir eile a bheidh ar siúl anocht, an Mháirt 31ú Eanair ag 8.00i.n. in Ionad Pharóiste na hArdeaglaise. Bí linn agus fáilte. Foilsithe ar 2 Feabhra 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 3 Feabhra 2012

Ciorcal Comhrá Iarscoile i gCeatharlach

Gaelport — 03/02/2012 10:45:00

Is cinnte go mbíonn cleachtadh breise sa Ghaeilge ag teastáil ó mhicléinn agus díreoidh an ciorcal ar mhicléinn atá ag lorg deiseanna chun Gaeilge a labhairt go neamhfhoirmiúil lasmuigh den seomra ranga mar ullmhúcháin don Bheáltriail Ghaeilge. Gan dabht cuirfidh micléinn fáilte roimh gach deis chun barr feabhais a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge go háirithe i rith na scoilbhliana seo agus méadú mór go daichead fán gcéad de mharcanna an ábhair i scrúdú na hArdteistiméireachta le dul don bhéaltriail. Beidh an Ciorcal Comhrá ar siúl in Ionad Phobail Darach Úir gach Céadaoin ó 4.30 go 5.30i.n. le tosú ar 22 Feabhra agus ag dul ar aghaidh ar feadh sé seachtainí. An táille don tréimhse iomlán ná €15. Ní foláir áiteanna a chur in áirithe agus tabharfar tús áite don chéad fiche iarratas. Beidh fáilte roimh mhicléinn shinsir in iarbhunscoileanna uile an cheantair. Chun clárú is féidir dul i dteagmháil le Glór Cheatharlach, Sráid an Choláiste, Ceatharlach ar eolas@glorcheatharlach.ie nó glaoch a chur ar 085 1340047. Foilsithe ar 2 Feabhra 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 3 Feabhra 2012

Deireadh le Díospóireachtaí Ghael-Linn?

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 11:07:00

Agus é ag labhairt ag bronnadh na nduaiseanna do chomórtais na bliana seo d’iarr sé ar Fhoras na Gaeilge athmhachnamh a dhéanamh ar an moladh seo agus dúirt sé gur “cuid lárnach den oideachas in Éirinn iad díospóireachtaí Gael Linn le breis is caoga bliain anuas”. Mar thoradh ar chomórtais na bliana seo tá Fionnuala de Bhailís, Clíona Ní Bhriain agus Síofra Ní Shé, foireann Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, An Cheathrú Rua, ag ceiliúradh a mbua i gCraobh na hÉireann i Roinn na Sóisear de Chomórtas Díospóireacht Uí Chadhain, comórtas do Ghaelcholáistí agus do scoileanna Gaeltachta dara-leibhéal. Is í Máirín Ní Dhomhnaill an múinteoir a chuidigh agus a chabhraigh leis an bhfoireann ar a mbóthar chun na Craoibhe agus bhí sí an-bhródúil as na scoláirí. Éacht eile é seo don Scoil Chuimsitheach, mar gur thug foireann shinsearach na scoile an chraobh leo trí bliana as a chéile – 2009, 2010 agus 2011. Bronnadh buanchorn Gael Linn agus duais €1,000 ar an bhfoireann bhuacach agus tugadh cuireadh dóibh freisin páirt a ghlacadh i Rí Chéile, féile dhíospóireachta bliantúil a reáchtálann Gael Linn do chainteoirí óga Gaeilge/Gaidhlig, i gcomhar le Comunn na Gaidhlig, Alba. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra

Comhairle le lorg don athbhreithniú

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 11:03:00

Ní raibh an chinnteacht chéanna le ceist Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga áfach; ní raibh an tAire soiléir an mbeadh an Rialtas sásta an cinneadh a rinne siad chun Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga a dhúnadh mar oifig reachtúil neamhspleách, mar chuid dá phlean athchóirithe don earnáil phoiblí, a tharraingt siar sna sála ar an athbhreithniú Achta. Ag labhairt faoin mhéid a bhí le rá ag an Aire Stáit, dúirt Julian de Spáinn, Ard-Rúnaí Chonradh na Gaeilge gur thug an tAire McGinley le fios go raibh an cinneadh Rialtais maidir leis an gCoimisinéir Teanga “le cur i gcrích i gcomhthéacs an athbhreithnithe ar an Acht." Lean de Spáinn “ach an gciallaíonn sé sin go nglacfaidh an Rialtas treoir ón bpobal leis an gcinneadh sin a chur ar ceal, má mholann an pobal go gcoimeádfaí Oifig an Choimisinéara neamhspleách ina gcuid aighneachtaí mar chuid den athbhreithniú ar an Acht?" Beidh le feiceáil. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

Protests and insults over school cuts

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:56:00

More than 100 protesters gathered outside Leinster House urging Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to reverse the staffing cutbacks. Inside the Dáil, meanwhile, Government and opposition TDs frequently clashed during the conclusion of the debate on a Fianna Fáil motion condemning the cuts. Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae labelled the minister a disgrace and called on Government TDs to oppose the cuts. That led to a particularly heated clash with his constituency rival in Kerry South, Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin, who insisted he was already doing his utmost to protect local schools. Other Government TDs criticised Fianna Fáil for moving the motion, saying it was hypocritical from a party which had presided over the economic collapse which led to the cutbacks. Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins reacted furiously to suggestions that his party had "no mandate" to raise the issue, accusing the Government of wanting to foster a "dictatorship". He claimed the coalition had an "anti-rural" agenda, as small schools were mostly rural-based. Another Fianna Fáil TD, Dara Calleary, said the cuts would place the future existence of small schools, scoileanna Gaeilge, and schools of minority faiths in danger. Minister of state Ciarán Cannon, responding on behalf of Mr Quinn, said it was scare-mongering to suggest schools would close. The only issue, he said, was that their teacher numbers would not be "as advantageous" as they had been. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

Príomhfheidhmeannach nua don Údarás

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:54:00

Is dul chun cinn suntasach é seo don Údarás mar tá breis agus bliain caite anois ó d’éirigh Pádraic Ó hAoláin as mar phríomhfheidhmeannach agus níor líonadh an post ó shin. Bhí faitíos forleathan ann gur léirigh tarraingt na gcos seo an Rialtas go raibh ceist ann faoi thodhchaí iomlán na heagraíochta. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

NUIG launches iTunes channel to help schoolchildren learn Irish

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:53:00

The iTunes U – COGG (An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta) Channel comprises audio and video resources that have been carefully selected from both the Raidió na Gaeltachta and NUIG archives, as part of a research project undertaken by the university’s Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. The 300 new learning resources include songs, poems, stories, points of information, and history in the different Gaeilge dialects that are aimed at stimulating language acquisition and enrichment among Gaeltacht and all-Irish primary schools - particularly in fifth and sixth class. A learning plan has also been developed for teachers to assist in the effective use of the resources in the classroom. The channel will also have resources for other learner groups. “Digital resources of a high standard are a prerequisite for the contemporary classroom,” said Muireann Ní Mhóráin, chief executive of COGG. “The new channel will add significantly to the current corpus of Irish language teaching resources available and it’s great see to our rich cultural heritage and new technology being intertwined to develop Irish language learning resources in such an attractive and efficient way.” Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

It’s Gradam time — Gaillimh le Gaeilge looking for nominations for premier Irish language award

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:47:00

G le G hosted the information evening, in association with the Menlo Park Hotel, (last year’s winners of the Gradam), to assist and to encourage businesses and organisations to prepare and participate in the Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh. It is not essential to be a fluent Irish speaker to participate in this prestigious award. You can nominate your own business or someone else’s business for the award. The aim of the award is to recognize companies and organisations in Galway City that demonstrate a visible, genuine and creative use of the Irish Language within their business, thus impacting on their staff and the bilingual image of the city. The Gradam is now open for nominations for businesses and organisations based in Galway city which are not subject to the Official Languages Act 2003. At the event, Gaillimh le Gaeilge also welcomed the renewed commitment from Údarás na Gaeltachta to the Gradam for another two years. Udaras join an already established group of sponsors including Galway Advertiser, Fáilte Ireland, Galway Chamber, Galway Bay FM, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, NUI Galway and Snap Galway. The total value of the prizes and benefits provided by the local businesses is in excess of €19,000. At the information evening, people had the opportunity to meet with previous Gradam winners, adjudicators of the Gradam and last year’s winner David Keane, Menlo Park Hotel, who spoke about how participating in the Gradam has had a positive impact on all aspects of the hotel and how its Irish language policy was part of the Menlo Park Hotel’s Best Practice policy. This year, the Gradam features a new structure with four categories; retail, hospitality and tourism, services and other companies. A winner will be chosen in each category and the overall winner will be selected from the four category winners. Speaking at the event, Bríd Ní Chonghóile of Gaillimh le Gaeilge said; “The Gradam celebrates all the bilingual work done in the city and is a great opportunity for any business to highlight their bilingual achievements, raise the profile of their business, gain invaluable press coverage, and demonstrate to Irish speakers and non-Irish speakers alike that their business respects and values the Irish language. Being Irish has made us unique throughout the world and it’s important that we continue to celebrate this today through the Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh Award. We are also delighted with the continued support of the local businesses to the Gradam, and the renewed commitment of Údarás na Gaeltachta to the Gradam for the next two years. Táimid fíor bhuíoch dóibh.” Gaillimh le Gaeilge provides a ‘Gaeilge sa Ghnó’ service, free of charge to help businesses/organisations prepare for the Gradam. The Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh in partnership with the Galway Advertiser is now open for entries until Thursday February 9 2012. If you would like more information about Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh, contact Gaillimh le Gaeilge on 091 568876, eolas@gleg.ie or visit www.gleg.ie You can follow Gaillimh le Gaeilge on Facebook and Twitter. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

The pipes are calling the tune in trad

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:44:00

The evenings are lengthening and the mornings are inching brighter so the annual calendar beckons our traditional musicians out from under cover of darkness for the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards. This year’s recipient list is a colourful and eclectic one, drawing deep from the well to honour fiddlers, pipers, singers, composers and lifelong champions of the music in all its shapes and forms. This year’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year is Waterford piper Caoimhín Ó Feargháil. The southeast isn’t known as a piping stronghold, being more readily associated with traditional singing, but Ó Fearghail didn’t want for mentors during his childhood or teen years. He was born outside Chicago but moved back to the southeast at the age of seven. Waterford piper David Power was one of his earliest teachers and inspirations, but Ó Feargháil can’t help but acknowledge the defining influence of Seamus Ennis on the development of his ear and his piping style. “I suppose I’ve been influenced by David [Power] and Jimmy O’Brien Moran,” he offers, somewhat reluctantly, clearly unused to the limelight. “I love all the old pipers as well. There’s nothing like listening to Seamus Ennis or Tommy Reck or Willie Clancy.” Waterford is more closely associated with big singers such as Nioclás Tóibín and Áine Uí Cheallaigh, and, more recently, Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, among others. This song tradition has served Ó Feargháil well, as years of listening to singers have yielded a rich understanding of the interplay between the lyric of a slow air, for example, and the way a piper might approach it. Seamus Ennis was always adamant that a piper must understand this fundamental relationship if he or she is to truly go beneath the skin of a tune. “I usually only play airs that I know the song of,” Ó Feargháil says. “I find I think of the words of the song as I’m playing, and whatever feeling is supposed to be in the song, I try to imitate that on the pipes.” It’s the second year in a row that a piper has bagged the Young Musician award (with piper Pádraig Keane passing on the laurels to Ó Feargháil this year): surely a sign that the pipes have gone mainstream, if not quite viral. Time was when you could count the number of pipers in the country on the fingers of one hand. These days, such is the demand for pipes that Na Píobairí Uilleann has pioneered a pipe-making course in an effort to begin to meet the demand. It seems that the uilleann pipes are, finally, to traditional music what banjo is to bluegrass: central to the sound, and gaining acceptance among traditional music’s diverse audiences. At 22, Nell Ní Chróinín is the youngest ever recipient of the Traditional Singer Of The Year award. A native of Ballingeary in the belly of Cork’s Muskerry Gaeltacht, she’s a singer who readily tackles the so-called “big songs” of the tradition, such as Cath Chéim An Fhiath , with the same vigorous enthusiasm with which she tackles the more humorous songs, such as Na Táilliúirí. “A lot of our songs are sung really from the heart,” Ní Chróinín says, in attempting to describe the distinguishing features of Muskerry singing. “You can really pick up people’s emotions when they’re singing. That goes for the sad songs, but it goes for the songs with a bit of devilment in them too. The emotion is there for sure, but there’s fierce energy and drive there too. I think it’s very important as a singer that you have a real understanding of the story you’re telling, and the only way to get that across is be able to portray the mood of the story to the best of your ability, as the writer intended it.” Ní Chróinín has benefited from a vibrant singing support network called Scéim Amhránaíochta Aisling Gheal, founded following the premature death of Cúl Aodha singer Diarmuidín Ó Suilleabháin in 1991. It supports and promotes singers and local songs. Ní Chróinín found herself in the tutelage of Máire Ní Cheilleachar, one of the foremost sean-nós singers of the region. “Without those classes, I wouldn’t be singing at all,” Ní Chróinín insists. “You got the songs, the words, technique and breathing – and all from great teachers. I was really lucky to have all of that growing up. I know that I’m still learning, still finding out how to get to the heart of a song, and put my own stamp on it.” Brian and Eithne Vallely from Armagh are the recipients of this year’s Gradam Aitheantais/Contribution Award. Lifelong champions of traditional music in a myriad of ways, they have played and taught music, founded the Armagh Pipers Club and the William Kennedy Piping Festival. Brian is also an artist whose work frequently takes traditional musicians at play as its theme. On the brink of publishing a history of the Armagh Pipers Club on the occasion of its 45th anniversary, the Vallelys have focused much of their energy in recent years on nurturing young musicians, eschewing the competition focus that they would have had in their earlier years. For both, it’s all about building the confidence and musicianship of the player. “We arrived at what we do now by a process of trial and error,” Brian says, with trademark pragmatism. “We were very competition-oriented at one stage, but the negative things, such as rivalries between parents, rivalries between children, pressure on children, led us to re-think what we were doing. “I came across a similar thing in athletics. It’s what they call ‘exploitation of precocious talent’, so we moved out of competition. At the same time, people still had Slógadh, which was much more performance oriented and it hadn’t a big emphasis on who the winners of the competitions were.” Brian and Eithne have had a long association with the National Festival of Music For Youth, which led to groups performing in London’s South Bank Centre and in the Schools Youth Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. They founded the William Kennedy Piping Festival, now in its 18th year, a festival that is epitomised by their willingness to cast their gaze outwards, embracing diverse music traditions along the way. With three of their children, Niall, Cillian and Caoimhín, professional musicians (with Buille, Lúnasa and North Cregg, among others), Brian and Eithne have been energised by the new friendships and musical discoveries of the next generation. “We’re all Gaels at the end of the day,” Brian muses, “and for us it’s all about bringing together all the strands of Gaelic culture. “The truth is that we never had a grand plan. We basically learned by our mistakes. I would have been a fairly unreconstructed tunnel-visioned person with regard to what I thought Irish music was, but luckily enough, between Eithne and myself, we’ve learned a lot over the years, and through our children, we’ve become aware of things we hadn’t been aware of, because they started travelling, bringing back ideas and contributing to our understanding. I feel very lucky and privileged that it happened like that.” TG4 Gradam Ceoil winners Gradam Ceoil/ Traditional Musician of the Year Brian Rooney fiddler Ceoltóir Óg/Young Traditional Musician of the Year Caoimhín Ó Feargháil piper Amhránaí/Traditional Singer of the Year Nell Ní Chróinín Gradam Saoil/Lifetime Achievement Award Danny Meehan Gradam Aitheantais/Contribution Eithne and Brian Vallely Gradam an Chumadóra/ Traditional Composer Paddy O’Brien * The TG4 Gradam Ceoil Concert and Awards ceremony will take place at UCH, UL Limerick on Saturday, March 24th. Tickets from uch.ieor 061-331549. * The concert will be broadcast on TG4 at 9:30pm, April 8th, Easter Sunday. gradam.ie Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

Spellbound text in old Irish finally yields to translation

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:38:00

The passage is the third of three charms, or spells, in the ninth century Stowe Missal, a Mass book written mostly in Latin, which has a single page at the back containing the charms written in old Irish. The charm is on urinary diseases and only a couple of passages, including the last two lines, have been translated before. Prof David Stifter of the department of Old and Middle Irish at NUI Maynooth said many who had examined the passage in the past had dismissed it as “hocus pocus”. He will unveil the results of his research in his inaugural lecture today in the college. Prof Stifter, originally from Vienna, came to the study of old Irish through his interest in the dead Celtic languages Celtiberian, Gaulish and Lepontic. He described old Irish as “terribly difficult but great fun”. The key to translating the text, he said, was understanding the word “suilid”, which meant to let flow, because silid was the word flow and the letter u gave it a causative function; and the word “lindaid”, to produce liquid, from the word “lind” meaning liquid. He said there were still a few words and a passage that had defeated even his forensic investigation of the text. He admitted being baffled by the phrase “let it flow like a camel”. Prof Stifter surmised that the author would have known about camels from the Bible and would have thought that because they lived in hot climates they must have drunk a lot and therefore urinated a lot. “The person who wrote this clearly did not know a lot about camels.” The Stowe Missal is housed in the Royal Irish Academy and is one of the first surviving examples of written old Irish. The first of the charms about the eye is unintelligible because the manuscript is damaged and the second on removing thorns has been translated. The third has confounded well-known Irish scholars until now. RIA academic librarian Siobhán Fitzpatrick said the Stowe Missal was the first “decent body of prose in the Irish language”. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

SBB Ina Shuí is back

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:34:00

Cut from the opening credits to the studio and there was Sean Bán Breathnach with a shock of electrified sandy hair - looking like a skinny Mick Hucknall - sitting among the audience, ag caint as Gaelige about what would be coming up on his show that evening, and, if he could get away with it, throwing in the odd risqué - for the time - joke as well. My Gaeilge is unfortunately functionally non-existent, but even back then the good humour of SBB attracted non-Gaelgoirs like myself as well as Gaeilgoirs, and was a major reason why from 1976 to 1983, SBB Ina Shuí was one of Ireland’s most popular shows - a great achievement for Irish language programming. In September Sean Bán Breathnach revived the show for a special live version in the Town Hall Theatre and it proved so popular that he is doing it again. SBB Ina Shuí takes place in the Town Hall Theatre on Saturday February 18 at 8pm and guests on the night will be folk singer Matt Keane; country singer Heidi McCaffrey; Galway Bay FM’s Des Kelly; sean-nos dancer Emma O’Sullivan; as well as John and Maggie Carty, Johnny Halloran, Seosamh O’Flaherta, Jimmy Higgins, and The Dreams. Tickets are available from the Town Hall on 091 - 569777 and www.tht.ie Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Sléacht sráide

Gaelport — 02/02/2012 10:26:00

Leabhar nach mór míle leathanach, agus míle leathanach de mhionchló chomh maith céanna atá ann, a ríomhann conas a tharla dúinn sna trí scór bliain ó shocraigh barbaraigh na hilchríche ar gan a bheith ag marú a chéile ar feadh tamaill. Is maith linn talamh slán a dhéanamh de gurb Eorpaigh dheasa sinn agus go bhfuil an saol amuigh ansin ag faire orainn. Sa tráchtaireacht ar fad ar Dhomhnach na Fola, Doire, is beag iarracht atá déanta é a shuíomh i gcomhthéacs Eorpach ar bith, ná go deimhin, ar na “Trioblóidí” a phlé ar shlí níos leithne ná iarmhairt choilíneach agus mar smut d’fhágála na staire. Tharlódh go bhfuil daoine abhus a ghéilleann an iomad do “spuaiceanna gruama Fhear Manach agus Thír Eoghain”, agus is cinnte go bhfuil go leor laisteas den Teorainn a bhfuil an intinn chríchdheighilteach dulta i bhfeidhm go smior iontu. Bhí, gan amhras, Domhnaí fola eile ann, agus Luain, agus Sathairn, agus tá daoine thar a bheith faichilleach gan “pribhléid” a thabhairt do shléacht amháin seachas a chéile. Agus dá olcas is a d’éirigh dúinn níorbh aon phioc é ar ghualainn ar thit amach le linn na barbarachta móire, agus bhíomar sibhialta agus béasach inár gcuid maruithe suas is anuas le himeachtaí na hiar-Iúgslaive, cuir i gcás. Ina choinne sin thall bhí rud éigin ar leithrigh ag baint leis an Domhnach áirithe seo, rud éigin ar leibhéal na hEorpa féin. Níorbh é Widgery é ach ann oiread. Uaimh bhréagadóirí is ea gach bunaíocht agus í ar a seacht ndícheall í féin a chosaint. Is chuige fiosrú le fear róbaí faoi pheiriúic phúdair go dtiocfadh sé ar an toradh is mian leis na daoine a cheapann fear le róbaí faoi pheiriúic phúdair chun fiosrú a dhéanamh. Is é an t-ionadh ná go raibh ionadh ar dhaoine. Ná níorbh é leithscéal an Chamshrónaigh é ach an oiread, dá mhéid is a cuireadh fáilte roimhe sin, mar b’éigean do rialtas na Breataine na meánna sin a dhíbirt nó bheadh á gciapadh go deo. Ná níorbh é glao teileafóin uisciúil leithscéalach lútálach an Taoisigh Jack Lynch ar Ted Heath é an oíche sin, mar is beag Taoiseach Éireannach, seachas b’fhéidir Albert Reynolds, a raibh sé de ghus ann glúin le glia a thabhairt do phríomhaire Sasanach ar bith. I gcomhthéacs fairsing na hEorpa, bhí de thábhacht ag an mórshiúl úd ar déanadh ionsaí míleata air ná a raibh uathu. De thíortha daonlathacha na hEorpa uile, b’í an Ríocht Aontaithe an t-aon cheann amháin nach raibh vóta ag gach saoránach ann – nó sa chás seo – gach géillseanach, nuair a bunaíodh Gluaiseacht na gCearta Sibhialta. Is fiú cogan a dhéanamh air sin. Is fiú é a chaitheamh san aer, a chasadh timpeall agus ligean dó tuirlingt go slán anuas ar do chloigeann. De na héilimh shimplí ar fad a rinne Gluaiseacht na gCearta Sibhialta b’é sin an ceann ba dhírí díobh. Go mbeadh vóta ag cách. Cé gur géilleadh go doicheallach an vóta a dheonadh ar an uile dhuine tamall gairid roimhe sin, bhí cuid de na héilimh eile beo, éilimh nach mbeadh aon cheist fúthu i ndaonlathas ar bith. Chualathas an ghunnadóireacht go ceann i bhfad. Tá samplaí lán go fiacail againn de stáit i mbun slada agus áir ar an tsráid agus daoine i mbun a gcúraimí síochánta. Tarlaíonn sé an t-am ar fad. Tharla san Éimin le déanaí; tá an chuma air nach leasc le trúpaí na Siria scaoileadh le léirseoirí faoi láthair; ní fios an mó duine a lámhachadh i gCearnóg Tiananmen Bhéising, agus ní bheidh a fhios; tharla rialtas Mhaenmair a bheith flaithiúil leis na piléir in aghaidh sibhialaigh agus manaigh le scór bliain anuas; liosta gan áireamh an choscairt atá déanta ag fórsaí an stáit in Srí Lanca le cuimhneamh an éisc órga féin; agus ansin bhí Khojaly san Asarbaiseáin, agus Acteal i Meicsiceo, agus Conakry sa Ghuine... Ach féach, nach ag caint ar an Eoraip a bhíomar? Ag deireadh na 1980í agus go díreach ina dhiaidh, thosnaigh na rialtais Chumannacha ag titim go tiubh, ceann i ndiaidh a chéile, in oirthear na hilchríche – an Pholainn, an Ungáir, an Ghearmáin Thoir, An tSeicslóvaic, An Bhulgáir, ina dhiaidh sin an Rúis féin agus a cuid giollaí. Fág An Rúmáin i leataoibh, níor lámhachadh aon duine. Shiúil na céadta míle duine go síochánta agus d’éiligh siad saoirse. Sheas fórsaí na stát i leataoibh agus ligeadh dóibh. Níor scaoileadh urchar. Níor déanadh éirleach orthu. Eisceacht sa mhéid sin ba ea Domhnach Fola Dhoire. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 2 Feabhra 2012

Agóid faoi chiorruithe scoile sa Ghaeltacht

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 11:14:00

Mar thoradh ar athruithe cáinaisnéise, teastaíonn 83 dalta in áit 76 dalta ó scoileanna Gaeltachta chun an ceathrú múinteoir a fháil/ a choinneáil. Dar le Mícheál S. Mac Donnacha, urlabhraí Chumann Múinteoirí Éireann, tá na tuismitheoirí, múinteoirí agus clubanna CLG a bheidh i mbun agóide inniu ag súil go dtarraingeofar 'na ciorruithe damanta atá déanta ar scoileanna beaga siar.' "Tá siad ag díriú ar ghrúpa áirithe scoileanna agus inár dtuairim níl rud ar bith cothrom faoi," a dúirt sé. Déanfar plé ar na hathruithe sa Dáil inniu. Gealladh go n-ardófaí na ciorruithe seo leis an Aire Oideachais nuair a bhuail Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta Teo (ESG Teo) leis an Aire Jimmy Deenihan.' Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Deireadh le caint

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 11:11:00

Dúirt príomhfheidhmeannach Ghael Linn, Antoine Ó Coileáin, go raibh “Foras na Gaeilge ag beartú deireadh a chur le maoiniú don chomórtas ardghradaim seo. Iarraim ar an bhforas athmhachnamh a dhéanamh ar an moladh. Ní mór an comórtas náisiúnta seo a chosaint ar mhaithe le bonn láidir a chur faoin straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge san aoisghrúpa tábhachtach seo”. Bhí Ó Coileáin ag déanamh comhghairdis leis na duaiseoirí agus ag gabháil buíochais leis na múinteoirí ag deireadh chraobhchomórtas Uí Chadhain sa Téatar Poiblí i gColáiste na Tríonóide, Dé Céadaoin seo caite. Níl aon chatagóir sa tsamhail nua mhaoinithe atá á beartú ag Foras na Gaeilge le haghaidh iarratas chun comórtas díospóireachta ar bhonn náisiúnta a reáchtáil. Tá Gael Linn ag súil go ndéanfar athrú air sin san athbhreithniú atá ar siúl faoi láthair. Caoga iarbhunscoil a bhí páirteach i gComórtas Uí Chadhain i mbliana agus léirigh baill an cheithre fhoireann a bhí sa chraobhchomórtas sinsir ardchumas cainte, eolas ar chúrsaí reatha agus cur amach nach beag ar chúrsaí ólacháin agus an rún “is maith é go bhfuil deireadh ag teacht le cultúr an tí tábhairne” ina ábhar díospóireachta acu. Is beag nár ardaigh béiceach a lucht leanúna an díon de halla mór maorga an choláiste, a bhí lán go doras, nuair a fógraíodh gurbh í foireann Choláiste Rís, Dún Dealgan – Sionainn Glenholmes, Emer Ní Fhionnachtaigh agus Caoimhe Ní Shuibhne – a bhuaigh. Díol suime go raibh a múinteoir, Seán Ó Coigligh, páirteach sa chraobhchomórtas san ionad céanna i 1966. Foireann ó Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin, An Cheathrú Rua, a bhuaigh an chraobh sa chomórtas sóisir. Labhair Fionnuala de Bhailís, Clíona Ní Bhriain agus Síofra Ní Shé in aghaidh an rúin “cuireann na hollmheáin chumarsáide an iomarca béime ar chúrsaí spóirt”. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Stádas Gaeltachta do Chontae an Chláir faoi chaibidil

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 11:07:00

Dar le Seósamh Mac Ionnrachtaigh tá éileamh ar stádas Gaeltachta mar tá 170 cainteoir Gaeilge atá ag tógáil a gclann le Gaeilge. Bhí stádas Gaeltachta ag ceantar siar ó Inis i nDún Beag, in Inis Díomáin agus i Lios Dún bhearna sna fichidí. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Comóradh Comhar

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 11:05:00

Ó tharla an oiread sin d’eagarthóirí agus scríbhneoirí Comhar ina measc siúd a bhunaigh Cumann Merriman i 1967 – Tomás De Bhaldraithe, Daithí Ó hUaithne, Seán Mac Réamoinn, Eoghain Ó hAnluain – ba chuí go gcuirfí tús leis an chomóradh ag Scoil Gheimhridh Merriman i gCathair na Mart, Co Mhaigh Eo, an deireadh seachtaine seo caite. Ba é cathaoirleach Comhar Teoranta, Cathal Goan, a d’oscail an scoil agus thagair sé don anchaoi ina raibh an iris ceithre bliana ó shin. Thug sé ardmholadh dóibh siúd a d’oibrigh chun an iris a athbheochan agus luaigh sé ach go háirithe Liam Mac Amhlaigh, Uaitéir Ó Ciaruain agus Muireann Ní Mhóráin. Bíodh go raibh sé mar aidhm i gcónaí ag Comhar ardán a thabhairt d’aistí tuairimíochta ar chúrsaí reatha agus ar chúrsaí litríochta, bheartaigh lucht eagraithe na scoile cloí don chuid ba mhó le cúrsaí litríochta agus ealaíne. Chuir an tOllamh Alan Titley, colúnaí leis an nuachtán seo, tús spreagúil leis na himeachtaí agus é ag cur síos ar na conspóidí litríochta ar leathanaigh Comhar: Tomás Ó Floinn ag cosaint Ghaeilge Sheáin Uí Ríordáin ar cháineadh Mháire Mhac a’ tSaoi; Liam Ó Flaithearta ag cur comhairle ar Mháirtín Ó Cadhain; saothar Phroinsias Mhic a’ Bheatha, Téid Focail le Gaoith, faoi ionsaí ag an Chadhnach; Sean Ó Tuama in amhras ar dhintiúir an “eachtrannaigh”, Frank O’Brien, an leabhar léirmheastóireachta Filíocht Ghaeilge na Linne Seo a scríobh. Bhí Comhar “breac le léaspairtí léirmheastóireachta” a dúirt Titley. An bhfuil ré na gconspóidí liteartha ar Comhar thart? An bhfuil deireadh leis mar fhóram léirmheastóireachta? Luadh an brú a bhíonn ar lucht ollscoile saothar critice a fhoilsiú in irisí léannta. Dúirt Fiontán de Brún, léachtóir ar Ollscoil Uladh, gur mhó an chreidiúint a gheobhadh scoláire as scéilín grinn a fhoilsiú in iris acadúil sa tSeapáin ná alt léannta a fhoilsiú in iris mar Comhar. Dúirt Ríona Nic Congáil, léachtóir i gColáiste Phádraig, Baile Átha Cliath, nach raibh cúis ar bith ann nach bhféadfadh acadúlaithe an dá thrá a fhreastal: ábhar a chur ar fáil do na hirisí léannta agus do Comhar. Ach i léacht eolach tomhaiste faoi na dúshláin agus na deacrachtaí a bhíonn ag foilsitheoirí Gaeilge, dúirt Darach Ó Scolaí nárbh iad aistí acadúla a theastaigh ó fhoilsitheoir. Alt gearr léirmheastóireachta a dhíolfadh leabhar a bhí uathu agus lochtaigh sé Comhar as faillí a dhéanamh sa chineál seo léirmheastóireachta le roinnt blianta anuas. Fógraíodh freisin go raibh an t-eagarthóir reatha, Ian Ó Caoimh, le héirí as agus gurbh iad Aifric Mac Aodha a bhí ina heagarthóir liteartha go dtí seo agus Seán Tadhg Ó Gairbhí, iar-eagarthóir Foinse, a bheadh i mbun eagarthóireachta Comhar ó mhí Aibreáin ar aghaidh. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

FF condemn Quinn’s sneaky approach to cuts

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 11:02:00

Fianna Fáil launched a private members’ bill last night amid concerns that minority faith and smaller schools could be forced to close due to cutbacks. "You’re dealing with two-teacher, three-teacher and four-teacher schools whose future is significantly endangered as a result of the budgetary decisions," said Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. "The minister and the Government took a rather sneaky approach to the education in the budget insofar as up-front, they proclaimed there is no increase in pupil-teacher ratio." Fianna Fáil say up to 250 schools with less than 86 pupils will lose posts, with gaelscoileanna and minority faith schools hit hardest. Brendan Smith, education spokesman, said schools in border counties, where there is a higher proportion of minority faiths, would be badly hit and that Mr Quinn was taking a dangerous approach. "Instead of taking the time to consult with management bodies, community leaders, parents and teachers, he is wielding his axe from the splendid isolation of his ministerial office in Dublin City centre," Mr Smith said. "The threat of amalgamations has caused so much fear that we now risk a situation where parents will, in good faith, choose not to send their children to a smaller school for fear it will soon be closed." Mr Quinn and the Government claimed small schools receive more favourable amounts in grants and payments. A school with 12 pupils received the same amount as one with 60 students, it said. While the threshold for additional teachers in small schools will rise, a small school will still receive a second teacher with 14 pupils, a third teacher with 51 pupils and a fourth teacher with 83 pupils from September. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Fluent in three months? Mon dieu!

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 10:59:00

Ireland might have two official languages, but we are, shamefully, a nation of monoglots. There are a few myths that we stubbornly cling to about language learning, almost as an excuse, such as that you need to learn other languages while very young, or that you need to have a language “gene” or natural flair to master other tongues. But it’s all nonsense, according to one globe-trotting Irish man who has spent the past eight years travelling the world learning more than 20 languages. Indeed, he’s become so successful at it that it has become his career. “I try to make it very enjoyable, and the way to do that is to make it about socialising and communication,” says Benny Lewis, a self-styled “language hacker”, and his enthusiasm and flair for the task that has become his life is evident. The 29-year-old says his website, Fluentin3months.com, is the world’s busiest language blog. He has recently given a talk at one of the TEDx conferences – organised by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading” – in San Antonio. And he has self-published a hugely successful guide to his methods called The Language Hacking Guide . Above all, his language learning has allowed him to embrace foreign cultures all over the world – he has been travelling almost non-stop for the past eight years. At the moment, he is living in Taiwan having set himself his biggest challenge to date – learning Mandarin in three months. “I feel like my brain is going to melt all day, every day, I’m so intensively learning Chinese at the moment.” How did an electronic engineer from Co Cavan become a professional polyglot, especially given the fact that he says he was average at languages in school, doing pass Irish and getting a C2 in German. “I went to Spain on my 21st birthday after my degree, and I knew I had to learn some Spanish,” he says. “I paid for a really expensive course but got no use out of it, it was all just gobbledygook. I figured, I don’t have this language talent that some people are born with; I’m good at mathematics and physics and stuff.” After nearly six months in Spain with little success, he realised he was spending all his time with ex-pats, and needed to immerse himself in the language. He set himself the first of many challenges – no English for a month. “My biggest issue wasn’t with the grammar and vocabulary; it was the fear, and letting go of that. Making mistakes does not hinder communication, it actually helps you because you get into the flow quicker. I think realising that made this thing click in my head.” With the language thing clicked, he travelled Europe using the same method from country to country, focusing on speaking the language from day one – he found the formula to be so successful he now calls his multimedia language kit Speak from Day One . For work, he spent a lot of time teaching English and translating engineering manuals, the sort of location-independent jobs that allows the world to open up, and he started venturing further afield, becoming fluent in six or seven languages – including German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese – and attaining a decent conversational level in another 16 or 17. He also spent time in the Donegal Gaeltacht to learn Irish. Lewis is very critical of traditional language-teaching methods, and particularly the teaching of Irish. “What happens in school is that they’re always testing you and you get a big red X every time you make a mistake, whereas with human beings it’s the opposite. When you’re speaking and making mistakes, you’re actually getting encouragement and positive feedback from communicating with another person.” He started his blog more than two years ago, and quickly built a large readership. “I gave myself a ridiculous objective and timeline – I was going to move to Prague, I wanted to learn a language unrelated to anything I had ever learned, and I wanted to speak it fluently in three months. The blog gets its title from that initial challenge I set myself, and it exploded in popularity.” With more than 400,000 unique visitors a month, it’s the largest language blog on the web, and generates enough interest that he can live off the proceeds from his guide and multimedia kit. Lewis talks about his experiences in an exuberant torrent of anecdote and insight, with all the enthusiasm of someone who hasn’t spoken English for weeks. What sets him apart is not just his hard-earned facility with languages, but the determination with which he goes about setting himself big tasks. Lewis is proving, one destination and language at a time, that while the world is big place, it feels a lot smaller when you can talk to people, wherever you go. “It’s great to earn a living from this,” he says, “but every day I’ll get at least a dozen emails from people saying they were inspired by me to learn and speak a language. All I do is encourage people to interact with other human beings.” fluentin3months.com, speakfromday1.com Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

School's out, activities in

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 10:51:00

IF IT’S Tuesday it must be ballet – Monday is music and Wednesday is swimming . . . For many a family the days of the week are defined by who has to be where to do what after school. The pursuit of structured after-school activities for children is a feature of modern parenting, particularly in big urban areas where new classes pop up all the time. Not only are there the well-established choices, ranging from music and drama to sports and dance, but how about a fashion club, Spanish classes or yoga for your child? Some parents seem to spend every afternoon on the road, chauffeuring their children from A to B. Their motivations vary from one of “concerted cultivation” – in the words of US psychologist Annette Lareau – to simply the belief that children are better off “doing something” rather than sitting at home in front of a computer, gaming console or television screen. Deciding what to do after school is unlikely to come down solely to a child’s personal preferences. Questions of childcare, logistics, finance, time, peer influences and what their parents would like to see them doing are just some of the factors that come into play. Now, for the first time in Ireland, we have significant research into how children spend their time after school. The latest report from the national longitudinal study, Growing Up in Ireland, published last Thursday not only looks at the out-of-school activities of nine-year-old children but also how these seem to affect their academic performance. More research is needed to establish definitive cause and effect, say the authors of Influences on Nine-year-olds’ Learning: Home, School and Community, but they are flagging some significant differences. Many of the patterns emerging are as you might expect: children engaged in organised cultural activities such as music, art or drama, do better. And girls, particularly middle-class girls, are much more likely to participate in these activities than boys. Those who mostly play sport and watch television after school and are involved in less cultural activities did least well. What stands out is how the children who participated in lots of structured activities seemed to fare less well too. These are children trying to do a lot of everything, who are constantly on the go and have very little downtime, one of the report’s authors, Selina McCoy, senior research officer with the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute), tells The Irish Times. Of the 8,500 nine year olds interviewed, along with their primary carers, some 15 per cent fell into the “busy lives” category. At what point involving your child in mind- and body-enhancing after-school activities backfires for their academic performance is hard to say. “It indicates some level of balance is needed, but it is very hard to quantify,” McCoy comments. However, parents should pay heed to the fact that children with “busy lives” performed only slightly better than the group who spent the most time watching television. It suggests that over-structuring children’s recreation can cancel out the benefits of “concerted cultivation”. Another finding, which parents may find surprising, is how time spent on computers and video gaming seems to promote engagement and achievement at school. It’s not just mindless fun after all. Analysis of what the nine year olds did after school shows five distinct “clusters” of activities. All the children fell into one of the five groupings, which are profiled (see graphic) and compared. Even taking into account a wide range of background differences of the children in each cluster, the report finds two groups had substantively higher reading and mathematics scores, as measured by the “Drumcondra tests” in primary schools. Firstly, children who participated in organised cultural activities, as well as frequent reading for pleasure, had a significant achievement advantage over those who could be regarded as having a “traditional” childhood, that is one centring on television, sports and hanging around with friends, with little use of information and communication technology (ICT) outside school. Secondly, better scores in maths and reading were also evident for the “social networkers” group, comprising the only children in the sample who used ICT for social interaction, even though they had frequent face-to-face contact with their friends outside school as well. This group used ICT not only for social networking but also for fun, learning and listening to music or watching films. At the same time, they read for pleasure fairly frequently. “Their use of ICT, frequent contact with friends and level of reading appeared to result in forms of social and cultural capital that facilitated school performance,” the report notes. It also highlights “a smaller but nonetheless significant gap” in reading and mathematics achievement evident between the “sports/computer games” group and the one that performed least well – “TV/sports”. “Given comparable levels of involvement in sports, ICT usage appeared to be the differentiating factor.” Some 26 per cent of the sports/ computer gamers said they spent more than three hours a day on video gaming, compared with 23 per cent of the TV/sports group. (Just 12 per cent of the cultural activities group spent that amount of time on it.) So perhaps prolonged active use of screens – as opposed to the passive watching of TV – is not the brain-rotting, waste of time many parents think it is. “The sports and computer games group is doing pretty well; there seems to be a cognitive gain as the neuroscientists are saying,” comments McCoy. Ian Robertson, professor of psychology at Trinity College Dublin, and founding director of its Institute of Neuroscience, is not surprised at this association between the use of technology and better academic achievement. “Interaction with technology improves perceptual and attention abilities,” he explains. Using language to communicate with people through the computer is beneficial. But “within limits”, he stresses, “it is all about balance.” The risk is the use of technology will take over at the expense of other activities. “Playing video games can be pleasurable and such reward is mediated by dopamine release in the brain, which motivates players to play more. Excessive activation of the dopamine reward system can lead to addictive-type behaviours in some cases.” However, if they were his children, he would prefer them to be video gaming rather than watching television, he adds. Positive effects of video gaming have to be balanced against proven downsides, such as evidence that children who play a lot of particularly violent games are more aggressive in real life, in both behaviour and in feelings towards other people. Equally, the markedly higher participation by girls in cultural activities and social networking, while their male peers are more likely to do sport and video gaming, also has a downside. It may enhance the girls’ academic performance, but it is hardly unrelated to a previous finding by Growing Up in Ireland, that they are significantly more likely to be overweight – 22 per cent were classed as overweight and 8 per cent obese, compared with 19 and 5 per cent respectively for boys. Deciding what’s best for your children is never easy, but these latest findings are worth considering as you organise their after-school lives. “It is important that parents are made aware of the potential benefits of doing a wide range of activities, both for physical wellbeing and for learning,” adds McCoy. So will it be tennis or taekwondo? Hip-hop or Irish dancing? Piano or the drums? Don’t overdo it, remember . . . and the next time you see your children engrossed in video games, give them a break – it might just be good for them. Influences on Nine-year-olds’ Learning: Home, School and Community can be read in full on growingup.ie Gaelscoileanna lead the way for culture and reading Children attending Gaelscoileanna stand out in this latest Growing Up in Ireland report that looks at after-school activities. They were most likely to participate in cultural activities and least likely to be included in the group whose recreation involved primarily sport and watching television. Gaelscoileanna, which account for about 5 per cent of primary schools, were also notable for having nine year olds who read more frequently for pleasure than their peers in English-medium schools. However, their pupils had the lowest rate of access to computers and the internet. “The fact that the pattern in Gaelscoileanna was quite different from that found in Gaeltacht schools means that the difference cannot be attributed to school language medium per se,” comment the report’s authors. “Rather, it appears to reflect the differences in the motivations, and perhaps social networks, of parents who choose to send their child to a Gaelscoil, and these differences are not reducible to social class, education or income variation.” In exploring how children’s experiences inside school influences what they do outside school, the report also finds that having internet access in school is associated with greater use of information and communication technology (ICT) outside school, especially for social networking. The majority of nine year olds had access to a computer in their classroom, but internet access was more variable, and for more than a fifth of children a computer was “never or almost never” used as part of day-to-day learning. The use of ICT was more prevalent at both ends of the social spectrum – that is, in private and designated disadvantaged schools. This suggests that State-backed initiatives in disadvantaged schools are helping to mitigate some of the social inequality. “There was some evidence that children’s engagement in out-of-school activities was related to the characteristics of the school they attended,” the report concludes. “If these activities influence educational outcomes, then participation may reinforce (or indeed counter) pre-existing differences in academic achievement.” Foilsithe ar 31 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra

Dráma dorcha le Liam Ó Flaithearta i gcló den chéad uair

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 10:35:00

Ach níor chuir an t-aistear sin beaguchtach ar an scoláire, Brian Ó Conchubhair, agus é ar lorg lámhscríbhinne caillte – Dorchadas – de chuid an scríbhneora iomráitigh, Liam Ó Flaithearta. Tháinig Ó Conchubhair ar an lámhscríbhinn ar Ollscoil Kentucky agus “lúcháir” air a shúile a leagan ar an dréacht ba chuimsithí den dráma a scríobh Ó Flaithearta i nGaeilge agus a stáitsíodh in Amharclann na Mainistreach sa bhliain 1926. Bhain Ó Flaithearta cáil amach as a chuid leabhar Béarla ach bhí Gaeilge aige agus spéis aige i scríbhneoireacht na teanga. D’fhág sé sárchnuasach gearrscéalta, Dúil, ina dhiaidh. Agus agallmh idirlín ar siúl ag Ó Conchubhair leis an cholún seo as “South Bend an tsneachta shéidte” – mar a bhfuil sé ag léachtóireacht ar Ollscoil Notre Dame – dúirt Ó Conchubhair gur thug Ó Flaithearta le fios gur dhíol sé an lámhscríbhinn ach nárbh eol do dhuine ar bith cad é a d’éirigh di. Fuair sé nod go raibh lámhscríbhinn éigin dá chuid ar Ollscoil Kentucky ach gur bhain sé le saothar Béarla. Thug sé aghaidh ar leabharlann na hollscoile mar sin féin. “Ríméadach” a bhí sé nuair a chonaic sé go raibh “lámhscríbhinn an údair féin” os a chomhair. Chonaic sé clóscríbhinn den dráma ar Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, roimhe seo ach bhí ceann Kentucky breac “le nótaí beaga eagarthóireachta agus ceartúcháin anseo agus ansiúd ar fud an téacs” a rinne Ó Flaithearta féin. Tá eagarthóireacht déanta aige ar an téacs agus tá Dorchadas foilsithe ag Arlen House (€20). Le cois an téacs a chur i gcló den chéad uair riamh, déanann Ó Conchubhair cur síos ar na conspóidí a tharla do Ó Flaithearta sa réamhrá. Dúirt Ó Conchubhair go gcuirfeadh an dráma lenár dtuigse ar “staid na drámaíochta le linn na 1920í agus teaspach na hathbheochana ag fuarú tar éis Chogadh na Saoirse. “Is cinnte go gcuireann sé cruth nua ar ár dtuiscint ar Liam Ó Flaithearta mar údar Gaeilge agus mar scríbhneoir dátheangach agus an chúis gur éirigh sé as a bheith ag saothrú na Gaeilge mar scríbhneoir agus mar dhrámadóir”. Is cuí an t-ainm Dorchadas mar ainm agus grá, feall agus marú sa tragóid seo. Ba é dóchas Uí Chonchubhair go léireofaí é – i gceantar dúchais Uí Fhlaithearta ar na hOileáin Árann dá mb’fhéidir é – agus mheas sé go meallfadh cáil Uí Fhlaithearta “Gaeil Bhaile Átha Cliath chun Facebook a thréigint ar feadh oíche le dráma Gaeilge a fheiscint”. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Bua straitéise

Gaelport — 01/02/2012 10:30:00

Agus mé ag cúléisteacht i seomra eile leis na páistí, arsa an duine is sine de mo chúram (14) leis an duine is óige (6) i nGaeilge as a stuaim féin: “Druid an doras, le do thoil.” Agus dhruid. Bíodh straitéis 20 bliain ag an Rialtas nó ná bíodh, is cosúil go bhfuil toradh fiúntach ar mo straitéis shaoil féin! Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 1 Feabhra 2012

Glór Uachtar Tíre ag neartú na Gaeilge i nDeisceart an Dúin

Gaelport — 31/01/2012 10:52:00

Tá cuma ar an scéal go bhfuil sé sin ag athrú anois áfach le go leor dul chun cinn déanta ar an bhaile seo agus sa cheantar máguaird le blianta beaga anuas. “Creidim go raibh suim i gcónaí i gcursaí Gaeilge sa cheantar seo,” a deir Emer O’Hagan, an t-Oifigeach Forbartha Gaeilge atá fostaithe ag an ghrúpa Gaeilge áitiúil, Glór Uachtar Tíre. “Mar shampla ba é Feis an Dúin ceann de na chéad fheiseanna socraithe in Éirinn agus bhí traidisiún ag cuid mór scoileanna sa cheantar béim a chur ar an Ghaeilge mar ábhar scoile le trí nó ceithre ghlúin anuas ar a laghad,” a deir sí. “Is dóigh go raibh cuid mhór den ghnáthshaol iontach príobháideach i rith na dtrioblóidí agus bhí sé sin fíor go speisialta i gcás na Gaeilge de, nuair a rinneadh dlúthbhaint idir Gaeilge agus cúrsaí polaitiúla in intinn fhormhór na ndaoine. Dá bharr sin ní raibh sé de nós ag daoine Gaeilge a labhairt ná í a chéiliúradh go hoscailte go dtí le déanaí nuair atá gluaiseacht ar bun chun Gaeilge a scaoileadh de réir a chéile ón cheangailt pholaitiúil sin. Tá an chuma ar an scéal go bhfuil rath tagtha ar íomhá na Gaeilge go ginearálta fud fad na tíre agus sílim go ndeachaigh sin i bhfeidhm i gceantar an Dúin Theas chomh maith.” Ach go fóill féin, an bhfuil Contae an Dúin i bhfad siar ar cheantracha eile sa Tuaisceart? “Níl aon amhras ann ná go bhfuil an-dul chun cinn déanta i mBéal Feirste ó thaobh Gaeilge de; níl comparáid ar bith le Bóthar Seoighe, Raidió Fáilte ná Cultúrlann McAdam ó Fiaich againn sa Dún Theas.” “Is dóigh go bhfuil an mhais chriticiúil ar fáil sna cathracha nach bhfuil againn faoin tuath. Ach tá buntáistí ar fáil sna bailte beaga anseo, agus go bhfios domh, i gCaisleán an Mhuilinn go speisialta, atá riachtanach má tá pobal Gaeilge le tógail; tá dlúthchaidreamh i gcomhluadar an phobail, tá dinimic idirphearsanta iontach dearfach ar fáil sa phobal agus taithí agus traidisiúin sa phobal chun imeachtaí cultúrtha móra, suimiúla a eagrú. Agus sin ráite, níl muid i bhfad ar chúl shaothar Bhéal Feirste ach oiread!” Luann Emer an dea-thionchar a bhí ag ‘G-Day’, a bhí mar chuid den chlár teilifíse ‘G-Team’ a bheas á chraoladh go luath ar TG4, ar chúrsaí Gaeilge ar an bhaile. “B’iontach an deis é sin,” a deir sí. “Lá den scoth a bhí ann don bhaile ar fad, bhí gach uile dhuine páirteach ann.” Tá grúpa Gaeilge ag feidhmiú ar an bhaile agus sa cheantar máguaird, Glór Uachtar Tíre a bunaíodh in 1993. Bronnadh deontas £140,000 ar Ghlór Uachtar Tíre anuraidh faoin Scéim Phobail Gaeilge 2011-2013 atá socraithe ag Foras na Gaeilge. Faoi láthair tá 170 ball ag Glór Uachtar Tíre agus tá 11 duine ar choiste an ghrúpa. Cad atá ar bun ag Glór Uachtar Tíre? “Tá cuid mhór imeachtaí ar bun againn faoi láthair. Tá seacht rang eagraithe ag Glór Uachtar Tíre gach seachtain ar gach leibhéal; ó bhunranganna fá choinne tuismitheoirí na bpáistí ata ag freastal ar Bhunscoil Bheanna Boirche agus Naíscoil Uachtar Tíre, rang GCSE agus suas go dtí Ardrang.” “Tá ranganna amhránaíochta agus cóir bunaithe againn agus tá scoil drámaíochta againn fá choinne páistí agus déagóirí .” “Tugann muid cuidiú grúpa ‘Tuismitheoirí agus Tachrán’ le chéile gach maidin Dé hAoine.” “Bíonn grúpa beag spraoi fá choinne páistí óga ar siúl gach maidin Sathairn le haghaidh na bpáistí ó Naíscoil Uachtar Tíre nach dtéann ar aghaidh go dtí Bunscoil Bheanna Boirche ar fháthanna éagsúla d’ainneoin go mbíonn fonn ar a gcuid tuismitheorí go mbeadh deis acu a gcuid Gaeilge a choimeád agus a fheabhsú.” Tá súil ag Glór Uachtar Tíre ‘Scoil Samhraidh Litríochta’, dírithe ar thraidisiúin Gaeilge an Dúin, a thoiseacht i mí an Mheithimh i mbliana agus é a reáchtáil ar bhonn bliantúil ina dhiaidh sin. Cé mhéad Gaeilgeoir laethúil agus teaghlach Gaelach atá agaibh sa cheantar? “Níl mé róchinnte faoi sin. Tá suirbhé uainn chun sin a mheas i gceart. Tá aithne agam ar cheithre lánúin atá ag tógail a gcuid páistí trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá gach seans go bhfuil tuilleadh ann. Ó thaobh Gaeilgeoirí laethúla de, déarfainn go bhfuil na céadta daoine a bhfuil Gaeilge ar a dtoil acu thart anseo.” “Tá 36 páiste ag freastal ar Naíscoil Uachtar Tíre (idir dhá sheisiún) agus 75 páiste ag freastal ar Bhunscoil Bheanna Boirche.” Cuireadh tús le hIonad Gaeilge sa mheánscoil ar an bhaile, Scoil Naomh Mhaolmhaodhóg, i mbliana. Déantar deich n-ábhar fríd an Ghaeilge, sin 75% de na hábhair, agus tá cúigear ag freastal air go dtí seo. Tá suíomh idirlín snasta nua ag Glór Uachtar Tíre –http://www.gloruachtartire.com/ Foilsithe ar 25 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 31 Eanáir 2012

Gaeltacht loses €1m business to bigger rival

Gaelport — 31/01/2012 10:48:00

There is also disappointment at one Gaeltacht effectively taking business, worth more than €1 million a year, from a more fragile sister Gaeltacht. The summer college was the Uíbh Ráthach Gaeltacht in South Kerry’s only real foray into the Irish language learning industry, which is large scale in Corca Dhuibhne, according to locals. The summer sabbatical had been running for three years in Iveragh. The three-week stay by students each July was worth over €1m a year to the area, which stretches from Bealach Oisín in the east, to Bolus Head on the edge of the Atlantic. But just as important, it was also an important stamp of recognition for Uíbh Ráthach which has made huge strides in the awareness of its language heritage in recent years, Caitlín Breathnach, bainisteoir comhchoiste Ghaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh, said yesterday. "This is an unbelievable loss to us. Last year we had 250 students, the previous year we had 400, and in 2009, we had 350." Most of the 100 holiday homes registered in the Gaeltacht were taken by the postgraduate students and their families. "With the last 12 years, a big effort has been made here on reviving the Irish language. It didn’t slip overnight and we can’t revitalise it overnight," Ms Breathnach said. Uíbh Ráthach is a Category C Gaeltacht (on account of its number of speakers) and this, as well as price and the scattered geography, were said to be factors in Hibernia’s decision to relocate. A spokesman for Hibernia said a range of factors came into play in the decision to relocate to Baile an Fheirtéaraigh in west Kerry, including accommodation facilities and their proximity to teaching facilities. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 31 Eanáir 2012

More than a hundred new jobs created in Mayo Gaeltacht in 2011

Gaelport — 31/01/2012 10:43:00

A statement issued by Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, chairman, Údarás na Gaeltachta, and Seán Ó Labhraí, acting chief executive, notes the following: “Encouragingly in Mayo, there was a net gain of 74 jobs when job losses are taken into account, an increase of 12 per cent on the previous year. There were 675 full-time equivalent jobs in Údarás supported companies in the Mayo Gaeltacht at the year end. Companies involved mainly in the medical devices, services, and manufacturing areas saw growth in employment during the year. “There were also 216 people employed on social employment schemes in the Mayo Gaeltacht at the end of the year. The employment schemes are managed and administered by Údarás na Gaeltachta and funded through the Department of Social Protection.” Throughout the Gaeltacht areas in Ireland a total of 734 new jobs were created last year in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies, according to the report which notes: “Notwithstanding the challenging economic business environment and reduced funding available from the exchequer, Údarás na Gaeltachta approved projects during the year which will involve an overall projected investment of €21m in Gaeltacht companies and are expected to create some 400 jobs when up and running. We expect, with the resources available to us, that new projects creating circa 700 new jobs will be approved during the year ahead.” In addition to enterprise projects, Údarás na Gaeltachta manages and administers a number of social employment schemes in the Gaeltacht. These include the Community Employment Scheme, the Rural Social Scheme, Tús, and the Jobs Initiative, which are funded by the Department of Social Protection. In 2011, these social employment schemes employed more than 900 participants, 47 supervisors in 46 schemes throughout the Gaeltacht, and provided €15m in income and materials to the local economy. In addition to providing work experience and training for the participants, these schemes play an important role in providing services and facilitating community development throughout the Gaeltacht. During 2011, Údarás continued to support community and Irish language-based activities in the Gaeltacht. Support was provided towards the operation of 82 Irish language medium preschools and crèche facilities with 950 attendees and assistance was provided towards 62 youth clubs and drop in centres which have more than 2,000 members. Support was also made available to 34 language learning centres where some 600 people attended Irish language classes/courses during the year. Over the coming year of 2012, Údarás plans to focus its enterprise strategy on supporting its existing client base, seeking further investment from new and current clients, and supporting natural resource-based enterprises such as aquaculture, tourism, forestry, etc. “Údarás will concentrate on replacing the employment lost in certain areas over the last number of years and begin to grow overall employment numbers in the Gaeltacht to previous levels”, the report notes. Foilsithe ar 27 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 31 Eanáir 2012

Teic ard; teagmháil íseal

Gaelport — 31/01/2012 10:34:00

Is sampla magúil é sin den gcineál amaidí a gcaithfidh muid go léir cur suas leis ar na saolta deireanacha seo agus muid ag iarraidh duine daonna a aimsiú ar an bhfón chun ceist shimplí a fhreagairt. Is saintréith a leithéid den díphearsanú atá á dhéanamh go forleathan ar sheirbhís tar éis seirbhíse sa tír seo agus leoga go domhanda. San aois seo nuair a mhaítear nach raibh riamh an oiread áiseanna nua-aimseartha chun freastal ar an bpobal, tá sé beagnach dodhéanta teagmháil a dhéanamh le duine seachas meaisín i gcomhlachtaí agus i gcorparáidí móra. Le teacht an idirlín, tá sé seo imithe go dtí leibhéal na cruálachta. Bain triail as aon cheann de na comhlachtaí móra, go háirithe na comhlachtaí stáit nó leathstáit. Is le meaisín amháin a bheidh tú ag caint sa gcuid is mó acu agus ní fada go n-éireoidh tú cleachtaithe le ceol Greensleeves. Mhaíodh na comhlachtaí seo gur “ar mhaithe le héifeacht” atá na córais seo in úsáid. Ach go bunúsach níl siad sásta an t-airgead a chaitheamh ar dhaoine a fhostú chun freastal ar a gcuid custaiméirí. Tá siad ag taispeáint easpa measa ar a gcuid custaiméirí agus léiríonn na chéad fhocail a bhíonn go hiondúil leis na teachtaireachtaí taifeadta seo go n-aithníonn siad an gá leis an líomhain sin a shéanadh: “We value your call and so...” Ar ndóigh, aithníonn tromlach an phobail nach bhfuil sa gcluiche suarach seo ach iarracht ar bhearna chomh mór agus is féidir a chur idir an comhlacht agus aon ghearán faoina sheirbhís. Is dócha gurb é an sampla is fearr den meon sin a tháinig chun tosaigh i ré an rachmais, an t-éirí in airde sin a d’fhás as aoileach na sainte agus na soinicúlachta. Is cuid é an díphearsanú seo de phatrún atá leagtha síos ag an tsíorchuardach le haghaidh brabaigh bhreise. Is é an meon seo a dhún síos brainsí beaga na mbanc i mbailte ar fud na tíre beag beann ar na fadhbanna a d’fhág sé le daoine nach raibh aon mhodh taistil acu. Is é a chuir deireadh fosta leis na hoifigí beaga poist ar fud na tíre a chuir deireadh, ní amháin le seirbhís thábhachtach áitiúil, ach deireadh leis an aon phointe teagmhála sóisialta sa tseachtain do go leor seandaoine in áiteanna iargúlta. Fuair muintir Bhaile Átha Cliath blaiseadh breá den meon seo go luath sa mbliain nua nuair a fuair 140,000 acu litir á rá leo go raibh an córas bailiúcháin bruscair díolta ag comhairle na cathrach le Greyhound Recycling. Dúradh sa litir go gcaithfeadh siad €100 a chur i gcuntas taobh istigh de sheachtain nó ní bhaileofaí a gcuid boscaí bruscair. Baineadh siar as go leor, go háirithe as seandaoine nár thuig an fhoclaíocht sa litir. Ach tugadh uimhir shaor éigeandála chun déileáil le daoine a bhí ar lorg a thuilleadh eolais. Nuair a glaoigh daoine áfach, ní raibh duine ar bith ann chun a gcuid ceisteanna a fhreagairt. Meaisín a d’fhreagair a thug roghanna (“brúigh cnaipe a haon”) agus go bunúsach an méid eolais a bhí sa litir. Nuair a ghlaoigh siad ar an gcomhairle, dúradh leo nach raibh aon bhaint ag an gcomhairle leis an ngnó seo a thuilleadh agus gur chóir dul i dteagmháil le Greyhound. Is é a dúirt comhairleoirí a ndeachthas i dteagmháil leo ná nár bhain an scéal leosan mar gur ag bainisteoir na comhairle amháin a bhí an chumhacht an córas bailiúcháin bruscair a cheapadh. Chuaigh mé féin go hoifig an phoist gar dom. Bhí slua pinsinéirí ansin romham, an litir mhallaithe ina lámha acu. Ag an gcuntar bhí seanbhean tanaí liath ag iarraidh a fháil amach an gclúdódh an €100 bailiúchán an bhruscair don mbliain. Nuair a dúradh léi nach gclúdódh, go gcaithfeadh sí airgead eile a chur sa gcuntas, bhris a gol uirthi. Cé leis a labhródh sí? Cé a thiocfadh i gcabhair? Nuair a dhéantar príobháidiú ar sheirbhís phoiblí, ní bhíonn éinne freagrach. Bíonn an pobal gan chumhacht gan chearta. Tá an Rialtas ag ullmhú chun roinnt de sheoda tionsclaíocha an Stáit a phríobháidiú. Bíodh reifreann againn air: “Más mian leat Bord Gáis a phríobháidiú, brúigh cnaipe a haon, más mian leat Coillte a phríobháidiú, brúigh a dó, más fear leat Caladhphort Átha Cliath a dhíol, brúigh a trí...” Sea, go deimhin. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 31 Eanáir 2012

Derry to host 2013 all-Ireland fleadh

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:25:00

Derry winning the bid to host the fleadh was another underpinning of the peace process, according to Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, head of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. First Minister Peter Robinson and East Derry DUP MP Gregory Campbell were among a wide group of nationalist and unionist politicians who welcomed Saturday’s decision by the central executive committee of comhaltas in Dublin to award the 2013 all-Ireland fleadh to Derry. Some disagreement in Ulster over Derry seeking to have the fleadh next year when Derry will be UK City of Culture as well as the possible threat from dissident republicans, had undermined the chances of Derry hosting the event which is worth about €40 million. Yesterday week the Ulster executive of comhaltas decided that the Derry bid should not go forward because of the dissident threat. The fleadh being held during a year-long cultural event that has “UK” in its title also prompted opposition from some Ulster comhaltas members. Strong lobbying, however, by the likes of Mr Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Justice Minister David Ford and former SDLP leader and Nobel Laureate John Hume – plus what Mr Ó Murchú described as an “avalanche” of messages from all over the world into comhaltas supporting Derry – prompted a U-turn by Ulster comhaltas. The Derry application was evenually allowed to go forward. The city’s chances were enhanced when one of the three bidders, Ennis, withdrew its application, implicitly in favour of Derry. A total of 31 members of the central executive were entitled to vote on Saturday. Mr Ó Murchú said the vote would remain secret but that Derry “won comfortably” against the other applicant, Sligo. A delegation from Derry travelled to Dublin to hear the result. “When it was announced the whole atmosphere was just electrified. They jumped up and they hugged and they cried. We always had that feeling that there was a great deep emotion behind the application,” said Mr Ó Murchú. He expressed some bemusement over the “UK” issue being a problem. “We always use the title, all-Ireland fleadh. We never saw the “UK” as being an issue at all. It will be an independent all-Ireland fleadh cheoil. “The people involved in supporting Derry saw this as a huge opportunity for underpinning what has come out of the peace process, and also of sending a message that all communities, of all political affiliations wanted to work together,” he Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2012

Taxi signs may breach language law

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:22:00

The signs, posted to drivers this month by the National Transport Authority, are in English only and are replacing bilingual signs already on display in taxis. Some 53,000 A4 signs were provided to drivers at a cost of more than €45,000, with two signs per vehicle. Designed to be handled and read by passengers, they include information on fares, lost property and how to recognise a licensed driver. The signs, produced by 3M, illustrate the information using graphics and text in English on both sides. The cards they replace had dense text in English on one side and in Irish on the reverse. The Official Languages Act 2003 requires that public bodies produce signs and stationery in Irish as well as English. A breach of the Act can be investigated by An Coimisinéir Teanga (Language Commissioner). Brendan MacCraith, spokesman for Foras na Gaeilge, the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language, said the authority could be in breach of the Official Languages Act by failing to provide the information in both languages. “If the signs were previously bilingual and are now in English only, that is a retrograde step,” he said. The point of the legislation was that people who wanted to use Irish would not have to request something special. “The whole idea is to make the service more freely available and not an extra,” he said. A spokeswoman for the authority said the new signs were in fact “information cards”. The authority used the Irish language on its stationery and signs, in accordance with legislation, but the “information cards” were “neither stationery nor signs”. She said they were “cards that drivers make available to their customers by putting them in the seat pockets in the back of the vehicle or anywhere else within easy reach of the customer”. “They were not therefore produced in Irish,” she said. The spokeswoman said an Irish-language version was available for download by any taxi user who would like to use it. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2012

Irish stations fail to communicate

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:18:00

I fully support Dick Brennan's comments about TG4 (Sunday Independent, January 22, 2012). RnaG is also hard to understand. I have honours Leaving Certificate and I have attended numerous day and night classes in the Irish language -- but still I find it difficult to understand the news reports of the above stations, TG4 and RnaG, because of the speed of delivery and dialects used. I wrote to RnaG expressing my frustrations -- but I did not get a reply. I love the Irish language however I feel both broadcasters are letting us down badly in making such inept attempts to communicate with the majority of people. Both broadcasters should be using the funding they get from the State to encourage ordinary people to use the Irish language in their everyday lives. John Keane (Sean O Cathain), Donoughmore, Co Cork Foilsithe ar 29 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2102

Tourists flock to the capital for weekend full of craic agus ceol

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:15:00

An estimated 12,000 tourists packed out pubs and concert venues in Dublin over the weekend for the Temple Bar Trad Fest. Organisers of the annual event calculate that the weekend of Irish traditional music, dance and storytelling brings in more than €6m for the venues and pubs between Dame Street and the River Liffey. "It's what kicks the year off really, so it really launches Temple Bar and the city on an international stage," organiser Martin Harte said. "We would have launched the promotion of this festival last year in June in Switzerland and then Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Berlin. We travelled to all of those countries promoting the festival so it's hugely important to Temple Bar." Musicians Paddy Casey and Declan O'Rourke, as well as the actor Stephen Rea, performed at a gala event last night, which closed the festival. The fundraising concert in City Hall was to raise money to care for the troubadour musician and traditional composer Pecker Dunne, who is now in his late 70s. Concert organiser Mannix Flynn paid tribute to Mr Dunne as one of the last in a long line of travelling musicians who held the Irish musical tradition intact for the national culture. "This is going to be the first of many concets in coming years to honour artists in the field who are above ground, we are very inclined in this country at honouring people who are below the ground," Mr Flynn said. According to Mr Harte, the festival draws its largest numbers of visitors from the UK and France. But it appeared that the Mediterranean countries provided most of the crowd at the festival's open air stage on Parliament Street yesterday, even if those present were forced to watch from beneath umbrellas. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2012

Misguided image

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:12:00

I feel it would be a grave injustice if I was to leave unanswered the totally one-sided Mna an IRA series on TG4 and in particular the recent glamorising of another IRA terrorist. Pamela Kane was shown as some sort of misguided heroine in the most recent episode. When it focused on her part in the abortive seven-man IRA unit's raid on the AIB in Enniscorthy on May 1, 1990, Ms Kane mentioned how lucky she felt that she had not been shot when the gardai opened fire. She and the producers of the programme made no reference to the fact that there would have been no reason for any shooting if one of her IRA unit had not opened fire on gardai. I was a regular viewer of TG4 up to recent times, when it went totally overboard in glamorising IRA terrorists who have shot and killed members of the Irish Army and Garda. The Irish Republic has not been at war with anyone since the Twenties, so who was the IRA at war with when it killed these brave members of this country's legal security forces? I am still waiting for any elected Government or Opposition member to speak out about the IRA-glamorising programmes being shown on TG4. I thank the Independent journalists who can hold their heads up for highlighting the fact. Tony Fagan, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford Foilsithe ar 29 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2012

What delights now from TG4?

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:10:00

Congratulations to TG4 for thrilling us with its stirring tales of derring-do by those gallant female "soldiers" of the Republic who fought the might of the Saxon foe -- by stealing the Beit paintings and robbing a bank in Enniscorthy! I can barely contain my excitement at what delights TG4 might have in store for us. How about a programme featuring the intrepid heroes of Adare who shot down two gardai while trying to rob a post office van? And this is what our licence fee helps to pay for. Jesus wept. Gerard Lovett, Templeogue, Dublin 16 Foilsithe ar 29 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2012

Who's thrown a spanner in 'The Works'?

Gaelport — 30/01/2012 11:07:00

On another channel it could stand for gangsta, gay or gastric band (reality TV being a broad church), but the name is the only part of this shambolic new series that is easy to explain. The idea for the 10-parter is that small towns and villages outside the Gaeltacht compete to become the top Irish-speaking town, like the Tidy Towns but with the cúpla focal instead of hanging baskets. They have six weeks to prepare for G Day, when they must organise events through Irish and show how committed the whole town is to the language. Then, when that charade is over, they can go back to speaking English. The €40,000 prize that the winning village receives is sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge, a move that smacks of, “Well, we’ve tried everything else to get people to speak Irish: we may as well pay ’em.” Bríd, in Co Leitrim, got to the crux of the problem with this show when she said, “I worry that what we do will seem artificial, because we don’t speak Irish in Dromahair.” Committees were formed and random events planned. The male committee members in Lisvarrinane, Co Tipperary, competing this week against Dromahair, had a meeting in a sauna. “It’s roasting in here,” complained one half-naked man who kept his woollen scarf and hat on throughout. There were treasure hunts, local characters, historical re-enactments, sheep-shearing, and dancing in a field to Moves Like Jagger. Some Irish was spoken, but not a lot. The lead judge, Lorcan Mac Gabhann of Glór na nGael – a man with the charisma of a garda at a roadblock – pronounced Lisvarrinane “the most boring town he’d been in on G Day”. (It went on to beat Dromahair, which says a lot.) The other judges were the musician Rossa Ó Snodaigh and the former minister Mary Hanafin, who, once I got past the inevitable bitter thoughts about it being a handy nixer to supplement her huge government pension, was by far the most lively and engaged judge on the panel. The community spirit in An G Team was admirable, but the poor direction and editing meant there was no excitement, fun or sense of the people – and there wasn’t even much G in evidence. OVER CHRISTMAS the RTÉ sports journalist Colm Murray gave a lengthy interview that was so compelling and funny that I sat in the car long after reaching my destination to hear the end of it. He was also the subject of MND: The Inside Track (RTÉ1, Monday), this week’s absorbing TV documentary. That sounds like lot of broadcast time to give over to one person in a short period, but time is the very thing that Murray knows, with an inspiring acceptance of what he calls “the hand I’ve been dealt”, he doesn’t have a lot of. He has motor neuron disease (MND), which he bluntly described as “progressive, incurable, terminal – the pits”. As well as footage of Murray during his high-profile career, in each shot of which he seemed to be having the time of his life, this well-edited, sensitively directed documentary included clips of Lou Gehrig, the baseball great who died of the disease in his late 30s and after whom it is named in the US. Murray now uses a wheelchair, and his instantly recognisable voice is slower and more deliberate. (As Gehrig did in baseball, he has benched himself from his on-air job at RTÉ.) The story he wanted to tell in this awareness-raising documentary was that of science trying to find a cure. He has been taking part in trials of a new drug conducted by an MND specialist, the neurologist Prof Orla Hardiman. As in all these blind trials, he doesn’t know if he has been getting the placebo or the drug. Murray calls the daily pill “the dud”, but he says he wants “to be of help, to be of service” in the long road to a cure. Four people in Ireland are diagnosed with MND every day, but Hardiman said, convincingly, that there is a huge amount of hope that an effective treatment will be found. When she started her medical career 30 years ago, she said, a diagnosis of Aids meant death; now it’s a chronic condition and sufferers can expect a normal lifespan. MND: The Inside Track was inspiring and chastening, poignant but not sentimental. “I see no reason why I should grant it [MND] that power,” said Murray of his determination to keep his sense of humour in the face of a most cruel diagnosis. RTÉ’S LONG-RUNNING arts review The View has had a makeover, though not a full body lift – The Works (RTÉ1, Thursday) is still anchored by John Kelly, but now its regular contributors Sinéad Gleeson, Nadine O’Regan and Kevin Gildea have been released from the studio to go on location. The opener featured Gleeson interviewing Michael Fassbender, who was obviously doing the rounds promoting his new movie; Neil Hannon performing in studio; O’Regan exploring the hip-hop and rap scene in Dublin – the most interesting, well-made feature in the show – and Kevin Gildea on the work of the forgotten Irish writer Eimar O’Duffy, an amateurish, cheesy item that was probably intended as offbeat but came across as boringly indulgent, leaving you quite happy never to hear about O’Duffy and his book Asses in Clover ever again. What was most peculiar about The Works was that there was no sense of immediacy, no feeling that this is what is happening on the cultural scene right now – which surely is the whole point. All the items could have been made anytime in the past couple of months. A culture show that is missing that newsworthiness is missing a trick. Surely a large part of the audience who stay up this late – 10.45pm, on a school night! – do so to be kept up to speed with the events and exhibitions they may never get to see or books they mean to read. Oddly, the new format has ditched the review element – the dull old View ’s only strength. The final item was John Kelly interviewing the novelist Joe O’Connor – always a most affable, generous interviewee with a lot to say – though this felt stilted and downbeat. Maybe the gloomy studio had something to do with it: it appears to be in a warehouse lit by a couple of energy-saving light bulbs. The Works needs to lighten up. Foilsithe ar 28 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 30 Eanáir 2012

Packed meeting hears fears for future of schools

Gaelport — 27/01/2012 11:04:00

A number of public representatives were present at the meeting including Kerry North TD Deputy Arthur Spring and Senator Marie Moloney (Labour), Independent Kerry South TDS Michael Healy-rae and Tom Mcellistrim,, Cllr Michael Gleeson, Cllr Micheál O'shea (Fianna Fáil) and former Councillor Breandán Macgearailt, North Kerry TD Deputy Martin Ferris and Cllr Toiréasa Ferris (Sinn Féin), Cllr Matt Griffin, Cllr Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald and Kerry South TD Brendan Griffin (Fine Gael). Chairing the meeting were Principals Seanachán Macgearailt, Seán Ó Catháin and Treasa Ní Mhainnín. Present also at the meeting were representatives from other primary schools located outside An Gaeltacht including Fybough National School in Keel, who are facing the loss of a teacher if the proposals go ahead. INTO President Jim Higgins also attended. In addressing the packed auditorium, Scoil an Ghleanna Principal Seanachán Macgearailt, branch secretary of Craobh an Daingin, explained how the majority of primary schools located in the Corca Dhuibhne area will lose a mainstream teacher within the next four years as the recent changes to staffing schedules apply to schools with less than 86 pupils. A reduction in learning support hours is also anticipated and some schools in the region may even face closure or amalgamation. The meeting heard that the vast majority of two to three teacher schools are located in rural areas, such as Corca Dhuibhne, and many multi-grade classes, consisting of three or four different class groupings, will now be placed in classrooms with 25 – 30 pupils. Treasa Ní Mhainnín said schools in An Ghaeltacht will face an increase of 10 per cent in pupil/ teacher ratios rather than the two per cent increase proposed nationally, because the pupil concession allocated to Gaeltacht schools is also ceasing under these new proposals. Speaking at the meeting was Spanish teacher Lucia Atencia who is concerned that funding for the teaching of a foreign language in primary schools will be cut. "Ireland is the only country in Europe which does not teach a foreign language at primary level – without this, we are at an immediate disadvantage," she said. Speaking passionately, former INTO President Jim Higgins called on the TDS present to "stand up for small schools". Addressing the attendance as Gaeilge, Cllr Micheal Gleeson spoke of the importance of children and culture in Gaeltacht areas, sympathising with the plight of the teachers and referring to the "high price a child has to pay for the greed of bankers." North Kerry Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris slammed the proposed cutbacks adding that it is "difficult to be a TD today, as what's happening in education at the moment is an absolute disgrace." Labour Senator Marie Moloney admitted that "things were bad", adding that 80 per cent of the education budget goes on teachers' wages with only 20 per cent spent on services. North Kerry Labour TD AJ Spring commended the resolute solidarity of those present in their quest to protect Gaeltacht schools and An Ghaeilge. He also said that the inequality being shown to Gaeltacht schools in having to sustain a 10 per cent increase in pupil teacher ratios rather than two per cent, needed to be addressed. Outlining the issues at stake for schools and the community at large in Gaeltacht areas, former Councillor Breandán Macgearailt said, as Gaeilge, that three elements were crucial to the Gaeltacht's survival, "teanga beo, daoine a bheith ag obair sa Ghaeltacht agus scoileanna a bheith ann." South Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin also spoke in Irish, drawing attention to the fact that he had scheduled a meeting to specifically discuss the matters concerning primary schools in the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht with Taoiseach Enda Kenny today (Wednesday), having also raised the issues facing Corca Dhuibhne in his meeting with Education Minister Ruairi Quinn last week. He outlined details of alternative cost-saving measures tabled by Fine Gael's Education Committee at a recent parliamentary party meeting which could challenge the need to implement the current budgetary proposals. The Deputy also raised the dilemma facing Scoil Naisiúnta an Chlocháin which has no other Gaeltacht school within reasonable proximity if faced with amalgamation. Issues raised at the gathering are set to be highlighted at meeting, scheduled by four Labour and four Fine Gael representatives, with the Minister for Education this Thursday. Foilsithe ar 25 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 27 Eanáir 2012

Údarás to create 700 new jobs this coming year

Gaelport — 27/01/2012 10:54:00

There were 2,745 full-time equivalent jobs in Údarás supported companies in the Galway Gaeltacht at year end. New jobs were created during the year in companies operating in the audio-visual and digital media, medical devices, services and manufacturing sectors. When job losses are taken into account, there was a net loss of 60 jobs in the Galway Gaeltacht. The majority of job reductions occurred due to companies shedding small numbers of employees. Projects with a total investment of €10m were approved during the year. These are expected to create 141 new jobs when up and running, many of which will come on-stream in 2012. There was also a total of 314 people employed on social employment schemes in the Galway Gaeltacht at the end of the year. The employment schemes are managed and administered by Údarás na Gaeltachta and funded through the Department of Social Protection. Overall, a total of 734 new jobs were created in Gaeltacht enterprises in 2011, a similar level to that of the previous year. Companies involved in exporting, including businesses in the medical devices, audio-visual and digital media, financial services, and specialist manufacturing sectors, increased their employment numbers during the year, with some companies announcing expansion plans and further investment in R&D. A most encouraging trend is the slowdown in job losses. The number of jobs lost over the past year is at a significantly lower level than that experienced over the last number of years, with a 40 per cent decrease in the number of jobs lost in 2011 compared to 2009. This is evidence that Údarás’ strategy, which over the past three years focussed on supporting existing businesses, is having a positive effect on job maintenance. The job reductions occurred mostly due to companies shedding a small number of staff in order to rationalise and reduce costs. Companies trading in the domestic market were those mainly affected. New projects with total investment of ™21m approved Notwithstanding the challenging economic business environment and reduced funding available from the exchequer, Údarás na Gaeltachta approved projects during the year which will involve an overall projected investment of €21m in Gaeltacht companies and are expected to create some 400 jobs when up and running. It expects that new projects creating circa 700 new jobs will be approved during the year ahead. Jobs are lost annually as a normal part of the business lifecycle as sectoral trends change, enterprises restructure and companies streamline to improve their competitiveness and it is therefore critical that new jobs are supported to ensure employment levels are maintained and provide a basis for growth into the future. Research undertaken in 2011 by Forfás shows that total sales in Údarás client companies was in the region of €750m in the previous year, of which €399m of this was in export sales (54 per cent), an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year. More than 40 per cent of Údarás client companies invested in R&D, amounting to €20m in expenditure.* Social employment schemes Údarás na Gaeltachta manages and administers a number of social employment schemes in the Gaeltacht. These include the Community Employment Scheme, the Rural Social Scheme, Tús and the Jobs Initiative, which are funded by the Department of Social Protection. In 2011, these social employment schemes employed over 900 participants, 47 supervisors in 46 schemes throughout the Gaeltacht, and provided €15m in income and materials to the local economy. In addition to providing work experience and training for the participants, these schemes play an important role in providing services and facilitating community development throughout the Gaeltacht. Community development and language-based activities During 2011, Údarás continued to support community and Irish language-based activities in the Gaeltacht. Support was provided towards the operation of 82 Irish language medium preschools and crèche facilities, with 950 attendees and assistance was provided towards 62 youth clubs and drop in centres which have some 2,000 members. Support was also made available to 34 language learning centres where over 600 people attended Irish language classes/courses during the year. Enterprise strategy for 2012 During 2012, Údarás will focus its enterprise strategy on supporting its existing client base, seeking further investment from new and current clients, and supporting natural resource-based enterprises such as aquaculture, tourism, forestry, etc. Údarás will concentrate on replacing the employment lost in certain areas over the last number of years and begin to grow overall employment numbers in the Gaeltacht to previous levels. Foilsithe ar 26 Eanáir 2012 Foisithe ar Gaelport.com - 27 Eanáir 2012

Fostaíocht an Údaráis seasmhach ag 7,000

Gaelport — 27/01/2012 10:50:00

Tá athbhreithniú Údarás na Gaeltachta 2011 foilsithe agus tugtar le fios ann go raibh fostaíocht i gcliantchomhlachtaí an Údaráis seasmhach ag 7,000 duine in 2011. I ráiteas a d’eisigh Liam Ó Cuinneagáin (Cathaoirleach Údarás na Gaeltachta) agus Seán Ó Labhraí (Príomhfheidhmeannach Eatramhach Údarás na Gaeltachta), deirtear gur cruthaíodh 734 post nua, go raibh laghdú i ráta na gcaillteanas post agus go raibh 900 rannpháirtí ar scéimeanna fostaíochta sóisialta. Ag plé na bhfigiúirí a foilsíodh ar an Luan seo caite, labhair Seosamh Ó Cuaig agus Seán Ó Tuairisg, baill de bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta, ar an gclár Iris Aniar ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. Deir an bheirt Chomhairleoir Contae go bhfuil na figiúirí seo ag rá ‘go bhfuil an tÚdarás fós ann’, tar éis ciorruithe móra i gcúrsaí buiséid. “Cruthaíodh postanna agus cailleadh postanna in go leor áiteanna,” a deir Ó Cuaig. “Tá os cionn 7,000 duine ag obair i gcomhlachtaí Údaráis i gcónaí agus, ag an am céanna, tá bagairt mhór ar an Údarás. Tá cúlú ag tarlú, tá laghdú ag tarlú, tá níos lú airgid ag teacht isteach agus tá ceist faoi Phríomhfheidhmeannach... Ach tá na 7,000 post seo tábhachtach, agus na postanna a bheadh ag daoine atá ag teacht chun cinn.” Maidir leis na figiúirí a foilsíodh a bhaineann le Scéimeanna Fostaíochta Pobail, deir Ó Tuairisg go bhfuil siad fíorthábhachtach go deo. “Tá seirbhísí iontacha á gcur ar fáil ag na daoine ar na scéimeanna fostaíochta pobail seo,” a mhínigh Ó Tuairisg. “Tá sé i mbaol mar bhí sé fógraithe ansin sa mbuiséad go mbeadh sé á laghdú síos go dtí 500... Bhí thart ar 900 acu sin faoi chúram an Údaráis.” €1,500 a bhí á chaitheamh ar chuile rannpháirtí roimhe seo. Foilsithe ar - 25 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 27 Eanáir 2012

Children who are too busy perform poorly at school

Gaelport — 27/01/2012 10:42:00

It means the 'hurried child' can end up with the lowest scores for reading and maths, according to a report on how recreation can influence educational achievement. It is the latest research from the ongoing 'Growing Up in Ireland' survey of nine-year-olds, by the Economic and Social Research Institute and Trinity College. But the old adage of education beginning at home is also proved. The government-funded study places 8,500 children into five distinct groups based on how they spend their time when not in school -- and other factors such as social class and where they live. The children sat tests in reading and maths from the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, Dublin, and some wide variations in performance were thrown up. The study found higher scores were achieved by kids active in cultural activities, such as music and drama, and living in areas where it is safe to play outside. Poor scores were found among those who mainly engaged in unstructured activities, such as vegging out in front of the TV, and those who do not use -- or have access to -- computers and other such technology. Children using technology in school are more likely to use it outside, but the report highlights a significant divide. Kids with greater access to computers included those in private schools, designated disadvantaged schools, Gaeltacht schools and urban areas. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said yesterday literacy begins at home and parents and grandparents have a role to play. "The classroom cannot solve everything," he said. Mr Quinn said television had become an "electronic baby-minder" and active involvement by parents was required. The biggest group in the study, 25pc, are very involved in cultural activities, such as club participation and reading. These, along with what are described as the social networkers (18pc), have the highest scores in reading and maths. Social networkers are distinguished by their frequent use of computers, especially for keeping in touch with friends, while also being involved in cultural activities and sports. Children from more advantaged families are most likely to fall into these categories. Next on the performance ladder are the 20pc who play sports and computer games more than others, and spend less time on other activities. Those with the lowest scores in reading and maths are the 23pc who spend most of their spare time watching television or with friends, and those with 'busy lives' who are taking on too much. While there is a link between involvement in organised activities and better results, the study found that too much cancels out some of the educational benefits. This was identified in the 15pc with 'busy lives', the so-called 'hurried child'. Gender differences are highlighted with girls more likely to be involved in cultural activities and to use social media. Boys are more involved in playing sports and computer games. Urban children are more likely to fall into the social networkers and busy lives groups, and children attending gaelscoileanna are strongly engaged in cultural activities and least likely to fit into the TV/sports group. One of the report's authors, Prof Emer Smyth of the ESRI said children from more disadvantaged backgrounds may lose out academically if they didn't have access to the same kinds of organised activities as their more middle-class peers. Among the measures called for in the report -- carried out in 2007/'08 -- are subsidies for children's recreation, and access to safe play areas within neighbourhoods. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 27 Eanáir 2012

Ceol’s Comhrá the Castlebar based Club Óige is back

Gaelport — 27/01/2012 10:38:00

This year Ceol’s Comhrá will be behind the camera, getting involved in every stage of film making. The group will meet up every Monday from 6pm to 7.30pm in the Neighbourhood Youth Project in Castlebar. There is a €5 registration fee, and a €2 attendance fee per week. This project is funded by Foras na Gaeilge. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 27 Eanáir 2012

Leitrim’s hardworking County Librarian retires after 44 years

Gaelport — 27/01/2012 10:35:00

Seán Ó’Súilleabháin has been doing just that and on Monday he retired as the latter, leaving behind the book business and 33 years as the county’s head librarian. Originally from Aughnacliffe in County Longford, Seán began his career in the business of books on January 23rd, 1968 at Dublin Library on Pearse Street. He spent time in Howth, Ringsend, Ballyfermot and also worked on the mobile libraries which visited schools throughout the city. In 1978, Seán moved to Ballinamore in County Leitrim and for the next three decades and three more years, he would vacate the Leitrim County Library until Monday, when his tenure came to an end, exactly 44 years to the day that he started working in libraries. Although he is stepping down from this particular post, Sean says he will still remain active in his other posts and will still take an interest in all things Irish, Leitrim and Ballinamore. “Irish is still very much alive in this part of the country. Last Tuesday, we had 57 adults in our library for a comhrá session, where people conversed with each other through Irish. Here at the library, our staff will address callers in Irish if they so wish and we will even do business through Irish if possible.” On the subject of making our national language non-compulsory in schools, Seán speaks passionately and precisely on the matter, saying he will always put Irish first and never makes apologies for it: “I am totally against it. If we end up losing the Irish language, we will lose it and our national identity forever and I am not afraid to speak out about this matter. People need to be encouraged to learn the language and to embrace it. It also seems secondary-school students do just enough to get them through their orals and they leave it at that. We need to have a better grasp as to how important the language is to us.” Seán enthuses the impact that Irish language television station TG4 and the traditional Gaelscoileanna have made in the country. “These schools have improved the learning of Irish and the consistency of Irish throughout the years. TG4 also plays a major part as people watch programmes, in Irish, that they usually wouldn’t.” Scór, the organisation branched from the GAA which focuses on the cultural side of the association and the advocacy of all its related activities also plays a big part in Seán’s life. In turn, Seán has played a key role in its success in County Leitrim, lending a hand in the majority of Ballinamore club Seán O’Heslin’s 14 All-Ireland Scór titles and took part in four of the competitions himself. Only St Enda’s of Omagh in County Tyrone have won more titles and Seán says this is testament to the work in the county: “I took part in three novelty acts as part of the Scór competition down through the years and took part in one quiz. We had a fantastic friendly rivalry with St Enda’s and some years we would be ahead on titles, but right now they have 15 and we are one behind. Leitrim is one of the finest counties in terms of upholding Irish traditions and for that I am extremely proud to have taken part.” Foilsithe ar 25 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 27 Eanáir 2012

Athbhreithniú ar an Acht Teanga

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:43:00

Bhí Ó Cuirreáin ag labhairt ag Siompóisiam a d’eagraigh Scoil an Dlí agus Oifig na Gaeilge, Coláiste na Tríonóide, i gcomhar le Craobh na gCeithre Chúirteanna de Chonradh na Gaeilge. Go deimhin ardaíodh an cheist chéanna arís agus arís ag an ócáid seo agus léiríodh an-amhras faoi ról an Rialtais agus an státchóras trí chéile sa phróiseas. Leagadh béim ag an Siompóisiam freisin ar an tábhacht a bhain le hionchur ó phobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta má tá cosaint le déanamh ar an Acht Teanga. Is beag am atá fágtha anois chun do thuairimí a chur in iúl mar is é Dé Mairt seo chugainn, 31 Eanáir, an dáta deireanach a ghlacfar le hionchur ón bpobal. Tá an deis ann fós áfach, agus is féidir teacht ar shuirbhé agus foirm shamplach le haghaidh aighneacht ar shuíomh na Roinne ag www.pobail.ie nó www.ahg.gov.ie. Is féidir brú ar an nasc Athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 ar an leathanach baile. Tá teacht ansin freisin ar théarmaí tagartha don athbhreithniú agus eolas eile faoin Acht féin. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Dul amú ar Pheadar Ó Casaide

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:41:00

Tá dul amú ar Pheadar Ó Casaide (Gaelscéal 18 Eanáir 2012) nuair a deir se nach mbeidh aon rath ar an nGaeilge 'go bhfágfar réidh leis an éigeantas is an chiapadh (sic) ar gníomhaireachtaí (sic) is ar oifigigh stáit.' Is í an fhírinne gharbh nach dtagann borradh faoi theanga a bhrútar go himeall an tsaoil phoiblí. Sa chás go ndúntar teanga amach ó ghnó oifigiúl agus nach bhfuil seirbhísí stáit ar fáil ach i dteanga eile, tréigtear an teanga imeallaithe agus iompaítear ar theanga na cumhachta. Tarlaíonn an meath marfach seo i gcás teangacha domhanda go fiú: an Fhraincis in Oileáin Mhuir nIocht, an Ollannais in Oirthuaisceart na Fraince nó an Ghearmáinis san Alsáis. Is mise, le meas, Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh Ráth Chairn Co. na Mí Foilsithe ar 25 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

U-turn by Ulster Council on Derry fleadh welcomed

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:38:00

The 31-member central executive of Comhaltas will now meet in Dublin on Saturday to decide between Derry, Sligo and Ennis who will get the fleadh, which attracts up to 300,000 visitors and is worth €40 million to the host venue. The fleadh has never been north of the Border. Derry, which will be UK City of Culture 2013, was viewed as having a good chance of being selected to stage the all-Ireland fleadh next year. However, some Comhaltas members in Ulster opposed the fleadh going to the city as they did not want it linked to a year-long cultural festival that has "UK" in its title. The issue of the dissident republican threat also featured in some arguments. The Ulster Council of Comhaltas met on Sunday and ruled that it "would be impossible to support or recommend the Derry 2013 fleadh bid due to the recent dissident threats". This was a reference to dissident bomb attacks in Derry last week and to other dissident incidents in the city. The decision caused consternation among Derry Comhaltas members, as well as among local politicians, with Sinn Féin and the SDLP deploring the decision. The head of Comhaltas, Labhrás Ó Murchú, also expressed dismay. First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness issued a joint statement expressing "astonishment and disappointment". The PSNI said it had already discussed the matter with relevant local groups, adding that "any security concerns that exist in Northern Ireland should not prevent the fleadh taking place in Derry". On Tuesday the Ulster Council switched position and unanimously decided to support the Derry bid. Mr Ó Murchú said he was "absolutely delighted with the good news", saying he also welcomed the positive lobbying from the police, Mr Robinson, Mr McGuinness and other political and civic leaders. "That was important because it shows a whole community interest in the fleadh." Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Some small rural schools are being put in immediate jeopardy by staffing cuts

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:31:00

I am respectfully asking him to review his position on small rural schools. From a total of 1,000 small schools the Minister in 2012/13 is seeking to find 100 teaching posts by increasing teacher retention numbers based on last September’s enrolment. This puts some small rural schools in immediate jeopardy. I formerly worked as a primary teacher in a four-teacher rural school, and latterly as a lecturer in teacher education, and have just visited seven small rural Gaeltacht schools in Connemara. At the early stage in my career I taught for nine years in Newcastle NS, near Athenry, a homely school embedded in the community. Like the schools I visited in Connemara, it was the centre of the rural community, and through its connectedness with that I came to know parents, to understand their way of life, and to really know the children. I was a better teacher for it. It was there I formed many of the philosophies that informed my understanding of how children learn best and to shape my later practice in teacher education. Because the numbers fell in that primary school, as the last teacher in, I was subsequently redeployed to a large school in an urban area. This left the rural school with only three teachers to cope with almost the same number of children. Not easy given the complexity of the mix of classes, ages and ability levels. This is the scenario now faced by An Tuairín NS in Béal an Daingin (Connemara) next September. Only in this case it is a sudden adjustment and without adequate notice. According to September 2011 figures it needed 76 pupils to retain its four class teachers. With 78 on the roll all was fine until new retention numbers were announced in the budget which now require it to have had 81 pupils on that date. Now An Tuairín’s pupil teacher ratio (PTR) will be above the national average (around 80 pupils for three teachers). To make matters worse, what will make Tuairín NS a complex teaching situation is the number of class levels, ability levels, and some split classes that will exist in its three classrooms. Classrooms that are now too small for the new reality. Lest one think otherwise, I am a fan of multi-class settings for better pupil outcomes. Evidence shows that younger pupils learn from older peers, and older pupils gain cognitively by going into “teacher mode” with their younger peers. But there comes a tipping point when the class mix is just too close to be advantageous to the children. Tuairín NS is at this point. Similarly, a situation envisaged by 2014 whereby a one-teacher school would have 19 pupils across eight classes, spanning four-to-12-year-olds, is mind- boggling. In any single class, children’s abilities fall into high, middle and low categories. You can have a further two levels of special needs at either end of the spectrum – developmentally slow and gifted. What makes the multi-class situation complex in the small rural school is these ability levels exist in multiples, depending on the number of classes in the room, and are exacerbated further with the loss of a teacher. Add in social disadvantage in a rural community where in some Connemara schools I visited up to 80 per cent of parents are unemployed – thus the classification “Rural Deis”. Be assured this scenario is as educationally challenging, if not more, than any Urban Deis school. Yet, why have only the urban Deis schools earned a review from the Minister? Rural Deis small schools are equally deserving of a review. There are other changes coming too in relation to learning support and resource teaching hours that will undermine good local practice.Three schools I visited in Lettermore, Leitir Caladh and Tír an Fhia share the same learning support and resource teacher. Parents and schools with children with autism and cerebral palsy, among other learning difficulties, reported very high levels of satisfaction with her work. Under new arrangements this will become the work of two teachers and is actually likely to cost the State more. I have said little about the effect of the loss of a teacher and the gradual erosion of a school on a small rural community. Education aside, this is arguably the biggest effect of all. In my experience, the loss of a teacher is felt far more deeply in a rural community than in an urban community. Minister, I am asking you to rethink your position on small rural schools. There are other ways to find savings. For example, an increase to the PTR of 0.6 across all schools would give you more posts than needed by 2014. When we are well off again as a nation in 10 or 15 years, let’s not regret that we have a rural Ireland without young people. Let that choice be theirs. In communities where amalgamation may be preferable, let us ask communities to come up with a local solution over a four-year period, This will give them time to plan their futures. ---------------------------------------------------------- Fidelma Healy Eames is a Fine Gael Senator Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Daltaí Gaelscoile dearfach faoin nGaeilge

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:28:00

Léiríonn tuairisc de cuid na hInstidiúide Taighde Eacnamaíochta agus Sóisialta (ESRI) go dtaitníonn an Ghaeilge le 45% de dhaltaí na nGaelscoileanna i gcónaí i gcomparáid le 20% i scoileanna Béarla. Deir 10% de pháistí na nGaelscoileanna nach dtaitníonn an Ghaeilge leo riamh, ach deir 30% de dhaltaí i scoileanna Béarla an rud céanna. Deir na daltaí eile go dtaitníonn an teanga leo anois is arís. Taitníonn an Ghaeilge le beagnach 40% de dhaltaí i scoileanna Gaeltachta i gcónaí ach ní thaitníonn an teanga le thart ar 16%. Ta daltaí Gaelscoile níos dearfaí faoin nGaeilge ná faoi Mhata ach tá siad níos dearfaí faoi Léamh/Béarla ná an Ghaeilge. Tá daltaí i scoileanna Béarla i bhfad níos dearfaí faoi Mhata agus Léamh ná an Ghaeilge. Mar shampla deir 45% de dhaltaí gur maith leo an Mata i gcónaí agus 10% nach maith leo riamh é. Ní thaitníonn an Ghaeilge le 33% de dhaltaí le múinteoir fir agus 28% le múinteoir mná. De réir an taighde tá daltaí Gaelscoile níos dearfaí faoin gcóras scolaíochta i gcoitinne. Tá curaclam níos leithne á mhúineadh i nGaescoileanna. Foilsithe ar 25 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

State committee to accept public petitions

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:26:00

The proposed structure of the new cross-party committee on public service oversight and petitions is expected to be approved in the Oireachtas today. The committee hopes that by mid-February it will have the infrastructure in place to have the petitions system up and running and be able to invite submissions from citizens. "We will be a robust champion on behalf of our citizens," committee chairman and Sinn Féin TD Peadar Toibin said yesterday. The body was originally set up last year as the committee on investigations, oversight and petitions. The Government envisaged that the committee would hold a major investigation into the causes of the economic and banking collapse, once a referendum was passed to give it and other committees greater powers of inquiry. However, that referendum crashed to a surprising defeat last October, scuppering the Government’s plans. The committee could not investigate the collapse as it did not have the requisite powers for such an undertaking. Instead, the committee had to reconsider its role and yesterday published a report on its revised structure. The committee is being renamed to focus on public service oversight and petitions, and will have three core functions: * Engagement with the Ombudsman; * Receiving and processing petitions submitted to the Oireachtas by members of the public, and "informed by those two activities"; * Oversight of public service delivery. Mr Toibin said that while it would be open to any individual to submit a petition, it would have to concern public service delivery. "The committee’s work in considering petitions would ... focus in particular on cases which are illustrative of public policy failures or gaps, thereby serving the wider public interest," the report on the revised structure states. Petitions would not be admissible if they involved a request to adjudicate on personal or commercial interests; related to matters before the courts; or were already under consideration by the Ombudsman or other complaints/appeal bodies. Committee member and Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan made it clear that the new body would not be "second-guessing" judgments made by the Ombudsman. Both he and the vice-chairman, Labour TD Michael McCarthy, suggested it would be worth revisiting the issue of beefing up committees’ powers — possibly meaning a second referendum. Mr McCarthy said there was a "whole rump of people" who had never been held to account over their roles in the collapse, and a committee with proper powers could do this. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Kingdom takes centre stage in tourism campaign

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:15:00

Some famous landmarks in the Kingdom feature prominently in Tourism Ireland’s new global advertising campaign ‘Jump into Ireland’ with the clear message being: come along, get involved and have the craic. The lively television ads — which have an estimated audience of 200m potential visitors worldwide — convey a strong spirit of joie de vivre. Footage includes a group of young people cycling through the picture postcard Gap of Dunloe in Killarney, against a spectacular mountain backdrop. Pub scenes, meanwhile, are reflected in images from Teddy O’Sullivan’s hostelry in Kilmackillogue, near Kenmare, and Dick Mack’s in Dingle. Well known writer in Irish, Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé, father of TV presenter Daithí Ó Sé, is shown playing the ‘box’ during a trad music session in Dick Mack’s. Tourism Ireland has kicked off 2012 with the roll-out of the campaign to promote the island of Ireland abroad over the next three years. The literary and cultural heritage is portrayed through shots of the statue of poet Patrick Kavanagh in Dublin along with the Rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary. The campaign is currently airing on television in Britain, Ireland’s largest and most important tourism market, including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky 1 and satellite channels. The ads are also appearing on television in France and Germany, in cinemas in Britain and the US, Spain and Italy. Furthermore, they will appear on outdoor sites in Britain and online in the other 22 markets in which Tourism Ireland has a presence. The soundtrack for the ads is taken from the latest album, Fallen Empires by Co Down band Snow Patrol. Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said the campaign was designed to build on the return to growth achieved in 2011, when the number of visitors from all the main overseas markets increased. "We are targeting further growth in 2012 and in the years ahead. Our goal is to welcome over 9m overseas visitors to the island by 2015, exceeding the record year for tourism of 2007," he said. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

NUIG announces 2012 Alumni Award winners

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 11:07:00

The awards will be presented at the 12th annual Alumni Awards Gala Banquet on Saturday March 3 in the Bailey Allen Hall on campus. The awards recognise individual excellence and achievements among the University’s more than 80,000 graduates worldwide. The awards programme so far has honoured 68 graduates, including Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins and RTÉ journalist and broadcaster Sean O’Rourke. There are six recipients of the various Alumni Awards. The AIB Award for arts, social sciences and Celtic studies goes to Marie Mullen, one of Ireland’s finest actresses. Along with Garry Hynes and the late Mick Lally, she founded Druid Theatre in 1975. Marie has appeared in The Playboy of the Western World, The Year of the Hiker, The Tinker’s Wedding, The Well Of The Saints (directed by Garry Hynes for Druid Theatre), as well as Druid’s DruidSynge Cycle in 2006, to name but a few. She also appeared in the sell-out success Long Day’s Journey Into Night, (Druid Theatre) alongside James Cromwell (who can be seen in the Oscar nominated film The Artist), Aidan Kelly, and Michael Esper, at both the Town Hall Theatre and at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Maire has also won numerous awards for her work, including The 2005 Irish Times Theatre Awards’ Best Actress Award; a Tony Award for Best Actress; a Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival; Best Supporting Actress Award for the Harvey’s Irish Theatre Awards in 1985 and 1983; and Actress of the Year Award (Evening Herald in 1984 and Sunday Independent in 1983). The Bank of Ireland Award for business, public policy, and law is Máire Whelan, the Attorney General of Ireland. She is a former advisor to the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas and served as chairperson of the Free Legal Advice Centres. She also served as vice chair of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for Ireland. Máire grew up in Kinvara, County Galway. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Bernard McCabe, and son, Niall. The Bank of Ireland Award for Engineering and Informatics will go to Gerry Kilcommins, the vice-president of Global Vascular Operations and general manager of Medtronic Galway. Mr Kilcommins holds global responsibility for all Vascular manufacturing activities including a number of facilities outside Ireland, such as in the US, Mexico, Italy, and Switzerland. The NUI Galway Alumni Award for Science goes to Prof Fergal O’Gara, the chair of microbiology at UCC and director of the BIOMERIT Research Centre. Prof Fergal O’Gara’s research interests focus on the genetic and molecular biology of microbe-host interactions in medical and environmental biotechnology. He also acts as Editor for a number of international scientific journals. The Medtronic Award for medicine, nursing and health sciences goes to Prof Tim O’Brien, director, Gait Laboratory and consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Central Remedial Clinic. Prof O’Brien was the first recipient of the Medal for outstanding contribution to Paediatric Orthopaedics from the British Paediatric Society. Born in Loughrea, he is married to Dr Mary Jennings and they have three children, all graduates of NUIG. The Duais Hewlett Packard don Gaeilge goes to Peadar Mac An Iomaire, iar-phríomhfheidhmeannach, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, OÉ Gaillimh. He has established and managed Gaeltacht co-operatives, group water schemes, and other community organisations and projects. He was appointed chairperson of Coimisiún na Gaeltachta, a government commission on the Gaeltacht in 2000. For booking information for the gala, contact Catherine Conroy on 091 - 492972 or email catherine.conroy@nuigalway.ie. For online bookings see www.nuigalway.ie/alumni-friends Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Ceardlann scríbhneoireacht chruthaitheach

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 10:54:00

Tá fáilte roimh aon duine le spéis sa scríbhneoireacht páirt a ghlacadh sna ceardlanna seo, níl le déanamh ach bualadh isteach chucu ar an Luan ag 7.30i.n. Tugann eagraí na hócáide, an scríbhneoir Pádraig Ó Cíobháin, cuireadh oscailte chuig “oíche chuideachtúil airneáin agus blúire scríbhneoireachta a dhéanamh más áil leat san.” Tá Pádraig ina scríbhneoir aitheanta próis agus is teagascóir é freisin le Roinn na Gaeilge agus le hAcadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in Ollscoil na hÉireann,. Mar thoradh ar sheisiúin 2010/2011 beidh díolaim obair rannpháirtithe na ceardlainne, dar teideal Go nuige seo, á fhoilsiú go luath. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Comórtas Aintiún Euro 2012

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 10:51:00

Bronnfar duais €500 ar an ngrúpa nó ar an gceoltóir a bhuann an comórtas agus chomh maith le sin gheobhaidh siad dhá lá thaifeadta i stiúideo gairmiúil, eiseofar dlúthdhiosca an bhuaiteora agus beidh an t-amhrán ar dhlúthdhiosca Raidió Rí-Rá. Seo deis iontach do cheoltóirí aonair nó do ghrúpaí ceoil a bpróifíl a ardú agus taithí a fháil ar a bheith ag obair le foireann thaifeadta d'ardchaighdeán. Is féidir d'iontráil a sheoladh isteach i bhfoirm scríofa, mp3, mp4, CD, You Tube nó eile chuig aintiun2012@gmail.com. Déanfar an buaiteoir a fhógairt an mhí seo chugainn. Is féidir breis eolais, rialacha agus coinníollacha a fháil ach ríomhphoist a chur chuig an seoladh céanna nó teagmháil a dhéanamh le Feargal Ó Cuilinn ag 087 2908391. Tá an comórtas á eagrú ag Aontas Phobal na Gaeilge i gcomhar le Gaelscéal, Raidió na Life, Raidió Fáilte, Raidió na Gaeltachta agus Raidió Rí-Rá. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Brady to headline Ballincollig’s winter festival

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 10:35:00

Brady is among several high-profile national and international artists who have agreed to headline The White Horse’s third annual Winter Music Festival in Ballincollig. Meteor Ireland Music Award winner and two times Choice Music Prize nominee Cathy Davey will bring the festival to a close on Sunday. The festival opens tonight, with celebrated Irish traditional music duo Paddy and Kevin Glackin, and Caoimhín O’Raghallaigh and Brendan Begley. Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien takes to the stage tomorrow with guitarist and producer Arty McGlynn at his side for an evening of roots music. Then Paul Brady takes to the stage on Saturday with Cathy Davey making her first stage performance in 18 months on Sunday. White Horse owner, Joe Carey, and his band, Jodavino, will be her support act. Mr Carey said he is delighted to have secured such a strong line-up so early in the festival’s history. "January can be a dreary month and it’s great to give people something to look forward to with the first music festival of 2012," he said. Christy Leahy, who is also involved in the festival, said audiences will get a chance to see international artists who regularly play to packed auditoriums, up close in an intimate setting. "This makes for a unique and highly charged atmosphere, to the benefit of both performer and audience member," he said. As well as the gigs upstairs in The White Horse, there will be music classes for kids, sean nós dancing, free traditional Irish and bluegrass sessions and children’s storytelling events in other venues across the town. * Full details on The Ballincollig Winter Music Festival on Facebook, call (021) 4871388 or book tickets online at www.tickets.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Pearse

Gaelport — 26/01/2012 10:33:00

Ní guth maol a bhí ann, ach má bhí clúmh air bhí sí béasach agus slíoctha le cineáltas. Guth é a gcuirfeá muinín ann dá mba ghuth easbaig nó phríomhfheidhmeannaigh comhlachta é; ach níorbh aon easpag ná príomhfheidhmeannach é ach file. Ar éigean go bhfuil de dhualgas ar fhile ar bith ach a ghuth féin a bheith aige. Sa chás seo ní hé guth a ghlóir atá i gceist, ach a ghuth fileata. Is é atá san ghuth fileata ná an chuid sin den fhile nach mbaineann le guth fileata ar bith eile. Bhí sin ag Pearse Hutchinson, guth fileata nár bhain ach leis féin amháin. Dá mbeadh sé furasta cur síos a dhéanamh ar an sainghuth sin bheadh obair na critice thar a bheith éasca. Caitear isteach cúpla aidiacht ar fud na gcos, agus tá sé ceapaithe agat, gan bhréig. Ach dá mba eolaíocht incheapaithe í an fhilíocht bheadh pointí móra le tuilleamh aisti san ardteistiméireacht. Is é an gradam a thugtar don fhile sa saol mór leathan ná gradam don rud nach dtuigtear. Is é cúis nár tugadh gradam do Phearse Hutchinson ná go gceaptar go dtuigtear gach rud anois. File ba ea é mar gur thit sé i ngrá leis an mionrud. Ba bheannaithe leis an bláth beag, agus oileán cúng, agus seanamhrán, agus buachaill ag siúl na slí, agus ulchabháin, agus seanmhadraí. Nuair a chíonn sé feithid bheag gaistithe san im maidin shamhraidh líonann a chroí le tuiscint dó: “Bás beag:/feithid amháin nár chuireas/donn iongan ina bhás./Bás chomh trom le mo bhás féin;/ach gan deis a mheáite/ag mo shamhnas dall éadtrom.” B’fhéidir gurbh é an cúram sin a thug air titim i ngrá le focail. B’iad focail agus teangacha bun agus barr a chuid oideachais. Grá d’aoibhneas na bhfocal agus do ghealadhram na beatha a thug air Éire a fhágaint, bíodh nár thréig sé riamh a ghrá don tír. Is dócha gurb é an galar céanna a bhí air agus a bhí ar Sheosamh Mac Grianna nuair a d’éigh sé amach: “is there anybody who will curse Ireland with me?” Ach níor dhiúltaigh sé riamh do na hidéil a thug ar a athair a phost a chailliúint i nGlaschú mar dhuine a bhí ag áiteamh ar son saoirse na hÉireann, ná a mháthair a d’fhill ar an tír nuair a tháinig De Valera i gcumhacht. Muran meacan bán duine ar fad iompraíonn sé smut den tír seo ina chroí nuair a ghabann sé thar lear, mura bhfuil ann ach dealg droighin nó pian sa phrumpa. D’fhoghlaim sé Iodáilis agus Spáinnis, ina dhiaidh sin Catalúinis agus Gallego, agus GaliciPhoirtingéilis. D’fhoghlaim sé Dúitsis. D’aistrigh sé dánta ó na teangacha sin ar fad, mar gur thaitnigh siad leis. Thug sé filí na hEorpa ar cuaird chugainn, filí nach mbeadh puinn aithne againn orthu á cheal. D’fhoghlaim sé an Ghaeilge ar scoil, ach thit sé i ngrá léi ar a mhalairt de chúiseanna go dtugann daoine fuath di. Bhí sé faoi dhraíocht ag “all that aspiration, and eclipsis, all those cases – the feminine genitive singular, the masculine genitive plural often the same as the nominative singular – except that...” In áit eile luann sé an fhilíocht a bhaineann leis an aidiacht tar éis an ainmfhocail bhaininscnigh sa dara díochlaonadh, leithéid – “sciathán na sióige aeraí áille,” “imeall na gealaí gile gealtaí,” “fíoch na feirge fíochmhaire fimíní,” “tiús na hinchinne neamhinspioráidí maoile”, nathanna a bhíonn coitianta ríofa trí gach re comhrá Gaeilge, gan amhras. Shealbhaigh sé an t-iontas a bhí san sciathán leathair agus sa bhóín dé agus san smugairle róin, filíocht chruthaitheach na teanga féin. Scríobh sé dánta ar bailéid iad le fírinne, dánta próis a léirigh a bhá leis an rud leonta, dánta fada argóintiúla, scéaldhánta ar eachtra neafaiseach éigin a bhfaca sé suaithinseacht ann, dánta gonta a raibh idir ghearradh agus ghaois iontu mar atá in Manifesto: “Universal courtesy – /Now that would be/revolutionary.” Ba dhóigh leat air go bhfaca sé draíocht sa rud is lú ar fad, snáth feamainne, carraig aonair, úth cránach, duilleog bheo ar fhéar tirim, logainmneacha neamhchoitianta, garsún ag ithe uachtair reoite. Bhí an bua sin aige nach mbíonn ach ag an bhfile fánach, thug sé súile nua dúinn. Mhóraigh sé agus ghlóirigh sé na mórshuáilcí – gáire, féile agus mórchroí, na suáilcí a mhúchann an dúire, an sprionlaitheacht agus an searbhas beag cúng. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 26 Eanáir 2012

Spriocdháta suirbhé

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:42:00

Go dtí seo, tá geall le 300 suirbhé comhlánaithe faighte ag an Roinn Ealaíon Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta agus táthar ag súil an oiread céanna arís a fháil ón bpobal roimh an spriochdháta ar 31 Eanáir. Sa suirbhé, tá fiche cheist ar ghnéithe éagsúla de na seirbhísí a chuirtear ar fáil do phobal. Deir Séamus Mac Giolla Chomhaill, Príomhoifigeach na Roinne nach dtógfadh sé ach deich nóiméad ar dhaoine an suirbhé iomlán a chomhlánú ar an suíomh www.ahg.gov.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Bliain chinniúnach na straitéise don Ghaeltacht agus don Ghaeilge

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:39:00

Tá an creimeadh teanga a léiríodh chomh suntasach sin sa Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht ag leanúint ar aghaidh as éadan agus táthar ag prapáil leis an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge a fheidhmiú mar fhreagra an Stáit don dúshlán mór a bhaineann leis an taoille ocrach sin a chasadh ar ais. Níl aon amhras orm ach go mbeidh rath nó teip na straitéise sa Ghaeltacht sa bhfadtéarma ag brath ar an gcur chuige a nglacfaidh an Stát leis sna céimeanna tosaigh – struchtúir oiriúnacha a bhunú, eagrú na ngeallshealbhóirí, roghnú agus scóip na dtosaíochtaí sna príomhréimsí gnímh, spriocanna a aontú, córas monatóireachta agus meastóireachta a bhunú, spreagadh agus misniú an phobail le bheith lánpháirteach sa phróiseas agus, thairis sin ar fad, tiomantas agus toilteanas iomlán an Rialtais agus an státchórais don bheartas a chinntiú. Cé gur ghlac an Rialtas Comhpháirtíochta leis an straitéis go hoifigiúil i mí an Mheithimh 2011 níor mhiste an cúlra fada as ar eascair sé sin a mheabhrú dúinn féin. B’ionann cinneadh sin an Rialtais agus an chloch choirnéil a chur ar thréimhse beagnach deich mbliana de chéimeanna tógála i dtreo na sprice sin. San áireamh sna céimeanna sin bhí ceapadh Choimisiún na Gaeltachta (2000) agus foilsiú Thuarascáil an Choimisiúin (2002), Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla agus bunú Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga (2003), aitheantas don Ghaeilge mar theanga oifigiúil oibre de chuid an AE (2003/2004), foilsiú Ráiteas ar an nGaeilge mar pholasaí Rialtais (2006), agus foilsiú an Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht (2007) a spreag coimisiniú na Straitéise 20 bliain don Ghaeilge ar foilsíodh dréacht di in 2009. Níl aon amhras ach gur baineadh siar as pobal na Gaeilge agus pobal na tíre trí chéile nuair a léirigh an staidéar teangeolaíoch gurb é an toradh a bheadh ar an athrú tobann leanúnach teanga a bhí ag tarlú sa Ghaeltacht gur ar éigean go dtiocfadh an Ghaeltacht slán thar 20 bliain eile mar shainphobal inmharthanach teanga d’uireasa atheagair cuimsitheach raidiceach a dhíreodh na struchtúir riaracháin phoiblí ar “gníomhaíochtaí straitéise agus pleanála a bhaineann le freastal a dhéanamh ar riachtanais teanga na gcroícheantar Gaeltachta” ar bhonn práinne. Ar ndóigh, níor mhaolaigh an phráinn sin ó 2009 i leith. Tá pobail áitiúla na Gaeltachta ag súil le treoir agus comhairle faoina rólanna ionchais féin tráth a bhfuil éiginnteacht ardaithe faoina mbonn maoinithe. Le go mbeidh an rath ar an straitéis sa Ghaeltacht is gá na pobail áitiúla a eagrú agus a ghríosadh tríd na heagrais phobail lena bpáirtíocht ghníomhach a chinntiú. Leis an gcúram sin a dhéanamh go rathúil caithfear feachtas oiliúna i dteicnicí pleanála teanga a thionscnamh i gcomhar leo. Creidim go bhfáilteoidís roimh a leithéid mar ghné thábhachtach den réamhullmhúchán reatha. D’uireasa dea-thola agus tacaíochta an phobail ar bhonn gníomhach ní bhainfear amach mórsprioc na straitéise maidir le cur go céimnitheach le líon na gcainteoirí Gaeilge i ngach pobal Gaeltachta. Cén chaoi, mar sin, a bhfuil an tAire Stáit agus an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta ag freagairt don phráinn a bhaineann le feidhmiú na straitéise? Féachaimis ar a bhfuil fógraithe agus foilsithe maidir le feidhmiú na straitéise go dtí seo. Tá Coiste Rialtais ann a bhfuil an Taoiseach ina chathaoirleach air le maoirseacht a dhéanamh ar an dul chun cinn. Tá Grúpa Oifigeach Sinsearach atá comhdhéanta d’oifigigh ardleibhéil ó ranna cuí Rialtais ag tacú leis an gCoiste Rialtais. Tá Grúpa Idir-Rannach le bunú fós chun pleananna forfheidhmithe na Ranna ábhartha a aontú agus chun monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar a gcur i bhfeidhm. Tosóidh an grúpa seo ag feidhmiú nuair a bheidh pleananna na ranna éagsúla cuí idir lámha. Glacaim leis go bhfoilseofar na pleananna sin in am trátha. Is é an príomhghrúpa tiomána atá ann ná An tAonad Straitéise i Roinn na Gaeltachta. Tá an tAonad Straitéise sin á stiúradh ag Stiúrthóir na Gaeilge, Máire Killoran, le tacaíocht ó Rannóg na Gaeilge faoi cheannas an phríomhoifigigh Bertie Ó hAinmhire, agus ó Rannóg na Gaeltachta faoi cheannas an phríomhoifigigh Séamus Mac Giolla Chomhaill. Is é seo an t-aonad atá ag feidhmiú mar idiraghaidh idir na grúpaí, coistí, ranna agus comhlachtaí éagsúla a mbeidh a bpleananna sonracha féin á bhfeidhmiú acu. Is é an t-aonad seo atá freagrach as maoirseacht a dhéanamh ar an bpróiseas pleanála straitéise, monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar fhorbairt acmhainní, feidhmiú tras-rannach ar thionscnaimh a thiomáint, sainchomhairle a sholáthar agus tuairiscí agus cáipéisíocht chuí a fhoilsiú mar eolas don phobal. Is é seo seomra inneall na straitéise. Tá Grúpaí Oibre Ardleibhéil le bheith ann agus tá réamhchéimeanna tógtha chun iad sin a chur ag gluaiseacht. Ar cheann acu sin tá grúpa atá ionadaíoch den Roinn féin, den Údarás agus d’Fhoras na Gaeilge “chun idirdhealú a dhéanamh ar na feidhmeanna ar leith a bheidh á gcomhlíonadh acu sin faoi seach”. (Gné thábhachtach atá le soiléiriú agus le socrú fós, áfach, ná na feidhmeanna breise teanga a mbronnfar ar Údarás na Gaeltachta le gur féidir leis a bheith freagrach go hiomlán as cur i bhfeidhm na straitéise sa Ghaeltacht. Glactar leis go gcinnfear é sin trí fhoráil i mBille na Gaeltachta níos déanaí sa bhliain). Fógraíodh i mí na Samhna seo caite go raibh Grúpa Oibre Ardleibhéil ag feidhmiú idir Roinn na Gaeltachta agus an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna “chun díriú ar chur i bhfeidhm na straitéise i réimse gnímh an oideachais”. Tógadh céim eile sa réimse seo an tseachtain seo caite nuair a thionól an tAonad Straitéise cruinniú den dá Roinn sin le hionadaithe ó Fhoras na Gaeilge, Údarás na Gaeltachta agus ón Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta. Ba é cuspóir an chruinnithe sin ná “plé a dhéanamh ar na tosaíochtaí oideachais a aithint agus scrúdú a dhéanamh ar réimse gnímh an oideachais maidir leis na struchtúir feidhmiúcháin agus na hacmhainní a theastóidh leis an straitéis a chur i bhfeidhm”. Ní nach ionadh tháinig an grúpa le chéile faoi “rabhadh sláinte” ón Roinn a mheabhraigh dóibh “go gcaithfear aon tosaíochtaí a aontú ag tabhairt san áireamh na laincisí ar acmhainní i láthair na huaire”. Sin í an aeráid ina mairimid. Dúshlán mór a bheidh ag an ngrúpa seo ná an t-amhras mór atá ar chainteoirí Gaeilge faoi thiomantas na Roinne Oideachais don Ghaeilge a shárú. BAINEADH SIAR as pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta i mí na Samhna seo caite nuair a fógraíodh go raibh crann taca chearta an phobail sin, Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga, le haistriú isteach faoi Oifig an Ombudsman. Dá thoradh sin beidh pobal na Gaeilge ag faire go géar ar an toradh a bheidh ar an athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla agus aon chinneadh Rialtais a éireoidh as sin i rith na ráithe seo romhainn. Lena chois sin, beifear ag faire ar phlean forfheidhmithe trí bliana na straitéise atá á ullmhú faoi láthair, ar phleananna agus tosaíochtaí na bpríomhpháirtithe leasmhara, ar an mBille Gaeltachta gona chuid forálacha cuimsitheacha teanga, sóisialta agus fiontraíochta, ar an gcur chuige maidir le pleanáil teanga, córas ceapacháin bhord nua ainmnithe Údarás na Gaeltachta agus gnéithe éagsúla ábharthacha eile na straitéise. Beifear ag faire go géar ar an sainmhíniú nua ar an nGaeltacht agus ar na himpleachtaí a bheidh aige sin ar theorainneacha na Gaeltachta. Dé hAoine seo romhainn beidh a gcéad chruinniú den bhliain nua seo ag Bord Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tuigtear go gcuirfear in iúl don bhord go bhfuil aontaithe idir an Roinn agus an tÚdarás go bhfógrófar post an phríomhfheidhmeannaigh san Údarás go han-luath. Is ceapachán rí-thábhachtach é seo ní hamháin do thodhchaí an Údaráis a mbeidh feidhmiú na straitéise lárnach ina chuid feidhmeanna, ach lena chois sin mar phost cinnireachta Gaeltachta. Tá mapa bóthair táscach imlíneach againn faoi láthair a thugann comharthaí ginearálta go leor dúinn faoin ród atá romhainn. Tá go leor sonraí le líonadh isteach sna bearnaí fós, áfach, chun iomlánú a dhéanamh air mar uirlis chomhtháite. Bliain chinniúnach a bheidh inti seo don straitéis agus don Ghaeltacht. B’fhiú d’Aonad Straitéise na Roinne moladh eile de chuid na straitéise a thionscnamh ag an bpointe seo, is é sin, meitheal daoine le saineolas ar earnálacha éagsúla a thabhairt le chéile ar bhonn ad hoc chun smaointeoireacht nuálaíoch faoi ghnéithe éagsúla den straitéis a éascú agus a spreagadh. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is iarcheannasaí de chuid Údarás na Gaeltachta é Pádraig Ó hAoláin Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Acht Gaeilge anois!

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:35:00

Foilsíodh moltaí an choiste chomhairligh an tseachtain seo caite agus cáintear ann an mhoilleadóireacht a bhain le reachtaíocht a thionscnamh chomh maith le cur chuige na n-údarás i dTuaisceart Éireann tar éis dóibh diúltú arís roimh pháirt a ghlacadh sa phróiseas comhairliúcháin. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Méadú 60.8% ar an Ghaelscolaíocht

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:31:00

Thar an tréimhse tá méadú 54.2% ar líon na bpáistí atá ag fáil bunscolaíochta trí Ghaeilge ó thuaidh. Bhí 1,421 i rang a trí sa scoilbhliain 2001/2. Ba 2,191 a bhi ag an chéim chéanna in 2011/2. Níl an líon céanna páistí ag gabháil don mheánscolaíocht Ghaeilge. Mar sin féin, tá méadú 60.8% air sin. Bhí 342 páiste ag fáil meánoideachais trí Ghaeilge in 2001/2. Is 550 atá i gceist don scoilbhliain reatha. Thug O'Dowd an t-eolas i bhfreagra ar cheist ón gComhalta den Tionól Reachta Daithí McKay. Dúirt Mícheál Ó Duibh, príomh-fheidhmeannach Chomhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, gur léirigh na figiúirí an t-eileamh ar an Ghaelscolaíocht. "Sílim go bhfuil sé tabhachtach go ndéanfaí forbairt ar an iar-bhunscolaíocht Ghaeilge. Más ann don éileamh, tá an dúshlán sin romhainn." Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Funding granted to 97 radio projects

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:27:00

Chief executive Michael O'Keefe said the figure is "up by over €150,000 when compared to the last funding round." All of the projects will explore the themes of Irish culture and heritage. The package includes eight radio drama projects and a mix of documentary, educational and entertainment projects. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Deenihan advisor formally appointed

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:25:00

James Kenny, a retired school teacher from Kerry, will earn €38,215. His salary has been abated to this level as he already receives a public service pension. Mr Deenihan appointed Mr Kenny last June and the appointment was "signed off" by Cabinet yesterday. Former journalist Seán Mac Cárthaigh is also working as an advisor to Mr Deenihan. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Ferry firm challenges council's harbour levy

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:22:00

Island Ferries Teoranta, Forster Street, Galway, operates a number of vessels from the quays of Rossaveal harbour in Connemara and the three Aran islands of Inis Mór, Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr. It has challenged a decision of the council, which manages and controls Cill Rónáin harbour, to introduce bylaws imposing a charge of 80 cent for every passenger who enters that harbour, location of the company’s busiest service. Leave to bring the proceedings was granted, on an ex-parte (one side only basis) by Mr Justice Michael Peart, who returned the matter to March next. The company claims that the council, in introducing this charge at the start of this month, acted unreasonably and in breach of its statutory powers and the provisions of the 2002 Competition Act. The council, in correspondence about the matter, has contended that the bylaws are legally valid. The company says its use of Cill Rónáin at present is confined to berthing its vessel in the harbour and using the pier to enable passengers to embark and disembark. It says it does not use any of the facilities in the harbour such as water, waste electricity or fuel, storage facilities, buildings or car parking facilities. It also does not use any offices or terminal for ticketing or other passenger-related services or the assistance of any harbour staff for berthing or navigation or security in the harbour, the company says. The court heard family-owned Island Ferries carried more than 145,000 passengers to Inis Mór in 2011 and is claiming the purported charge would result in an additional annual operating cost of more than €100,000. Island Ferries says it would be unable to pay such charges and its business and tourism numbers on Inis Mór would be aversely affected if the charge was passed on to passengers. It is also concerned similar charges will be implemented on the other two islands. The company had brought earlier proceedings against the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, arising out of a decision in 2003 to implement a charge of €1.20 for passengers in respect of the use of Rossaveal harbour. The High Court ruled in 2011 that the charge imposed by the Minister was beyond his power to impose. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

No more heroes

Gaelport — 25/01/2012 11:09:00

That was 1941 and today I suppose I myself would gather around if I heard two people speaking English in the Blanchardstown shopping centre. That's how far we have travelled on our road to multiculturalism. Anyway my mother learned English and spoke it with a crispness and respect that few of the native speakers did. She still thought that you could pick an Irish word that was more descriptive than any English word. I wasn't always as sure. As I look at our country today one word leaps out and the English language has the perfect description for it. That word is "Cowardice". It stands alone leaving nobody in doubt of its connotations. A Government packed to the hilt with "cowards" who said one thing in opposition and practice the worst excesses of the former bogey men once in power. Cowardice in targeting the one laying hen left in the country: the public service and working class. Tax them until they fall because they are too tired to mount a proper fight. However, go easy on the welfare class, push them into the nettles and everybody might get stung and don't touch the gilded wealthy whatever you do. Cowards allow Irish children to go on "lifestyle" jaunts but allow entire EU families to arrive in and take their places, this at a time when my two eldest cannot for love or money get a job. Cowardice reeks through the nation. The salaries of the ruling class, the professors, the judges, politicians, advisers, the nation-wrecking top bankers, the nation-wrecking developers are all bomb proofed. Meanwhile, the wages and jobs of the working class are on the line because we have a troika sitting in Merrion Square poking the Government with a tripod telling them who to sack and what to cut in order for big European banks to get their dosh back. John Cuffe Dunboyne Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 25 Eanáir 2012

Fury as Derry bid to host All-Ireland fleadh rejected

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:57:00

The All-Ireland fleadh, which attracts more than 250,000 people annually, was widely expected to be staged in Derry in 2013 -- the first time it would have been held in the North. Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann yesterday expressed "surprise" and "disappointment" after its Ulster Council dramatically turned down the bid, blaming fears over dissident violence. The organisation's executive will meet this Saturday to consider the appeal. The event was set to coincide with Derry's year as the UK City of Culture -- and would have attracted media attention from around the world. The North's first minister Peter Robinson and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness had backed the proposals for Derry to hold the 10-day festival. Other bids had been received from Ennis and Sligo town; however, it is understood that Derry was hot favourite to host. At a meeting on Sunday, a sub-committee of the Comhaltas Ulster Council ruled against Derry city's bid. They cited possible dangers posed by dissidents after two bomb explosions in the city last week. However, it is understood that some people in the city were unhappy to have the fleadh associated with a cultural festival with 'UK' in its title. Comhaltas chief Labhras O Murchu said the group was "surprised and disappointed" by the Ulster Council's rejection. He said the position was "unfair to all those in the North of Ireland from both traditions who have supported traditional music down through the years". "They must feel very disappointed that all their work has been ignored," he added. He also said the Comhaltas organisation was "well received" throughout Britain. Mr O Murchu said he believed it was the "first time" ever that a Comhaltas provincial committee had stopped a bid from going ahead. "It sends the wrong message," he said. Comhaltas yesterday received emails of support from across the country, Britain, Europe, Australia and Canada backing Derry's bid to host the All-Ireland fleadh. "I think we have to get this back on track," said Mr O Murchu. "This is historical, the event has never gone north of the Border and there's a unifying element to it." Chairman of the Derry County Board of Comhaltas, Brendan Molloy, said he was "shocked beyond belief" by the Ulster Council's decision. Mr Molloy said it, "beggar(ed) belief" that a "handful of people" could put a stop to such a historic event taking place. The Ulster Council was contacted for a response; however, there was no comment from the council. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

Surprise at Ulster Council rejection of Derry fleadh application

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:53:00

The central executive of Comhaltas is to meet in Dublin on Saturday to consider an appeal from the Derry branch of the organisation against the decision by the Ulster Council rejecting the Derry application. Three towns – Ennis, Sligo and Derry – have applied to hold the all-Ireland fleadh next year, with Derry, which will be UK City of Culture in 2013, viewed as favourite. The all-Ireland fleadh, which runs over 10 days beginning at the end of August, attracts 250,000 to 300,000 visitors and is worth some €40 million to the host town or city. It has never been held in the North over its 60-year history. Recent weeks have seen some disagreement within Comhaltas in Derry, but more strongly among some Ulster Council members who did not want the fleadh associated with a year-long cultural festival that has “UK” in its title. On Sunday executive members of the Ulster Council met after which they issued a statement saying it “would be impossible to support or recommend the Derry 2013 fleadh bid due to the recent dissident threats”. While dissident republicans carried out two bomb attacks in Derry last week, the Ulster Council decision caused shock and consternation among Derry supporters of the application, who complained they were advised there was no need to attend the Ulster Council meeting as the decision to support Derry was a mere “formality”. Local Sinn Féin and SDLP representatives expressed astonishment and dismay at the decision. Fianna Fáil Senator and head of Comhaltas Mr Ó Murchú said opposition to Derry hosting the event appeared to “see-saw” over the “UK City of Culture” title and the dissidents. However the central executive of Comhaltas had met the police, Derry City Council and business and community leaders last year and was satisfied Derry was well-placed to host the fleadh. He was surprised at Sunday’s decision as “the Ulster Council of Comhaltas made a unanimous decision back last year to support an application from Derry”. “We feel the statement that was put out had political undertones, and we want to clarify that we are non-political and non-sectarian, and have always been like that.” The Comhaltas central executive will consider the appeal on Saturday. It is also due to decide which venue should host the fleadh next year. If the Derry appeal is successful, that decision may be postponed. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

Social class and gender have huge effect on the way pupils are taught

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:49:00

Big learning gaps could emerge between boys and girls, as well as the rich and poor, because teachers are tailoring classes according to what they believe is best for their students. But the result is that the amount of time being spent on core subjects varies widely across the primary school system, a new study reveals. It found: - All-girls schools concentrated more on religious education and art. - All-boys schools concentrated more on English, physical education, history and geography. - Co-ed schools sought a middle ground between boys' and girls' schools in terms of subjects. - Disadvantaged schools focused on English and social, personal and health education. - More advantaged schools focused on art, religious education and Irish. The report, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on nine-year-olds in the primary school system, outlines the dramatic differences in the way children are taught. Key factors include their gender, social background and the age and character of their teacher. The nine-year-olds surveyed spent most of their time at school learning English, Irish, maths and religion. But the mix offered to pupils largely depended on the type of school attended. There was large variation in the time allocated to particular subject areas found across schools, and even within schools. This may mean that some students spend significantly less time than their peers on subjects such as maths, which could lead to a learning gap if repeated in subsequent years. Broadly, the report found girls spend more time in school learning religion, while boys focus more on history, geography and physical education. The report, which uses information from the wider Growing Up in Ireland study, found pupils in single-sex girls' schools and fee-paying private schools are afforded more "active" and engaging classes. Meanwhile, those in disadvantaged areas are more likely to be taught through traditional methods. Teachers more recently out of training college place a greater emphasis on interactive teaching than their older counterparts, it found, but traditional teaching methods still dominate overall. Sheila Nunan, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, said the curriculum was designed in 1999 and implemented on the understanding that there was a need to reduce class sizes. However, she said one in five of the primary school population are in classes of more than 30, which makes interactive teaching methods very difficult. Ms Nunan said much of what teachers learn in colleges of education is "washed out" after a few years of having to deal with large classes, a lack of resources and poor school buildings. Dr Emer Smyth, a report co-author and ESRI professor, said the outcome of the huge variations in teaching would not be known until a follow-up study in four years' time into the progress of the children. "The concern would be, that if you have a gap -- some classes are spending two hours more on maths than other classes -- if that persisted into other year groups there could be a learning gap emerging," she said. Other findings of the report revealed how girls were more likely to have a positive attitude towards languages, while girls in single-sex schools were more interested in maths. It found that boys in single-sex schools were happier to learn English, Irish and mathematics compared to those in mixed-sex schools. Foilsithe ar 19 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

Údarás reveals job loss slowdown

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:43:00

In its end-of-year statement, Údarás said the number of jobs lost in 2011 was 40% lower than in 2009. The agency attributed the slowdown to its investment strategy, which has been focused over the past three years on supporting existing businesses. The statement said the job reductions were due primarily to companies shedding a small number of staff in order to rationalise and reduce costs. "We’re operating in very challenging times." said Siubhán Nic Grianna, communications and marketing manager with Údarás. "Companies are not investing as much as they used to. They’re being very careful and, as a result, we’re not getting the same level of applications for investment through as we have in previous years," she added. The agency said jobs are lost annually as a normal part of the business lifecycle, but described the slowdown in the rate of job losses as "most encouraging". "We believe when the economic cycle turns positive, we should see growth returning to these companies very quickly," said Ms Nic Grianna A total of 734 jobs were created in Údarás client companies last year, bringing total employment to 7,000 full-time and 500 part-time jobs. Increases in employment numbers were concentrated in exporting enterprises in the medical devices, audio-visual, digital media, financial services and specialist manufacturing. This year, €21 million will be invested in approved projects in Gaeltacht companies. It is envisaged these projects will create 400 jobs. In addition, the agency expects a further 700 jobs will be generated by approvals during the year. Research by Forfás in 2011 shows sales in Údarás client companies stood at €750m in 2010, of which €399m was in the export sector, a rise of 13% on the previous year; 54% of Údarás client companies are involved in exporting&&. Údarás has seen its state capital subvention fall from €28m in 2008 to €6m in 2011. The board of Údarás will no longer be directly elected by the community, a cost-saving measure which it is anticipated will result in savings of €500,000. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

FF Bill proposes lobby registration

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:40:00

The party’s environment spokesman Niall Collins yesterday published a political lobby Bill that it will introduce in the Dáil during the current session. Mr Collins said that if accepted, the Bill would revamp the political system by making knowledge of all lobbying activity openly available and accessible by the public. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

City of Tribes wants to turn back time with new invasion

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:35:00

Descendants of the famous 14 tribes of Galway will be tracked down and invited to recreate the invasion of the 12th and 13th Centuries. But whereas the Anglo-Norman invasion was a major power-trip for the arriving tribes, the purpose next year will be one hell of a party. And descendants of the Gaelic families who were driven from their homes will also be invited back. A by-law of the 15th Cenruty forbade anyone with an O or Mac as part of their surname from walking the streets of Galway without permission from the tribes. The likes of the O'Briens and O'Flahertys and the MacDonaghs and MacGraths will now be urged to return. It is the City of Tribes' proposed contribution to the government tourism initiative entitled 'The Gathering'. This global Irish homecoming has been billed as the biggest tourism initiative ever staged in Ireland. Scheduled to last all of next year, it will feature festivals and events built around the Irish diaspora. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

Ag cur régime nua i bhfeidhm

Gaelport — 24/01/2012 10:32:00

Tá an mhargaíocht á sá siar ár scornach ó thús mhí Eanáir. Daoine leathcháiliúla ag iarraidh DVD corpacmhainne a dhíol linn. Fógraí do laethanta saoire cois trá ar an teilifís agus fógra eile a chuireann an cheist: an mbeidh tusa ullamh don mbikini? Beidh má itheann tú ceallóga K trí huaire sa ló. Dar ndóigh, comhcheilg atá sna haistí bídh seo, comhcheilg ag an tsochaí phaitriacach na mná a choimeád faoi smacht. San ráite, táim tar éis triail a bhaint as gach aon saghas aclaíochta de réir nós na huaire. Tá ranganna áirithe aclaíochta ann a mhaíonn go mbainfidh tú sult astu. Seachain iad seo. Saghas amháin a ritheann liom, agus a bhí go mór sa bhfaisean le déanaí, ná Zumba. Seinntear ceol samba agus RnB go hard amhail is go bhfuilir i gclub oíche agus ag baint taitnimh as. (Níl tú.) Taispeánann bean róshona ón iasacht duit conas preabadh timpeall agus cúpla séap a chaitheamh. Anois is arís iarrtar ort do chromáin a chroitheadh ar bhealach atá in ainm is a bheith sexyáilte. Tuigeann gach éinne nach bhfuil sé pioc sexyáilte mar tá balla amháin sa stiúideo ina scáthán agus, mo léan, is gá féachaint ort féin. Nílim ag rá nach bhfuil sé ar chumas daoine an move áirithe seo a bhaint amach, ach de réir taighde tuairisciúil, tá sé níos deacra do na Gaeil nuair nach bhfuil an braon istigh. Toisc nach moltar deoch mheisciúil a ól roimh dul i mbun aclaíochta, is baolach go mbeimid ciotrúnta sa rang Zumba go ceann i bhfad. Is beag rithim a theastaíonn ó dhuine sa rang Fight Fit, ach cabhraíonn ruainnín beag feirge. Agus foighne. Luaim foighne mar d’fhéadfadh an rang seo a bheith saghas leamh. (Sonc, buille, clé, clé, srl.) Taispeánann an t-áisitheoir conas ionsaitheoirí dofheicthe a bhualadh. Thar aon ní eile, is gá samhlaíocht, mar níl os do chomhair amach ach aer. Agus ceol Rocky ad’ thionlacan, tugann tú cic don namhaid (“samhlaigh gurb é do boss atá romhat,” a ghríosann fear na matán ag barr an ranga.) Ardaíonn tú do lámha san aer go daingean amhail is go bhfuilir dod’ chosaint (“samhlaigh go bhfuil fear dod’ ionsaí le scian.”) Ach níor shaothar in aisce é mar ba sa rang seo a dheineas mo chéad chúpla sá gróigthe agus bhraitheas toradh/piain an ghnímh seo ar feadh roinnt mhaith laethanta ina dhiaidh sin. Más mian leat racht a chur díot gan díobháil a dhéanamh d’aon duine, mholfainn an rang seo. Ach seachain nach dtugann tú sonc duit féin sa phus. Féadann sé tarlú. Tháinig Pilates go hÉirinn tráth go rabhas ar an gcoláiste. Níl sé i bhfad ón ióga féin ach tá níos mó béim ar theanntú. Bíonn ort do thóin a theannadh agus mar an gcéanna matáin do bhoilg. Thriaileas féin is cúpla cara ón ollscoil rang Pilates uair amháin. Bhí an rang ar siúl in aice le beár an choláiste. Teannadh, searradh, crapadh, dheineamar é go léir, cé nárbh fhios an raibh sé á dhéanamh i gceart againn. Bhíomar chomh sásta linn féin tar éis an ranga – agus lán séireatonine, is dócha – gur shocraíomar dul i gcomhair dí. Féadann sibh féin críoch an scéil a chumadh; faoi mar is eol do chách, níl a leithéid de rud ann agus deoch amháin, go háirithe nuair ba mhic léinn gan bhuairimh sinn. Níor bhacamar le Pilates as sin amach, ní raibh sé go maith dár sláinte. Is é ióga an t-aon cheann acu a choinnigh mo shuim. Ach de réir mar a leanaim leis, tugaim faoi deara gur cosúla ióga le reiligiún ná rang aclaíochta. Go deimhin, tá cúpla fear sa rang a bhfuil dealramh acu le hÍosa féin: féasóg agus dreach síochánta orthu. Agus tugtar ómós don teagascóir amhail is gur dia beag é. Tá cáil na háiféise ar ióga agus ní féidir liom é sin a shéanadh go hiomlán. Tá téarmaíocht ar leith ag gabháil leis a luann an croí go háirithe: bítear ag caint ar “análú ón gcroí” nó “an croí a dhéanamh bog” nó, fiú, “an croí a oscailt”. Bladar, a deir tú. Nach cuma, a deirim. Pé ar bith é, braithim tuirse shásúil, shuaimhneach ina dhiaidh. Ach an leor san? Mura bhfuil tú i bpéin ag cur allais, an fiú é? Ar eagla na heagla, táim chun ballraíocht a thógaint amach i spórtlann don gcéad uair. Ar nós go leor daoine eile, is mian liom a fháil amach an mbeidh costas na ballraíochta mar spreagadh dom dul ann go rialta. Nó an mbeadh ina measc siúd a bhraitheann ciontach as airgead mór a íoc as áis nach n-úsáideann siad? Neosfaidh an aimsir. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 24 Eanáir 2012

Gaeltacht parents oppose teacher ratio changes in smaller primary schools

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:42:00

“Ruairí Quinn, éist linn!” chanted more than 200 parents and their children at a demonstration in Galway at the weekend. The parents from nine Gaeltacht schools in south Connemara expressed vehement opposition to a change which they describe as “discriminating against rural communities, non-Catholic school populations and Irish speakers”. Irish National Teachers’ Organisation members attending a consultative conference in Galway also described the move as a “blunt instrument”. The organisation’s general secretary Sheila Nunan described the budgetary measures as “flawed and lacking in planning” and called for a “coherent, long-term and resourced strategy for sustainable schools that met children’s needs irrespective of location”. Such a strategy should “respect linguistic diversity and plurality of patronage”, Ms Nunan told more than 300 members at the meeting, which was called to discuss the impact of new primary education cuts. The change to pupil-teacher ratios for those primary schools with four or fewer teachers was announced as a form of “phased increase” in pupil threshold in the December budget. Larger primary schools will not be affected. Opposition has been expressed at a series of meetings around the State, with 500 people attending a meeting on the issue in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, on Friday. Protests have also been held in areas including An Tuairín, Co Galway, one of the first Connemara Gaeltacht schools to be affected; Dunmanway, Co Cork, last week, and near Castlemaine, Co Kerry, before Christmas. At the Galway demonstration, which was held in “solidarity with INTO members”, Connemara Gaeltacht parents said Mr Quinn was “forcing closure by stealth” by eroding confidence in the viability of schools with four teachers and under. “It is time that this Government stopped blaming the previous government, as it is not acceptable that our children should have to suffer in these circumstances,” said Dara Bailey, who has one child at Leitir Móir and three at Leitir Calaidh primary schools. Fellow Leitir Calaidh parents Maria Nic Dhonncha, Mairín Ní Fhatharta and Margaret O’Sullivan said they were “very disappointed” at remarks by Minister of State for Education Ciarán Cannon in Ballinasloe on Friday night in which he proposed “clustering” junior and senior cycle primary classes from several schools under one board of management. “Mr Cannon doesn’t seem to understand that if we lose our school, we lose our community, our identity is gone and it will affect the Irish language,” the parents said. “If Mr Cannon reflects the general attitude of Government, then as a society we are in serious trouble.” Mr Cannon told The Irish Times yesterday that no one was “forcing amalgamation”, but such clustering could take place within a community or parish setting. “At least let us look at all the options,” he said. Parents Ann Joyce, Delia Griffin, Mary Uí Fhatharta, Ellie Joyce and Teresa McDonagh of Tír an Fhia school said some schools might end up with one teacher for eight classes, which raised health and safety and EU work-time directive issues. They called on Mr Quinn to “talk to the primary school principals” who might be able to propose viable cost-saving measures which would have a less detrimental effect on children and communities. Mr Cannon said the Minister would talk to principals at their forthcoming conference. Last week the principal of Ahascragh school in north Galway, Liz Mulry, said there were less damaging measures Mr Quinn could take to save funds, such as tackling the price of building contracts for extra classrooms. “If this new pupil-teacher ratio was being implemented in schools in Ballsbridge or Drumcondra, the Government would not get away with it,” she said. CONCERNS FOR SCHOOL: LOCAL RESIDENTS FEAR DEATH OF COMMUNITY FACED WITH the closure of the school that defines their community, local residents in the Gaeltacht community of Leitir Calaidh in Galway are blaming a Dublin Government that they say does not understand them. In last month’s budget, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn set about increasing the number of pupils a school would need to retain a teacher. Currently, a school with 12 students is entitled to a second teacher, however in 2014 this number will rise to 20. For Scoil Naisiúnta Bhríde in Leitir Calaidh, which has 19 children enrolled and 19 projected to be enrolled in 2014, this means becoming a one-teacher school, which parents and teachers alike say would be its death. “It won’t work,” said school principal Cathy Mhic Gearailt. “I’d expect that parents wouldn’t send their child to a one-teacher school and I’d say it would be closure here. “In this day and age the curriculum is so wide. There are 11 subjects per class and a lot of the work is hands on and involves group work.” She added that when a nearby school in Cnoc was reduced to just one teacher, it quickly failed, causing more social destruction than simply the loss of a school. “The change in their area since the school closed, even parents chit-chatting at the gate and the kids to all play together and to know each other and now there is no sense of community there.” Leitir Calaidh is a small townland just north of Leitir Mór in the south Connemara Gaeltacht. While it has close ties with its neighbouring areas, its residents cherish their own unique identity. The death of that community is what the parents fear most, as Anne Marie Hernon, whose son is in third class in Scoil Bhríde, said. “It would take away our identity because we are such separate areas and this school is the one thing that identifies ourselves.” Visiting the school last week, Fine Gael Senator and party spokeswoman on education in the previous Seanad, Fidelma Healy Eames said Mr Quinn’s policy on retention numbers was mistaken and he had shown “a lack of understanding of the complexity of rural schools”. She added that while his cost- saving objective may have been well intentioned, it would have been fairer if he had simply increased the pupil-teacher ratio across the board by 0.6. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Protests at new teacher ratios

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:40:00

Families in Clare, Offaly and Westmeath have been invited to joint counterparts from across the west who are opposed to the ratio changes implemented by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn. They will demonstrate their support for the Irish National Teachers Organisation’s (INTO) stance on the issue at a union consultative conference in a Galway hotel this morning. Liz Mulry, principal of a three-teacher school in Ahascragh, Co Galway, said it was one of a series of actions, which included a public meeting in Ballinasloe last night. Parents participated in a protest on the issue yesterday at Scoil Mhuire, a Gaeltacht primary school in An Tuairín, south Connemara, while up to 500 people attended a meeting on the issue earlier this week in Dunmanway, Co Cork. Ms Mulry says the pupil-teacher ratio changes initiated in the budget for one, two, three and four-teacher schools threaten the viability of rural and non-Catholic schools as both tend to be smaller. “If this ratio was being implemented in schools in Ballsbridge or Drumcondra, the Government would not get away with it,” Ms Mulry said. “Under the new, revised figures announced by the Minister we are set to lose a teacher the year after next even though we had more than enough pupils for three teachers on last September’s figures.” Ms Mulry added: “Everyone knows we have to make cuts, but I would appeal to Mr Quinn to ask the principals for suggestions as to how to do same without affecting pupils.” Foilsithe ar 21 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Distinguished poet and translator who strived for 'true gentleness'

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:19:00

Some critics regard his early poems as his best, considering the later work to have diverged more and more into prose. By contrast, The Irish Times described him as “one of Ireland’s most inventive, instructive, and perennially newsworthy poets”, adding, “[his poems] always embody and, at their best, articulate Hutchinson’s desire for what he once called ‘true gentleness’.” And his facility for the arresting line – for instance, “Love takes a long and garrulous time to die” – was universally acknowledged. From 1957 to 1961 he reviewed drama for Raidió Éireann, and in the 1970s presented Oró Domhnaigh , a weekly programme of poetry, music and folklore. He also wrote a weekly column for the RTÉ Guide . He lived for long periods in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, and from 1971 to 1973 was Gregory fellow in poetry at the University of Leeds. Academic and poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin this week said he was a poet of seriousness and integrity. “His poetry is not preoccupied with the literary, but it explores all the resonances and realities of words and language.” Broadcaster, poet and dramatist Vincent Woods described him as a “hugely gifted poet and a remarkable, inspirational presence in Irish literature and in life”. He was born in Glasgow in 1927 to Harry and Cathleen Hutchinson. The family moved to Dublin in 1932 and he was the last pupil to be enrolled in Scoil Éanna. He later attended Synge Street CBS, where he remembered being “a happy swot, with a natural liking for language”. In 1948 he enrolled at UCD, where he studied Castilian and Italian. His poetic development was further spurred by a holiday in Spain and Portugal in 1950. In 1951 he returned to Spain, intending to settle there. Unable to find work, he travelled to Geneva, where he joined the International Labour Office as a translator. Returning to Dublin in 1953, he rekindled his interest in the Irish language. He was attracted to the work of Máirtín Ó Direáin and Seán Ó Ríordáin, and found in Kevin Street public library “a wealth of Gaelic poetry”. He devoured everything he could find by Aonghus Fionn Ó Dálaigh, Dáibhí Ó Bruadair and Piaras Feiritéar, who became one of his favourite poets. He began writing in Irish, finding it less difficult to be direct, simple and natural. His first Irish-language poems to be published appeared in Comhar in 1954. That year he travelled again to Spain, where he learned the Catalan and Galician languages. He returned to Ireland in 1957 but was back in Barcelona in 1961. There his first book, a volume of translations from the Catalan of Josep Carner, was published. His first collection, Tongue Without Hands (1963), followed. By the late 1960s he was making his living in Ireland, from poetry and journalism. In 1968 a collection of poems, Faoistin Bhacach , was published. Expansions (1969) contains much social and political comment. Friend Songs (1970) is a collection of medieval love poems translated from Galacio-Portuguese. Two volumes of his own work followed, Watching the Morning Grow (1972) and The Frost Is All Over (1975).His 75th birthday in 2002 was marked by the publication of his Collected Poems , followed a year later by Done into English , a selection of translated works by more than 60 poets. His most recent collection At Least for a While was published in 2008. He was awarded the Butler Prize in 1969 and an Arts Council bursary in 1978. He was a founding editor of the magazine Cyphers and a member of Aosdána. His life partner, Alan Biddle, predeceased him in 1994. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- William Patrick Henry Pearse Hutchinson: born February 16th, 1927; died January 14th, 2012 Foilsithe ar 21 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Pearse Hutchinson

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:11:00

The death has taken place in Dublin of Pearse Hutchinson, one of Ireland's most original and distinguished poets in both English and Irish. He was also known as a pioneering broadcaster and translator, who used his immense skills as a linguist to introduce readers to poetry from many European languages. Pearse Hutchinson was born in Glasgow in 1927. He was proud of his Scottish background. Both his parents were of Irish stock, and had been active supporters of Sinn Fein. His father, a printer, had been interned in Frongoch from 1919 to 1921 and his mother, a friend of Countess Markiewicz, ran a Sinn Fein shop selling prison handicrafts. When de Valera came to power in 1932, Pearse's mother wrote to him and he arranged for the Hutchinsons to find employment in Ireland in the new state bodies. Pearse moved to Dublin and would be the last pupil enrolled in Padraig Pearse's school St Enda's, later attending Synge Street CBS. After a brief period in UCD he would spend much of the next two decades abroad, mainly in Spain. He was particularly drawn to the then oppressed minority languages like Galician and Catalan. He was to translate many poets from Catalan, in particular Salvador Espriu. His interest in Spain and Catalan poetry would greatly influence succeeding generations of Irish poets. His first collection of poetry, Tongue Without Hands was published by Dolmen in 1963, and in 1968 he published a collection in Irish, Faoistin Bachach. After his return to Ireland in 1967 he continued to publish poetry and translations in both English and Irish. After spending three years in Leeds University as a Gregory Fellow, he returned to Ireland and participated fully in Dublin's literary and bohemian scene, centred round McDaid's and the readings in Synott's pub. In 1975, along with his friends Eilean ni Chuilleanain, Leland Bardwell and Macdara Woods, he co-founded Cyphers, which now, after more than 70 issues, is the Republic's longest-running poetry magazine. He was active as a journalist and broadcaster, and in 1977 and 1978 made the radio programme Oro Domhnaigh, a revolutionary mixture of music, poetry and folklore which for many listeners was an introduction to new poetic worlds. He was invited to join the newly created Aosdana in 1981, something which he credits with saving his life, as it gave him some financial security for the first time. His Collected Poems were published by Gallery Press in 2002. This was followed by Done into English (2003), which brought together his translations from over a dozen languages. It was only in recent years that the scale of his achievement received proper recognition, with a symposium devoted to his work in TCD in 2007, and the publication last year of Reading Pearse Hutchinson: From Findrum to Fisterra, a collection of 15 essays on his work edited by Philip Coleman and Maria Johnson. This was a source of great gratification to him. Pearse had many friends all over the world, and spent hours on the telephone maintaining a global network. His gift for friendship was evidenced from the love and care with which his many friends surrounded him during his recent illnesses. In aistriuchan Ghaeilge de chuid Hutchinson ar Sandro Penna, nochtann se a chroi fein -- 'laghdaigh mo phiain, a oiche alainn. Ceas ma's ga me, ach bronn orm neart.' Is mor againn toradh a pheine agus a nirt. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. Foilsithe ar 22 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Mayo biographies feature on Irish language website

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:10:00

Each of the featured 1,693 lives has made a unique contribution to the Irish language over the last five centuries. Forty-seven biographies featured are from people from Mayo. This work is a valuable research tool comprising almost 1,700 biographies from 1560 to the present day. The objective of the project is to provide easy access to this knowledge base, which contains 1.3 million words, through the digitisation of the original material and its publication online. The enhanced search and browsing features allow users to explore this resource in innovative ways. Foilsithe ar 20 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Irish classes a good move by Titanic campus

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:06:00

The class will be on Thursdays (7-9pm), starting the week beginning January 23. This is a great opportunity for people from the area. And, indeed, for people from further afield, to go along to an Irish class in the brand new campus. JANET MULLER Chief executive, Pobal Foilsithe ar 20 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Encouraging slowdown in Gaeltacht job losses

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:05:00

Udaras na Gaeltachta -- the regional authority responsible for the economic and social development of the Gaeltacht -- said that despite this, there was an "encouraging slowdown" in the rate of job losses. A total of 734 jobs were created in its client companies in 2011, offset by 838 job losses, amounting to a net loss of 104 positions overall. Both the job gains and losses included manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, audio-visual and digital media, right down to small family-run businesses. "A most encouraging trend is the slowdown in job losses," Udaras na Gaeltachta said. It claimed that a strategy of supporting businesses already in existence was at the root of this development. "The job reductions occurred mostly due to companies shedding a small number of staff in order to rationalise and reduce costs," the regional authority said. A total investment of €21m into Gaeltacht companies last year is expected to lead to the creation of some 400 new positions when fully established. Next year, some 700 new positions are anticipated as a result of further investment. According to research carried out by Forfas last year, total sales in Udaras client companies for 2010 was in the region of €750m. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

TG4 show snapped up by NBC International

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:03:00

NBC Universal purchased the format for Cé a Chónaigh i mo Theachsa? (Who Lived In My House?) from Tile Films, a documentary and film production company, for an undisclosed amount. The programme investigates exciting histories of old homes with unusual ties to well-known events and famous figures. The format will now be made available to broadcasters around the world - a potential audience of up to 400 million subscribers in more than 150 territories. TG4 initially commissioned six episodes of Cé a Chónaigh i mo Theachsa, which ran in 2010. The second series, consisting of twelve episodes, is currently on air. It was produced by a crew of 20, working on a budget of €440,000. The airing of the first episode of the new series on TG4 increased ratings by 50 per cent for the slot. "The programme involves fascinating storytelling that will appeal to a large audience. It's also very adaptable," said Rachel Towell, its producer. A percentage of sales by NBC Universal will be recouped by Tile Films and TG4. "In that respect, it's an export, said Towell." The format will be launched by NBC in mid-April. Footage of Tile Film's original programming, featuring presenter Manchán Magan (brother of director Ruán Magan) and homes in Wexford, Kerry and Westmeath - will be used to promote it worldwide. Foilsithe ar 22 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Gaelchultúr launches spring class schedule

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 12:01:00

Classes will take place in Dublin, Carlow, Cork, Limerick, Mullingar ans Sligo. The evening classes commence on February 6-9, and run for 12 weeks. The cost is €240 for the 12 classes and booking is available online at www.gaelchultur.com. Gaelchultúr has many different levels on offer, from beginners to those who are already fluent in Irish. People unsure of their level are encouraged to contact Gaelchultúr for a chat or to try its free online test at www.ranganna.com, whioch is easy to use and very popular. Learners will attend a two-hour session (7-9pm) one night each week. Classes ar available at up to eight different levels: - beginners - elementary - lower intermediate - upper intermediate - advanced 1 - advanced 2 - accuracy in Irish 1 and - accuracy in Irish 2. Darren O'Rodaigh of Gaelchultúr is looking forward to welcoming students to the spring series of classes. "We recently received Fetac accreditation and hope to offer accredited classes later this year, details of which will be posted on our website," he said. Those interested in attending Gaelchultúr's Irish language evening classes can book a place online at www.gaelchultur.cojm or lo-call 1890-252900. Places are limited, so early booking is advised. Foilsithe ar 22 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Kate Rowan: Words of the wise for Irish rugby coach Declan Kidney ... as gaelige

Gaelport — 23/01/2012 11:56:00

Perhaps, as well as taking guidance from the on-field performances, Ireland coach Declan Kidney could take some inspiration from the Irish language ahead of announcing his 30 man squad next week and starting teams during the Six Nations tournament! Gaeilge is rich with many proverbs or seanfhoicail (for those of you without the fluency of the ever effervescent Rugbaí Beo presenter Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill, this literally means “old words”) and are phrases of wisdom that have been passed down from generations of Irish speakers. Some of these wise words, when put in the current context of Irish rugby would seem to give very apt guidance in selecting the correct squad for a successful Six Nations. Tournament. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí - Praise the young and they will flourish: Blood youthful talent Ireland’s World Cup exit to Wales was billed as a clash between experience and youth. We all know the youth won out that day but against Australia’s starlets such as Quade Cooper, James O’Connor and Will Genia, the experience triumphed. The English have opted for a youthful squad to counter their recent poor showing both on and off the pitch. However, each of the 24 members of Ireland’s Six Nations senior squad travelled to New Zealand. In addition to this Kidney named six uncapped players to join the first week of the Irish training camp. Peter O’Mahony is probably the most high profile inclusion in this group and to the dismay of many, did not make the senior squad. O’Mahony has proved himself both domestically and on the European stage this season should at the very least be included in the 30 man squad next week. This is a crucial stage to start gradually blooding young players that may become some of the established faces of the squad by the time the Irish make the much shorter trip across the Irish Sea for the next attempt to claim the Webb-Ellis cup in 2015. Ní neart go cur le chéile - There is not strength until there is unity: Back up this youth with an experienced back bone. Balance is vital in playing the age game in sport. Fortunately, there is an array of experienced leaders with strong personalities and this needs to be used strategically to make a bridge between the old and new guards. Conor Murray got his chance in the Irish squad at the Rugby World Cup and emerged from being a fringe contender at scrumhalf without even a Heineken Cup appearance before travelling to New Zealand to being first choice in his position. He seemed to grow into his role in the team and a new star was born without completely unsettling the overall balance. This gradual approach needs to continue. O’Mahony realistically would not depose the current favoured back row of Stephen Ferris, Jamie Heaslip and Seán O’Brien but gaining the experience in training and then starting from the bench seems a very realistic means of blooding young talent and keeping competition strong within the squad. Of course it could be argued that with Ireland not having an out and out mobile number seven, the Cork man could be seen a possible “bolter” that would suit starting against the Welsh. As well as making room for international debutants, younger players such as Devin Toner, who already has a handful of caps needs to be brought into the senior squad from the Wolfhounds on the back of his strong performances for Leinster this season. Ireland’s second row is aging, and it would look like Donncha O’Callaghan should make way for Donnacha Ryan. With the latter in his late twenties and if Toner is used primarily as a replacement, the lessons learnt will be positive for him and eventually beneficial for the team, when we will no longer have Paul O’Connell to strike the “fear of God” into the opposition. Is maith an t-anlann an t-ocras - Hunger is a good sauce: Why Andrew Trimble, Fergus McFadden and Luke Fitzgerald should be considered as starting players Sometimes not starting a game or even not being included in a squad can add an extra incentive to players. This can set their game on fire in order to warrant their inclusion next time around. In his man of the match performance against Leicester at Ravenhill, Andrew Trimble made his statement of intent to Kidney. The Ulster man was the probably the best and most consistent player of the disappointing run of World Cup warm-ups and did not hide his disappointment at not starting against Australia, Italy or Wales in New Zealand. He would again be rightfully disappointed to miss out the Six Nations starting line up. The player that made the headlines when this first configuration of squads was announced was Luke Fitzgerald due to his selection as a Wolfhound. Yet he was another glorious example of proving himself for his province. You only have to look at his performance in what turned out to be Leinster’s aptly titled “Christmas Cracker” against Bath and in the season thus far. Since not being selected for the trip down under, a spark and intent has returned to the Wicklow native’s style of play. Perhaps, the fact he has not played since St Stephen’s Day has gone against Fitzgerald but it would seem he will need to show more of this determination against the England Saxons to make a claim to get back into the senior squad. If Fitzgerald does force his way back as Tomás O’Leary did last year, his hunger to prove himself could serve as an excellent weapon if he were picked to start against Wales. His desire to prove himself mixed with that of his teammates who were knocked out by the same opposition in the World Cup could make for just the right mentality to get their campaign off to the right start. Many would say Fitzgerald made way for Fergus McFadden to be included in the World Cup plans. However, during the tournament he was a fringe player. By performing solidly and consistently with the added pressure of being compared with the missing O’Driscoll, he has also laid down the gauntlet to both literally and figuratively step into centre stage. Chíonn beirt rud nach bhfeiceann duine amháin - Two people see a thing that an individual does not see: The importance of partnerships and flexibility – the centre pairing In terms of the selection of this squad and then starting fifteens, one of the media talking points or possibly the media talking point will be the selection of the man to fill Brian O’Driscoll’s boots at outside centre. O’Driscoll will be missed and his particular brand of creativity and talismanic value cannot be replicated. However, instead of focusing just on individual players to step in at 13, the centre pairing as a partnership should be examined. The rumour mill has it that Kidney has his eye on Tommy Bowe to move from the wing to outside centre. There is still a strong case to explore some of the other options. McFadden was seen as a strong contender for this role. Many would argue though that defensively he is still not experienced enough for the rigours demanded at outside centre. Perhaps, then fellow ex-Clongowes man Gordon D’Arcy could move from the inside to the outside to start the games alongside McFadden. The Wexford man would have the experience defensively and with the on-field organisation skills required to play at 13 and then during the game, the two could swap over with the younger player moving to the outside channel for periods of attack. It should also be noted that wingers such as Bowe (if he is not played in the centre), Fitzgerald and Keith Earls can and probably will step into centre off phase play. As with the Monaghan man, Fitzgerald and Earls have been touted by various pundits as possible starters in the centre. This leads to the reassuring point that regardless of which backline player is on the bench of the aforementioned trio and also Trimble, all have some experience of playing at outside centre. Ireland could use the absence of their tried and tested centre pairing as a blessing in disguise as this is the perfect opportunity for experimentation, which may just surprise the opposition. Is minic a rinne bromach gioblach capall cumasach - A delicate colt often becomes a competent horse: The argument for the inclusion of Eoin O’Malley as part of the senior squad Returning to the theme of fostering fresh faces Eoin O’Malley is another young player that it could be argued deserves a promotion from the Wolfhounds to the senior squad on the merit of his performances for Leinster. There is a dearth of specialist centres at test level due to O’Driscoll’s supremacy and although Paddy Wallace has served Ulster and Irish rugby well, there is not a high likelihood of him starting or even making the match day 22, so perhaps at 32 years of age, his place should be sacrificed to build for the future. The 23 year-old Dubliner has been enjoyable to watch, running coltishly, socks pulled down, as he makes his attacking dashes through opposing defenses. These attacking skills would be good enough for test level but realistically he still needs time to grow, particularly defensively to be a true contender for a starting position. However, the centre should be part of Kidney’s senior squad and much would be gained for his future at both provincial and international level from this experience. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 23 Eanáir 2012

Suirbhé ar Athbhreithniú Acht na dTeangacha

Gaelport — 20/01/2012 11:02:00

Má cheapann tú go bhfuil cearta teanga tábhachtach, is é an 31 Eanáir an spriocdháta chun suirbhé a chomhlíonadh nó aighneacht a chur faoi bhráid na Roinne, i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla. Dar leis an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta, tá 300 duine nó eagraíocht tar éis an suirbhé a líonadh amach go dtí seo agus tá 32 aighneacht déanta. Tá Guth na Gaeltachta agus Conradh na Gaeilge ag moladh don mhéid daoine agus is féidir an suirbhé a chomhlíonadh nó aighneacht a dhéanamh, chun tacaíocht a léiriú don Acht agus chun a gcuid tuairimí a chur in iúil. “Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go bhfuil Acht Teanga ann agus nach ndéanfar lagú as cuimse air,” a deir , urlabhraí Ghuth na Gaeltachta. “Ní bheidh an deis seo againn arís lenár dtuairimí a thabhairt. Tá an tAcht againn anois ó 2003 agus is cinnte go bhfuil athruithe ar mhaith linn uilig a fheiceáil theacht ar chodanna éagsúla de. Seo an deis leis na mianta sin a chur in iúil.” Dar le Mac Niallais, tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go léiríonn pobal na Gaeilge go bhfuil gá lena leithéid agus gur cheart tacaíocht a thabhairt don Acht tríd an suirbhé seo a chomhlíonadh, fiú muna bhfuil tuairimí nó moltaí láidre agat faoi athruithe. “Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeadh neamhspleachas iomlán ag an Choimisinéir Teanga agus nach mbeadh céim síos á tabhairt don Ghaeilge, nuair atá muid ag tosnú amach ar chur i bhfeidhm na Straitéise 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge,” a deir Mac Niallais. “Níl aon sábháil airgid i gceist leis an chinneadh seo agus bheadh impleachtaí tromchúiseacha aige do stádas na teanga.” Mar thoradh ar an suirbhé seo, tá súil go rachaidh an Rialtas siar ar a gcinneadh cónascadh a dhéanamh ar fheidhmeanna Oifig an Choimisinéir Teanga le hoifig an Ombudsman. Is féidir teacht ar an suirbhé agus foirm shamplach le haghaidh aighneacht ar shuíomh na Roinne ag www.pobail.ie nó www.ahg.gov.ie. Brú ar an nasc ‘Athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003’ ar an leathanach baile. Is féidir clárú leis an suíomh Facebook nuair atá an suirbhé comhlíonta agat. Téigh chuig an nasc: http://www.facebook.com/events/338428646186830/ Foilsithe ar 18 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 20 Eanáir 2012

Pobal ag iarraidh ar dhaoine aighneacht a scríobh

Gaelport — 20/01/2012 10:56:00

Ta Pobal, scáthghrúpa na n-eagras Gaeilge ó thuaidh, ag iarraidh ar Ghaeilgeoirí ó thuaidh aighneacht a chur faoin Dréacht-Phlean Rialtais. Is foireann speisialta taobh istigh d'Oifig an Chéad-Aire agus an LeasCéad-Aire atá ag plé le haighneachtaí maidir leis seo. Caithfidh aighneachtaí bheith istigh faoin 22 Feabhra. Dúirt urlabhraí thar ceann Pobal go raibh buaireamh orthu ar a laghad tagairt don Ghaeilge a bhí sa phlean. Dar leis an urlabhraí nár luigh seo leis an reachtaíocht idirnáisiúnta. "Faoin Chreat-Choinbhinsiún um Chosaint na Mionlach Náisiúnta agus faoin Chairt Eorpach ar Theangacha Réigiúnda nó Mionlaigh, tá sé de dhualgas ar rialtas na Breataine, chomh maith leis an Fheidhmeannas agus Tionól TÉ, an Ghaeilge a chosaint," arsa an t-urlabhraí. Leis, tá Pobal buartha nach luaitear Acht Gaeilge "ainneoin an gealltanas a tugadh i gComhaontú Chill Rímhinn, reachtaíocht don Ghaeilge a reachtú," arsa an t-urlabhraí. "Tá an comhaontú seo anois cúig bliana d'aois. Ba chóir do Chlár an Rialtais an tacaíocht fhorleathan atá ann do reachtaíocht don Ghaeilge sa Tuaisceart a aithint." D'iarr Janet Muller, Príomh-Fheidhmeannach Pobal, ar dhaoine cóipeanna d'aighneachtaí a chur chuig Pobal chomh maith. "Bíonn sin iontach úsáideach, mar bíonn a fhios againn cé mhéad duine atá ag tógáil cheist na Gaeilge leo," ar sise. Foilsithe ar 18 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 20 Eanáir 2012

Deis protesters picket Department of Education

Gaelport — 20/01/2012 10:55:00

Though Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn has described as a “mistake” the announcement of cuts to Deis (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), and had ordered a review of the plan, protesters demanded a complete, irrevocable reassurance the cuts would not happen. Some 428 teaching posts were to be cut under measures announced in December’s Budget. Among those who addressed the crowd from the front of the Pro Cathedral was Gearóid Conarain, whose youngest daughter, Pippa Ní Conarain (9), is a pupil at Scoil Santain in Tallaght. “We are not having these cuts. We are asking for a full shift back. We will not go away,” he said. Noreen Flynn, president of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, said if “this Government wants to show its commitment to children it should take away the tax loopholes that the wealthy enjoy”. The money raised should be used to educate and provide jobs for young people. Tax those who can afford it,” she said. Michelle Mallon, a mother with children in Scoil An tSeachtar Laoch in Ballymun, addressed the crowd, saying the children at the school “really need the support” they had got. Marie O’Grady, with children in St Enda’s Primary School in Whitefriar Street, said children there would not make it to secondary school or college without such supports. “Our children don’t have loans with banks. Our children don’t have property developments. Our children don’t play golf. So why do they have to pay for the mistakes of bankers and developers?” In the crowd was Wilhelmina Maher, whose two children attend Our Lady of Victories Infant National School in Ballymun. “At the moment they have third and fourth class together because of a shortage of teachers. I am very worried about what the cuts would mean.” There were banners from schools in Darndale, Fairview, Cherry Orchard, Jobstown, Ballyfermot, Ballymun, Coolock, Artane, Pimlico, Tallaght, Finglas and Clondalkin. Children held up placards including “What’s the Story Rúairí?”; “Hey, Rúairí, leave us kids alone”; and, “What would Jim Larkin say?” Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 20 Eanáir 2012

Dingle bilingual signs to end row

Gaelport — 20/01/2012 10:49:00

The signs will now read Dingle-Daingean Ui Chuis. The decision arises from legislation which officially gives the Gaeltacht town a bilingual name. Dingle publican Fergus O’Flaherty, chairman of a lobby group that conducted an extensive campaign for a bilingual name, welcomed the decision. "It’s a massive step in the right direction," he said. "At this stage, most of what we had been seeking in relation to signage and maps has been granted, which is also in line with the outcome of a local plebiscite (October 2006) which resulted in a 90% vote in favour of a bilingual name." The NRA will be replacing old signs bearing the now defunct name, An Daingean, on national primary roads, such as those leading from Cork and Limerick. The signs are due to be replaced in the NRA’s 2012 road programme. Mr O’Flaherty said the next step was for Kerry County Council to move on replacing signage on roads for which they were responsible. He also said the town would be seeking the support of tourism bodies. A council spokesman, meanwhile, said funding was still awaited from the Department of Transport to replace signs on national secondary and local roads. Kerry South Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin said it was crucially important for the NRA to proceed with the new signs without delay, given the importance of tourism to the Dingle Peninsula. Tourism interests in the peninsula had claimed the Irish-only signs were undermining the industry and confusing potential visitors. In recent years, road signs in Kerry have been defaced on a regular basis, with the name, Dingle being placed over the Irish version. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 20 Eanáir 2012

Groups' school patrons move

Gaelport — 20/01/2012 10:46:00

County Cork Vocational Education Committee and An Foras Pátrúnachta have made expressions of interest to the Department of Education, which proposes to establish 14 second-level schools. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 20 Eanáir 2012

Diarmuid de Faoite on IFTA hopes and Town Hall Doubt

Gaelport — 20/01/2012 10:41:00

He has just been nominated for a Best Actor IFTA for his role in TG4’s Corp + Anam and he is about to take one of the leads in the Town Hall’s forthcoming production of John Patrick Shanley’s hit play Doubt - a Parable. On screen De Faoite’s IFTA nomination is one of five that Corp + Anam received, a remarkable achievement for the production which was made by Furbo-based company Magamedia and shot in Galway last year. “It’s a great honour for us to have received five IFTAs,” de Faoite declares when we meet up for a coffee and a chat. “The IFTAs have a relatively new section specifically for Irish language works and one of our nominations was in that. “I was a bit worried initially that we might end up just being bracketed in that category because that happens so much with Irish language programmes - and not just with the programmes; as an actor also if you do something in Irish people just don’t seem to attach the same weight to it as they do to something in English. “Hopefully this recognition of Corp + Anam marks a major change for the better in that it sees an entirely Irish language programme up there punching its weight with all the others. I do believe TG4 has given the other Irish TV stations a real run for their money with the quality of the work, and they have raised the standard of TV drama here in Ireland.” Did the cast and crew of the series have any inkling while working on it that it could turn out to be such a hit? “I remember we were shooting the final scene of the first episode,” de Faoite recalls “and Cathal [the crime reporter character de Faoite plays in the programme] is eating a Chinese takeaway while listening to comments on the radio about the report he did. ‘Cut’ was called and the cameraman suddenly stuck his head in the window and said ‘Diarmuid! I’ll see you at the awards ceremony!’ And I answered ‘No, I’ll see you at the awards.’ It was just a bit of banter at the time but here we are!” The series has already won two Oireachtas Media Awards for Best TV Series and Best Actor (for de Faoite) and the actor is hopeful these and the IFTA nominations will help Magamedia access the requisite funding to make a second series. On stage Away from the screen, de Faoite has also been busy with work for the stage, having recently completed a 10-week run at London’s Old Vic theatre in The Playboy of the Western World. “That was a great experience,” he enthuses. “I played Jimmy Farrell, so I was following in the footsteps of Mairtin Jamesie no less who played the role with Druid years ago. The play was directed by John Crowley and 14 of the 15 cast members were Irish. “I also got the opportunity to be in a band! Philip Chevron did the music and at the start of each scene there was a song and a piece of music delivered by this troupe of roving minstrels and I played one of those which was brilliant because I’ve always been mad into music and singing and I’ve always wanted to be part of a band so to be singing my head off on the stage of the Old Vic was a great thrill.” Next up for de Faoite is another meaty role, that of the priest Father Flynn in Doubt which hits the Town Hall stage next month. Doubt is a spellbinding play set in a Bronx Catholic school in 1964. An imperious older nun suspects a popular priest of inappropriate behaviour with a student. Armed with nothing more than a resolute belief in her suspicion and a few circumstantial details, she instigates a relentless campaign to remove the priest, enlisting the help of a subordinate nun and the child's tormented mother. The simple, yet ever-shifting plot, leaves all four characters and the audience wondering whether they were justified in their thoughts, motives, and actions. “The play is pretty much summed up in its title,” de Faoite notes. “It turns on that whole question of doubt, it asks who do you believe, who’s telling the truth, is it right to be as suspicious as some of the characters are, is it right to be as defensive as others, has this priest being accused in the wrong? “It’s very very topical. We’ve seen so many cases in the news concerning the clergy, especially in the areas of sex abuse and paedophilia, some of it justifiable and other cases where the priest has been proved innocent. “It raises the possibility that a person might make an accusation just as a way of getting at someone. And with a priest an accusation would be taken very seriously and automatically they would probably be removed from their duties so someone could be innocent yet still suffer quite considerably just from the fallout of being accused.” First staged in 2004, Doubt went on to run for some 500 performances on Broadway, winning both a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. It was subsequently made into a film which starred Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The play was staged by the Abbey six years ago but this is its first production in the west of Ireland and it is, without doubt, pardon the pun, a highlight of the Town Hall’s current season. As well as de Faoite, the cast features Brid Ní Neachtain, Seona Tully, and Jacqueline Boatswain. The play is directed by Andrew Flynn. Doubt runs at the Town Hall from Tuesday February 21 to Saturday 25. Tickets are available from the Town Hall on 091 - 569777 and www.tht.ie Foilsithe ar 19 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 20 Eanáir 2012

Irish Language groups criticise new funding model based on tenders

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:56:00

Foras na Gaeilge, a North/South implementation body set up under the Belfast Agreement, has a role in advising the administrations North and South in matters relating to the Irish language. It also channels state funding to Irish language organisations throughout the island of Ireland. Following concerns in recent years over increased administration costs at the core-funded organisations, the Foras has been trying to replace the grant-in-aid system with a system of competitive tendering for funding. Under the new system all the current core-funding would cease and the organisations, all of which are not-for-profit, would have to compete on a three-yearly basis in a quasi-market for funds to implement one of eight schemes planned by the Foras. The affected organisations say this would result in a commercialisation of a sector which is currently community-based and that they will not be in a position to survive without State funding. Conradh na Gaeilge general secretary Julian de Spáinn said the new approach would ensure that instead of working together, Irish language organisations would now be set in competition against each other. Mr de Spáinn believes it could result in the destruction of the Irish language movement. Under the proposed funding method, all language strategy would be decided by Foras and the role of the organisations would be to achieve objectives and targets set by Foras. Mr de Spáinn said the organisations were "more than happy" to sit down with the Foras and Government departments to see how they could work together to achieve greater effectiveness. He warned that the work and services currently offered by grassroots Irish language organisations would come under threat if the new funding system were introduced. The 19 organisations which are affected by the change, including Conradh na Gaeilge, said in a statement this week that the introduction of the new funding model will have a "detrimental and irreversible effect" on the Irish language. "Under the new proposals, Foras na Gaeilge would see organisations dismiss all staff whose positions are funded by Foras na Gaeilge", the statement said. "Overnight, years of experience and expertise would be lost. A contract worker could never gain as much experience and expertise. On top of this, the Irish language would no longer be seen as a viable career choice", it warned. The organisations are seeking to engage with Foras na Gaeilge to come up with a new work model which they say would benefit the language throughout the island and encourage the use of Irish "on an agreed and planned basis." SDLP spokesman for the Irish language Dominic Bradley called yesterday on both sides to negotiate. He said he had spoken to both sides and the dispute was an issue “of concern for the cause of Irish on the island of Ireland”. There was room for compromise, Mr. Bradley said, as considerable savings could be achieved by the organisations in question and that these options should be explored further. A spokesman for Foras na Gaeilge said the body was happy to sit down with the organisations at any time. Breandán McCraith said the existing system was not sustainable and that Foras had no choice but to change the funding mechanism following a direction by the North-South Ministerial Council “and that is why we are taking this route”. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Traditional ways of teaching still prevail, says study

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:52:00

The study concludes that female pupils and those attending fee-paying or Gaelscoileanna are more likely to experience more active learning in their classroom than other children. The finding points out how the 1999 Primary Curriculum focuses on children as active learners. Despite this, it says “more traditional teaching approaches remain dominant. Whole-class teaching continues to be commonplace, with much less use of active learning methods (such as group-work) than had been envisaged.” Younger teachers, it concludes, are more likely to use more active methodologies in the classroom than more experienced teachers. But more active teaching methods are much less prevalent in larger classes, indicating the constraints caused by class size. The study also points to significant differences in how pupils spend their school day. Girls in single-sex primary schools spend more time on religious education, but their male counterparts in single-sex schools spend more time on physical education, history and geography. Broadly, the nine-year-olds surveyed spent most time at school learning English, maths, Irish and religion. But the mix offered to pupils depended on the type of school attended. There is large variation across schools, and within schools, in the time allocated to particular subject areas. This may mean that some students spend significantly less time than their peers on subjects such as mathematics. More experienced teachers were much more likely to spend greater amounts of time on English, Irish and mathematics. Pupils in Gaelscoileanna are more likely to experience a broad curriculum. The report points to “striking disengagement levels” among children with special educational needs. It also finds boys are more likely than girls to be disengaged and more negative about literacy-based subjects. The report shows how children’s experiences of school vary quite dramatically depending on the school they attend and the teacher they have. Dr Selina McCoy of the Economic and Social Research Institute said the report highlighted significant variation in the types of teaching and learning experiences primary school children have. While this reflects schools and teachers adapting timetabling and teaching approaches to the perceived needs of different students, the report points to the need to balance this flexibility at the school level with ensuring that all children have exposure to varied subjects and methods. The report is based on data gathered through a wider survey about the lives and attitudes of nine-year-olds here. The study finds nine-year-olds are broadly positive about school and their teachers. The Primary Classroom: Insights From the Growing Up In Ireland Study is published jointly by the institute and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Rith 2012 ag teacht go Gaillimh

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:43:00

Is féile náisiúnta é Rith 2012 a bheidh ar siúl ón 8-17 Márta mar cheann de phríomhimeachtaí Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Tá cúrsa 1000km leagtha amach chun ollrith sealaíochta a dhéanamh, ag rith ó mhaidin go hoíche thar 10 lá leis na mílte duine ag glacadh páirte ann thar 200 baile. Beidh baitín sealaíochta speisialta, le teachtaireacht fholaithe istigh ann, á iompar ag Rith 2012 ó thús go deireadh. Ag críoch an rith, léifear amach an teachtaireacht tacaíochta seo don Ghaeilge in Inis Mór. Beidh páirt lárnach ag Contae na Gaillimhe freisin sa Rith mar ag 8.45r.n. ar an 16 Márta fágfaidh reathaithe Rith 2012 Baile Locha Riach agus iad ag dul tríd Bhaile Átha an Rí, Órán Mór, cathair na Gaillimhe agus ceantar Chois Fharraige agus iad ar a mbealach chuig an Cheathrú Rua. Is féidir le haon duine rith ar aon chuid den chúrsa. Ní gá do dhuine aonair clárú, ach tá rogha ann do chiliméadar féin a cheannach, agus leis an rogha seo rithfidh tú le do ghrúpa cairde chun tosaigh le duine agaibh ag iompar an bhaitín. Má tá grúpa nó scoil ag iarraidh páirt a ghlacadh sa Rith, seilbh a ghlacadh ar an mbaitín agus rith chun tosaigh, is féidir leo é seo a dhéanamh ach ciliméadar a cheannach. Is slí nua é Rith 2012 chun teanga agus cultúr na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh go feiceálach i bpobail ar fud na hÉireann agus airgead á bhailiú d'fhorbairt na Gaeilge ag an am céanna. Tá gach eolas ar fáil ag www.rith.ie nó is féidir teagmháil a dhéanamh le Conradh na Gaeilge, 45 Sr. Doiminic, Gaillimh ag 091 567824 nó conradh@bradan.iol.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

North West Réalt Uladh competition

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:42:00

The event boasts participants from Derry, Donegal, Antrim and Tyrone. “Without a doubt, our acknowledgement, sincere thanks and congratulations must go to all of the parents, teachers etc., who help prepare the children and young people so magnificently for their competitions”, said Caitlín Conluain, Stiúrthóir Réalt Uladh. “They are enriching our culture, music and heritage by keeping spoken Irish alive.” Réalt Uladh consists of thirty competitions which cover the full spectrum of poetry recitation, reading, writing, drama and singing. The competitions take place through the medium of Irish and are open to children and young people of all abilities (bun-ghrád and ard-ghrád), from pre-school to P7 and Year 8 class. The aims of Réalt Uladh are to provide children with the opportunity to improve their Irish, give them the confidence to speak Irish, to obtain fluency in the national language and to experience the diverse aspects of Irish culture. Primary school children can take part in all 10 competitions within their School Class Category. There is a beginners and advanced stage in the different poetry recitation categories. The categories are Pre-school, P1-P7 and Year 8, which will be held in eight different rooms at LYIT. For further information or to download a Réalt Uladh 2012 entry form, log on to: www.realtuladh.com or contact Caitlín at caitlin.conluain@lyit.ie or on Tel: 087-3232326. The closing date for all entries including postal and e-mail entries is Friday, January 27. The Réalt Uladh Office will also be open on Friday, January 27 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to take entries or queries. The entry fee is 3 euro per competition. Cheques should be made payable to Réalt Uladh. For group entry fees, check www.realtuladh.com No late entries will be accepted. Everybody is welcome to attend and listen to the competitors. Foilsithe ar 17 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Oíche na bhfoghlaimeoirí

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:40:00

Is féidir eolas a fháil ach glaoch ar 091 567824 nó is féidir clárú ar líne chomh maith ag www.cnag.ie. Más duine thú atá ag freastal ar ranganna Gaeilge nó má tá tú ag iarraidh an teanga a labhairt agus cur le do stór focail ba chór cuairt a thabhairt ar Oíche na bhFoghlaimeoirí i gClub Áras na nGael. Bíonn an ócáid seo á reáchtáil gach oíche Chéadaoin ag Conradh na Gaeilge chun deis a thabhairt d’fhoghlaimeoirí bualadh le chéile i gcomhluadar foghlaimeoirí eile agus taitneamh a bhaint as ócáid shóisialta spraíúil trí Ghaeilge. Is í Eilís Ní Dhúil bean an tí na hócáide agus cinntíonn sí go mbíonn gach duine ar a suaimhneas agus bíonn sí ar fáil chun ceisteanna a fhreagairt mar is gá. Cuirtear tús leis an oíche ag 9.15i.n. agus tá sé saor in aisce. Is féidir tuilleadh eolais a fháil ach glaoch ar 091 567824 nó conradh@bradan.iol.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Leighlinbridge gaeilgeoirs all set for TV debut on TG4

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:37:00

Residents in the village will come up against wannabe gaeilgeoirí from Sixmilebridge in Clare on the TG4 programme G Team on Sunday 29 January. Young and old in Leighlinbridge have been practising their everyday Irish for months in anticipation of the G Team programme and now their hard work is about to pay off. The ten-part series will see non-Gaeltacht areas battling it out to become TG4’s top Irish-speaking town. And the winning town or village will walk away with €40,000 to spend on a tourism and marketing campaign for their area, sponsored by Foras Na Gaeilge. Leighlinbridge will make its small screen debut on the third episode of the series, with residents from Tipperary and Leitrim among those battling it out in the two previous shows. The three judges deciding on who goes through to the quarter-finals are former minister for tourism, culture and sport Mary Hannafin, Irish language activist and member of Irish language rock band Kila Rossa Ó Snodaigh, and Lorcán Mac Gabhann, CEO of Glór na Gael. Tune in to TG4 on Sunday 29 January at 8pm and you might just see some familiar faces. The show is aired every Sunday night and is repeated on TG4 every Wednesday at 8.30pm. Foilsithe ar 17 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Chance for adults to learn cupla focal

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:33:00

With that in mind, a parent in Scoil Aonghusa school in Drogheda is starting a new course open to anyone who would like to start from scratch or just refresh themselves if it has been a while since you spoke as Gaeilge. 'Is Féidir Liom' is a comprehensive Foundational Course in Irish for adults which has been under development and ongoing testing for over ten years,' says Deirdre Kearney, who recently took the training course to run the classes. 'It is aimed at interested adults who are absolute beginners in Irish and the approach is simple, enjoyable, just the right pitch and not overly ambitious. The classes start on Thursday January 26th, from 8pm to 10pm and cost €80 for the eight week course. 'Our main aim is to provide support for parents, grandparents and other carers in helping their children with Irish at home,' says Deirdre, who has three children in the school (4th class, 3rd class and senior infants) and is a fluent Irish speaker. ' The course points at patterns in Irish so that participants gain a basic understanding of the language.' The venue is Scoil Aonghusa, at Sunday's Gate, and the cost includes a course book and dictionary. 'Information about the content and structure of the course is available on the supporting website www.isfeidirliom.ie and there is a booklet which can be downloaded in sections for each week or all at once under the 'Audio Pages' drop-down menu,' adds Deirdre. 'It is written in English and the audio pages are there to help with Irish pronunciation. ''Is Féidir Linn' begins with 'Is Féidir Liom'! Foilsithe ar 18 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Ar scaradh Gall

Gaelport — 19/01/2012 10:27:00

Tá Alex Salmond minic go leor san nuacht gan trioblóidí na margaí a tharraingt anuas air féin. Is ina dhiaidh sin, nuair a labhair an tráchtaire beagán níos soiléire, thuig mé gurbh iad Standard ’n Poors a bhí i gceist aici i bhfoirm giorraithe. Más bocht caighdeán na hurlabhra ag lucht airgeadais b’fhéidir go bhfuil rud éigin ar eolas acu nach feas don chuid eile againn, cé nach dócha é. Bhainfeadh neamhspleáchas na hAlban craitheadh as cathair Londan, mura mbainfeadh sé oiread sin de phleancadh as an gcuid eile den Bhanríocht Neamhaontaithe. Nach éasca nádúrtha atáthar ag caint ar “rialtas na hAlba”! Nuair a bhím ag éisteacht leis an nuacht aniar aduaidh as na garbhchríocha is simplí agus is saoráideach a sheolann na focail “rialtas na hAlba” ón teanga. Ba dhóigh leat orthu go raibh siad ar shiúl agus bailithe leo leis na blianta. Tá misneach agus féinmhuinín in Albain ar léir do dhuine ar bith a ghabhann go rialta chun na tíre sin é, ach nach n-aistríonn go furasta dá gcuid foirne peile ná rugbaí mar is léir. Comhartha láidir é go bhfuil fíorbhaol ann go leáfaidh an bhanríocht ná na scéalta sceimhliúla atá á scaipeadh. Argóintí le figiúir is mó atá sa treis, mar is argóintí le figiúir is mó a bhreab an paca rógairí a vótáil ar son na haontachta an chéad mheánoíche riamh. Má pósadh le breab tú, ní baol nach gcoimeádfar le bagairt tú. Is é nach dtuigtear ná nach argóintí atá ar crochadh ar airgead an t-aon chineál amháin a mheánn. Dá mb’ea, bheimisne sa Cheathrú Reich fadó, agus formhór na hÁise i gComhlathas na Síne. Ní raibh náisiúntóirí Dhoire ag iarraidh céimeanna Stormont a phógadh an uair ba bhoichte sinn, agus is deimhnitheach nach raibh aontachtóirí Phort an Dúnáin ar scrobaig clasú linne nuair ba rathúnaí an Tíogar Ceilteach agus seacht dteach maille le traenálaí pearsanta ag na daoine b’ainnise amuigh. Ní hé nach meánn na háitimh eacnamaíochta brobh, agus uaireanta meánn siad dhá bhrobh, agus ó am go chéile ráineodh go sroichfeadh siad an sifín smaointeach féin, ach ní chnuasaíonnn siad le chéile chun argóna scarúna a dhéanamh iontu féin. Is é an rud eile sin sa bhreis, i leataoibh ón eacnamaíocht, pé é féin féinig féineach, a phollann an lamhnán. Formhór de thíortha móra an domhain, táid i bhfiacha. Ní chloisim aon fheachtas sna Stáit Aontaithe filleadh ar an rí Seoirse; agus ós rud é go bhfuil an rí Seoirse bancbhriste chomh maith céanna, ní chloisim go bhfuil siad ag cnagadh ar dhoras na bhFrancNormannach; agus ó tharla an Fhrainc i dtrioblóid b’fhéidir gur cheart dóibh triall ar impireacht na Róimhe; agus maidir leis an Róimh féin... D’fhéadfadh Alba a bheith chomh saor leis an ngabhlán gaoithe, nó ar a laghad ar bith leis an Lucsamburg nó an Danmhairg nó an Iora Rua, agus níl aon chúis nach nglacfaí leo ar bháire nó ar mhachaire fíoriomána idirnáisiúnta ach an oiread le Brunei, Laitvia, Moldova, Samoa, Guetemala, Djibouti, Timor Lorosa’e, An Chipir, Éire agus eile. Ní cúrsaí airgid a bheidh á gciapadh ar ball, ach na gnáthchrá a leanann tír neamhspleách. Na haontachtóirí nár ghéill riamh, an cúigiú colún laistigh, maoithneachóirí na himpireachta, lucht na bhfillíocha mbeaga, píobairí móra i seomraí cúnga, staraithe nach scríobhann stair, caipitlithe dúchais, bladairí baotha, learairí lúitéiseacha, an díospóireacht shíoraí náisiúnta, eaglais róbhunaithe, an mòd nàiseanta rìoghail, suipéir uí bhroin, cailleacha ar chaonach... Ar mhí-ámháraí an tsaoil, tá Alba níos buggaráilte suas ná mar atáimidne. D’éirigh linne tuiscint éigin a chur le chéile maidir le cé sinn agus cér dínn agus cad chuige a bhfuil stát againn. Má tá sin á roiseadh agus á leonadh in aghaidh na huaire, tá fós ann i bhfoirm theimhneach mhodartha éigin mar a bheadh spot de sholas in uachtar sléibhe ar an taobh eile den raon in íochtar na cruinne, ach is ann di. Is tíreolaí go mór í náisiúntacht na hAlba, cé go bhfuil na créachtaí dúchais níos doimhne fós. Ní timpist ar fad é gur Camshrónach atá i gceannas na banríochta faoi láthair, agus gur Cambhéalach a bhí i gceannas go fírinneach le deich mbliana roimhe sin. Is cam sleamhain iad leacracha Theach an Dúnaigh, is cuma Blár nó Brúnach ann ach an oiread. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 19 Eanáir 2012

Scéimeanna teanga níos deacra ná Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 11:21:00

D’fhág an teip seo go mbeadh sé “ionann agus dodhéanta anois muinín a chothú athuair” sa chóras a raibh sé mar chuspóir aige cur le caighdeán na seirbhísí Gaeilge a bhí ar fáil ó chomhlachtaí stáit. Dúirt Ó Cuirreáin gur chosúil ón méid ama a bhí caite i gcás scéimeanna teanga áirithe “go raibh siad níos deacra le daingniú ná Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta”. Thug sé le fios go raibh 66 den 105 scéim a bhí comhaontaithe ag comhlachtaí stáit le hAire na Gaeltachta faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla imithe in éag, is é sin, gur lean na dualgais chéanna theanga orthu ach nár ghá aon fhorbairt a dhéanamh ar sheirbhísí mar nach raibh an dara scéim daingnithe. Bhí 20 faoin gcéad de na scéimeanna teanga seo in éag le trí bliana nó níos mó agus 20 faoin gcéad eile acu in éag le breis agus dhá bhliain. I measc na gcomhlachtaí stáit a raibh a scéimeanna teanga imithe in éag le breis agus trí bliana bhí Oifig an Uachtaráin, an Chomhairle Ealaíon, an tSeirbhís Chúirteanna, Comhairle Contae na Gaillimhe, Oifig na gCoimisinéirí Ioncaim, an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna agus Oifig an Ombudsman. Thug an coimisinéir le fios go raibh 28 comhlacht poiblí eile ann a raibh an chéad dréachtscéim iarrtha orthu ach nach raibh aon scéim aontaithe fós acu le hAire na Gaeltachta. I gcás dheich gcinn de na comhlachtaí sin, tá breis agus cúig bliana imithe ó iarradh orthu an dréachtscéim a ullmhú. Tá os cionn ceithre bliana go leith caite ó iarradh ar Fheidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte dréachtscéim teanga a ullmhú agus nach mór trí bliana caite ó iarradh ar An Post dréachtscéim a ullmhú. Tá os cionn dhá bhliain caite ó iarradh ar Oifig Thithe an Oireachtais, RTÉ agus ar an Údarás um Bóithre Náisiúnta dréachtscéim a ullmhú. De réir na reachtaíochta, tugtar tréimhse sé mhí do chomhlacht poiblí le dréachtscéim a ullmhú ón am a n-iarrann Aire na Gaeltachta orthu a leithéid a dhéanamh. Ina dhiaidh sin, bíonn tréimhse idirbheartaíochta idir Roinn na Gaeltachta agus an comhlacht poiblí sula mbíonn an scéim aontaithe agus daingnithe ag an Aire. Dúirt an coimisinéir gur chóir don athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla, a d’fhógair Roinn na Gaeltachta i mí na Samhna seo caite, amharc ar chóras nua a cheapadh faoina bhforbródh comhlachtaí poiblí a gcuid seirbhísí trí mheán na Gaeilge. Mhol sé córas nua a thabhairt isteach faoina ndéanfaí rangú ar chomhlachtaí poiblí ina gcatagóirí éagsúla. Faoin chóras seo bheadh dualgas teanga ar leith ar chomhlachtaí poiblí a bhfuil plé mór acu leis an bpobal i gcoitinne agus ar chomhlachtaí poiblí a bhfuil ceantair Ghaeltachta ina limistéar feidhme. Bheadh dualgas reachtúil ar chomhlachtaí poiblí a gcuid seirbhísí a sholáthar trí mheán na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht ar comhchaighdeán leis na seirbhísí a chuirtear ar fáil trí Bhéarla in áiteanna eile. Dúirt Ó Cuirreáin nach mbeadh aon chostas breise ag baint le moltaí a oifige. Bhí taighde déanta aige a léirigh nár luaigh oiread agus roinn rialtais amháin an caiteachas a rinneadh ar chúrsaí cearta teanga ná aistriúcháin sna haighneachtaí buiséid a cuireadh faoi bhráid an Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí anuraidh. Dúirt sé go bhféadfadh Acht Teanga “a bheadh oiriúnach dá fheidhm” bheith ann i ndiaidh an athbhreithnithe ach gurbh é dáiríreacht na n-údarás faoin athbhreithniú céanna “croí na ceiste”. Níor thagair Ó Cuirreáin go sonrach do thodhchaí a oifige féin ná don chonspóid leanúnach faoin chinneadh Rialtais an oifig sin a chónascadh le hOifig an Ombudsman de bharr “comhairle láidir dlí” a fuair sé. Ba léir, ámh, go raibh mórán de na hionadaithe teanga a bhí i láthair míshásta leis an chónascadh. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

Cúis bhuartha

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 11:16:00

Athrú ó bhonn ar chúrsaí maoinithe teanga a bheadh i gceist leis an chóras nua maoinithe. In áit eagras a mhaoiniú le hobair a dhéanamh in earnáil ar leith, is mian leis an fhoras conradh a bhronnadh ar iomaitheoirí le scéimeanna a reáchtáil ar feadh tréimhsí socraithe. Thug na heagrais dheonacha le fios go gcuirfeadh cur chuige nua seo “ar bhonn córas scéimeanna iomaíocha dochar tromchúiseach, do-leasaithe don Ghaeilge ... Murab ionann agus an saol tráchtála mar a gcuirtear seirbhísí ar conradh, ní oirfeadh cur chuige ar bhonn tairiscintí chun freastal ar riachtanais an phobail ó thaobh na Gaeilge de”. Dúirt siad go ndeachaigh moltaí an fhorais “i gcoinne choincheap na pleanála teanga agus an riachtanas go mbeadh leanúnachas i soláthar seirbhísí. An acmhainn is mó atá ag na heagraíochtaí ná an fhoireann atá ag obair dóibh. Faoi réir mholadh an fhorais, áfach, bheadh ar gach eagraíocht scaoileadh leis na fostaithe acu a bhfuil a bpostanna á maoiniú ag an fhoras”. D’aithin na heagrais an gá leis an luach airgid ab fhearr a fháil ach ní fhacthas dóibh go ndéanfaí sin faoin tsamhail nua. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

SDLP buartha faoin tSamhail Nua Mhaoinithe

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 11:13:00

Phléigh siad buarthaí an SDLP faoin phróiseas comhairliúcháin ar an tSamhail Nua Mhaoinithe. Tá sin conspóideach. B'éigean an dara próiseas comhairliúcháin a chur i bhfeidhm, a mhairfidh go dtí mí Aibreáin. Dúirt an Brolchánach nach ndearna an Foras athrú bunúsach ar na moltaí conspóideacha "taobh amuigh d'athrú beag bídeach anseo agus ansiúd, ach go bunúsach seo an próiseas comhair liúcháin céanna. Ní raibh fonn éisteachta ar Fhoras na Gaeilge, agus tá rún daingean aige leanúint ar aghaidh leis an tsamhail scéime, is cuma fá dhearcadh daoine eile faoi chomh hoiriúnach agus atá." Chuir an SDLP ina luí ar an Phríomh-Fheidhmeannach gur gá na moltaí a athrú "agus a aontú leis an tríú hearnáil Gaeilge, an dream is congaraí don talamh san obair seo." Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

Is cur amú airgid An Coimisinéir Teanga

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 10:48:00

Ní aontaím in aon chor leis an litir san eagrán inné. Cur amú airgid go h-uile is go h-iomlán an post seo is an structúr uilig a bhaineann leis i.e. peata an iar-aire Ó Cuív in a dhúiche féin. Ní bheidh aon rath ar an teanga go bhfágfar réidh leis an éigeantas is an chiapadh ar gníomhaireachtaí is ar oifigigh stáit. Tá an ceacht sin foghlamtha i bhfad ó shin nó ba chóir go mbeadh. Le meas ort, Peadar Ó Caiside, Co. an Chabháin Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

Polasaí cáinte

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 10:46:00

Cháin Bradley dréachtpholasaí teanga Choimisiún an Tionóil as neamhaird a thabhairt ar riachtanais lucht na Gaeilge. Tá an coimisiún freagrach as cúrsaí cumarsáide sa tionól a fhorbairt idir baill an tionóil agus go seachtrach leis an phobal. Dúirt Bradley gur theip ar an dréachtstraitéis aitheantas a thabhairt do chainteoirí Gaeilge sa tionól nó taobh amuigh de agus níor ghlac an polasaí fás na Gaeilge san earnáil oideachais san áireamh. Ba í an Ghaeilge an dara teanga ba mhó úsáid sa tionól agus níor léirigh an plean fís ar bith le seirbhísí trí Ghaeilge a fhorbairt. Dúirt sé gur chóir go mbeadh polasaí ann le trealamh comhuaineach aistriúcháin a chur ar fáil agus foireann a earcú a dhéanfadh cinnte de go mbeadh seirbhís den sórt ar fáil. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

President among mourners at funeral of a 'most original' poet

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 10:44:00

The poet, critic and broadcaster died in Dublin on Saturday aged 84. Philip Coleman, of the school of English at Trinity College, Dublin, led the celebration of his life and work at the crematorium chapel. He said he had met the poet in 2007 when organising a symposium to celebrate his work. Hutchinson had, he said, “taught me the meaning of true friendship. Friendship, for Pearse, was one of the most important things in life – and it involved so much more than mere acquaintance.” Broadcaster and poet Vincent Woods and poet Macdara Woods gave readings, while poets Seán Hutton and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin read in Irish and English from Hutchinson’s own work, An tAnam a Phóg an Corp. Among the musical pieces were the Irish air Caoineadh Eoghain Rua performed on button accordion by Tony MacMahon, The Wild Mountain Side sung by Mary MacPartlan, and traditional Irish jig The Frost is All Over on uilleann pipes by Néillidh Mulligan. Also at the celebration were singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, poets Paddy Bushe, Micheál Ó hUanacháin, Michael Coady, Pat Boran, Peter Fallon, Tony Curtis, Núala Ní Dhomhnall, Theo Dorgan, Leland Bardwell and Gerard Smyth, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists Séamus Dooley, historian Francis Devine, artist Charlie Cullen, cartoonist Tom Mathews and Dublin city councillor Larry O’Toole. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

Comórtas Filíochta Bhéal Átha na mBuillí

Gaelport — 18/01/2012 10:39:00

€2,000 atá ann don dán buach; €1,500 mar dhuais don dara háit agus €1,000 don tríú hiomaitheoir. Chomh maith leis sin, tá táille léitheoireachta agus taistil €400 ar fáil do thriúr eile. Eolas: www.strokestownpoetry.org. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 18 Eanáir 2012

Cruinnithe ag an Údarás go dtí an Fómhar... ach éiginnteacht ina dhiaidh sin

Gaelport — 17/01/2012 10:29:00

Ansin a thagann deireadh le tréimhse oibre an bhoird seo de réir na reachtaíochta atá ann faoi láthair. Tá an t-ullmhúchán tosaithe ar Bhille nua a bhaineann le reáchtáil Údarás na Gaeltachta sna blianta amach romhainn. Tá gach uile chosúlacht ar an scéal go mbeidh Aire na Gaeltachta ag ainmniú roinnt bail ar an mbord nua a bheidh ann. Ach tá éiginnteacht ann faoin stádas atá ag an triúr ‘ainmnithe’ atá ar an mbord faoi láthair – Cathy Ní Ghoill as Inis Mór, Treasa uí Lorcáin as an gCeathrú Rua agus Liam Ó Cuinneagáin as Gleann Cholmcille. Ainmníodh an triúr seo ar an mbord i ndeireadh 2010; bhí an comhrialtas idir Fianna Fáil agus an Páirtí Glas i gcumhacht san am sin. Tá cúpla leagan ann faoi tréimhse a bhí ceaptha dóibh- ar trí bliana é nó ar go dtí deireadh thréimhse an bhoird seo é. Más socrú trí bliana a tugadh dóibh caithfear cíoradh a dhéanamh ar chúrsaí dlí go bhfeicfear cén stádas a bheadh ag na baill ainmnithe sin. Dá bhfágfaí Treasa Uí Lorcáin, Cathy Ní Ghoill agus Liam Ó Cuinneagáin ar an mbord ar feadh cúpla bliain eile bheadh teorainn ar na roghanna a bheadh ag an Aire nua – Jimmy Dennihan – le daoine dá rogha féin a ainmniú. Idir an dá linn, tuigtear go bhfuil ullmhúchán dá dhéanamh ar reachtaíocht a bhaineann le reáchtáil an Údaráis sna blianta atá amach romhainn. Tuigtear go bhfuil na moltaí go roghnódh Comhairlí Contae cuid de bhaill an Bhoird feasta dá gcaitheamh go leath taobh. Níl soiléireacht ar bith ann fós faoin gcaoi a roghnófar an Bord ach go mbeidh roinnt baill ainmnithe ann. Foilsithe ar 11 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 17 Eanáir 2012

Sleepless nights at dream trad fest

Gaelport — 17/01/2012 10:25:00

EACH year, Irish musicians travel to Glasgow for Celtic Connections. The 19th festival opens on Thursday and runs for 18 days. Specialising in once-off collaborations between performers, it is renowned for all-night sessions. Singer Cathy Jordan has played there eight times fronting the trad supergroup, Dervish and The Unwanted. "It’s an incredible event," says Jordan. "I often wonder what the bank manager said when someone told him they were planning a festival in the month of January that would be three weeks long and all Celtic music. "But everything in the festival sells out and the atmosphere in the city is amazing. You don’t sleep until eight in the morning, or sometimes two in the afternoon." This year will be Jordan’s first visit as a solo artist, and she will launch her new album, All the Way Home, at the festival. "It’s my first solo album ever and I knew I didn’t want it to be just me without Dervish. I started out recording the songs I learned growing up from my parents and family. I got Roger Tallroth, from Sweden, to produce it and he breathed new life into the tunes." The album includes four new songs from Jordan’s pen. It features great traditional musicians, including Andy Irvine, Michael McGoldrick and Eddi Reader, alongside lesser-known talents such as lap steel/banjo/piano player Gustaf Ljunggren and tuba player Lars Andreas Haug, of Sweden. They will perform at the Celtic Connections gig. Making her festival debut and representing the latest generation of one of Ireland’s big musical families will be Méabh Begley, from west Kerry, daughter of Séamus Begley. A music teacher of several instruments in Dingle, she will duet with her father in a concert titled A Song for Ireland, sharing a stage with Finbar Furey, Cara Dillon, and Eleanor McEvoy. "It’ll be a concert full of major people, I can’t believe I’m there myself," Begley says. "My Dad and I are just in the process of working out what we’ll sing, there’ll be lots of things in Irish." It’s her first visit, but Begley knows what to expect. "It sounds like a big extravaganza, loads of music and madness and craic with all these wonderful musicians piled into one place," she says. Tim Groenland, of Dublin band The Gorgeous Colours, says Celtic Connections didn’t come on his radar until Sligo Live invited them to perform. An indie pop band who found favour with press and audiences in 2011, The Gorgeous Colours are fresh from supporting Lisa Hannigan and are knuckling down to writing a new album. "It looks like a fantastic festival," says Groenland. "There’s some amazing people playing there, like Bonnie Prince Billy and the Average White Band." This year’s festival will welcome the return of young Sligo band The JPTrio, who won a coveted Danny Kyle award in 2011. Bringing jazz influences to bear on driving trad music, they were one of the highlights of Electric Picnic 2011 away from the big stage madness. Banjo player with the trio, Ted Kelly is looking forward to returning. "We first went in 2010 to look at the acts. It’s hard to remember what was best, there’s so many all at the same time, but the festival club is probably the most fun. Last year, we went over to play in the concert hall for about 400 people, the atmosphere was brilliant even though the acts were really diverse," he says. The Danny Kyle Open Stage runs across 14 nights, giving a platform to 80 diverse acts chosen from several hundred applicants. It culminates in a finale showcasing six chosen by a panel of judges. "We didn’t know we’d got through until the last minute. It has been great for us, we got the Electric Picnic out of it and Stonehaven Folk Fest, as well as airtime in Scotland, RTÉ and TG4," Kelly says. He is looking forward to seeing everything he can. He won’t miss Scottish trio Lau, who play two extraordinary gigs, one with the Northern Sinfonia and a second with legendary bassist and Cream co-founder Jack Bruce. He also recommends KAN, a quartet fronted by Brian Finnegan, of Flook, who will showcase music from their debut album, and the Punch Brothers, who have been likened to ‘a string-band version of Radiohead.’ * Celtic Connections runs until Sunday, February 5. www.celticconnections.com Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 17 Eanáir 2012

Fear grinn ar scoilteadh a chloigeann

Gaelport — 17/01/2012 10:21:00

Dá mba eachtrannach thú ag cur fút in Éirinn inniu, seans go gcuirfeá ceist mar seo ort féin: an bhfuil acmhainn grinn ar bith fágtha sna daoine seo, na hÉireannaigh? Tá chuile rud chomh lándáiríre agus chomh tromchúiseach na laethanta seo – na meáin chumarsáide, cúrsaí airgid, an síor-iniúchadh ar na rudaí uafásacha a tharla san am atá thart. An bhfuil acmhainn grinn fágtha sa chine seo ar chor ar bith, déarfá leat féin. An greann dubh sin fiú a raibh leithéidí Mháirtín Uí Chadhain agus Samuel Beckett ina máistrí air. Is ionann gáire a dhéanamh agus a bheith beo. Uaireanta, ní bhíonn an dara rogha againn ach a bheith ag gáire. Níos tábhachtaí fós, is galar tógálach é an gáire. Aontaíonn sé muid. Cabhraíonn sé linn an saol seo a chur tharainn. Fear a raibh galar seo an gháire air ba ea Johnny Patterson a rugadh i gCoill Bharrainn in aice leis an bhFiacail, i gContae an Chláir, sa bhliain 1840. D’fhoghlaim sé ceird na dtairní agus é ina ghasúr óg agus d’oibrigh sé i gceárta áitiúil ina dhiaidh sin. B’amhránaí den scoth é Johnny agus ba mhinic é ag casadh amhrán agus é os cionn na hinneonach. Bhí féith na cumadóireachta ann freisin agus ba ag an tréimhse sin a chum sé an bailéad The Stone Outside Dan Murphy’s Door , amhrán a raibh ráchairt mhór air i measc na nGael in Éirinn agus thar sáile. Chuaigh sé isteach san arm i Luimneach mar ar oibrigh sé mar dhrumadóir agus d’fhoghlaim sé conas uirlisí ceoil eile a sheinm, an fhliúiteog ina measc. Tráthnóna amháin tháinig John Swallows Circus go hInis agus thapaigh Johnny an deis. Go luath an mhaidin dár gcionn bhí Johnny ar an mbóthar leo, ar camchuairt ar fud Éireann. D’fhág muintir Swallow Éirinn ach fuair Johnny ionad nua le Batty’s Circus agus ina dhiaidh sin Risarelli’s Circus. Bhí deis aige Sasana a fheiceáil nuair a thairg an Pablo Franque Circus post dó agus b’ann a phós sé a chéad bhean, Selena Hickey. Albanach ab ea í agus cleasmharcach. Bhí triúr clainne acu – Bridget, Nora agus Johnny Junior. Deirtear go mba i Learpholl a chum Johnny amhrán eile a bhí luaite leis ar feadh na mblianta ina dhiaidh sin, The Garden Where the Praties Grow : “Now the parents they consented/and we’re blessed with children three./Two girls like their Mammy/and a boy the image of me…” Ba cheiliúrán mór le rá é Johnny faoi seo agus é aitheanta mar fhear grinn sorcais in Éirinn agus i bhfad i gcéin. “Sing us a Song, Johnny” a scréachadh na páistí amach nuair a thagadh sé isteach sa Phuball Mór. Leath a cháil trasna an Atlantaigh agus tairgeadh 100 dollar in aghaidh na seachtaine dó le bheith ina fhear grinn i sorcas Cooper and Bailey’s, an sorcas ba cháiliúla ar domhan ag an am. D’fhan Selena mar artiste sorcais in Éirinn agus sa Bhreatain agus thóg Johnny an bád bán. Rinne sé airgead mór sna Stáit Aontaithe faoin ainm “Johnny Patterson, the Rambler from Clare” ach ba bhuille trom dó a chloisteáil gur cailleadh iníon leis tar éis timpiste tragóidí a tharla agus í ag obair leis na heilifintí sa chró sorcais. Bhí Johnny bocht croíbhriste agus thosaigh sé ag ól go trom. D’fhill sé ar Éirinn ach bheadh mí-ádh eile sa mhullach air nuair a fuair a bhean Selena bás leis an eitinn. Fear grinn le Keeley’s Circus ab ea é anois – tugadh Keeleys and Pattersons ar an seó sin níos deireanaí – agus phós sé baintreach an mháistir sorcais sin, bean darbh ainm Sue Murray. Dá mbeadh a fhios aige cad a bhí in ann dó féin, seans go mbeadh Johnny tar éis fanacht i Meiriceá ach ba í stair chasta na hÉireann a chuir an cor deireanach sa chinniúint ann. Bhí scoilt mhór idir lucht leanúna Pharnell agus na daoine a bhí naimhdeach don cheannaire polaitíochta sin agus blianta deiridh an 19ú haois ag teacht chun críche. I dTrá Lí don sorcas oíche amháin thit achrann amach idir an dá fhaicsean sin sa lucht féachana agus an sorcas faoi lán seoil. Bhris troid fhíochmhar amach idir an dá dhream agus cé gur chan Johnny amhrán dár teideal Do your Best for One Another , fuarthas níos deireanaí é agus é sínte taobh lena charbhán, gan ann ach an dé. Bhí bligeard éigin tar éis é a bhascadh le barra iarainn i gcaitheamh an tsliúchais. Cailleadh é an lá dár gcionn, Lá Bealtaine 1889 agus gan an leathchéad scroichte aige. Cuireadh i dTrá Lí é. Chaith sé a shaol mar ambasadóir cultúrtha thar lear agus fuair sé bás ar son na hÉireann sa deireadh. Bhainfeadh sé féin gáire as an méid sin. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 17 Eanáir 2012

Irish language symposium to be held at TCD

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 12:08:00

The school of law and the Irish Language Office at Trinity College Dublin, in association with the Four Courts branch of Conradh na Gaeilge (and with the support of Guth na Gaeltachta) are holding a public symposium on the Official Languages Act 2003 in Trinity College on Saturday, January 21st. It is being held in the context of the review of the operation of the legislation recently announced by the Government. This event will be open to students, legal practitioners and the Irish language community. Further information is available from gaeloifig@tcd. ie, phone 01-896 3652, 087 623 2841; from eodoherty@ lawlibrary.ie, phone 086 838 0380 or from sine@cnag.ie, phone 01-475 7401 or 087 654 6673. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

Tributes paid to poet, critic and broadcaster Pearse Hutchinson

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 12:04:00

During a long career, he published several volumes of poetry, was a frequent broadcaster on RTÉ radio, wrote an Irish language column for the RTÉ Guide and was also a contributor to The Irish Times and other publications. He was a member of Aosdána. Poet Macdara Woods, who knew Hutchinson for 50 years, said he “had the storyteller’s magic in his poems, his translations, in the fascinating, idiosyncratic and multilingual notes to the poems and, most wonderfully, in conversation”. Academic and poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin said he was a poet of great seriousness and integrity. “His poetry is not preoccupied with the literary, but it explores all the resonances and realities of words and languages,” she said. Broadcaster, poet and dramatist Vincent Woods, presenter of the Arts Tonight programme on RTÉ Radio 1, described Hutchinson as “a hugely gifted poet and a remarkable inspirational presence in Irish literature and in life”. Dr Philip Coleman of Trinity College Dublin said from the beginning of his writing career, and long before, his work “was marked by a profound generosity of interest in and engagement with the art of poetry in English, Irish and over a dozen other languages”. Hutchinson, who lived in Rathgar, Dublin, was born in Glasgow, to which his grandparents had emigrated from Dublin and Donegal. The family moved to Dublin when he was aged five, and he attended Synge Street CBS and UCD. His poems were first published in The Bell in 1945. He later visited Spain, which marked the beginning of a long love affair with the country – where he lived intermittently – and its poets. He also worked in Geneva as a translator. In the early 1950s he became interested in Irish language poetry, having been influenced by writers such as Piaras Feirtéar. His first Irish language poems were published in Comhar . His first collection of poems in English, Tongue Without Hands, was published in 1963. In the early 1970s he took up the Gregory fellowship in poetry at the University of Leeds. The high point of his broadcasting career was his weekly RTÉ Radio 1 programme of Irish poetry, music and folklore, Óró Domhnaigh, which ran from 1977 to 1978. Collected Poems was published in 2002 to mark his 75th birthday, followed a year later by Done Into English , which featured many of the works he had translated over the years. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

Translation once again -- a tribute to Mighty Maire, pioneer of modern Irish poetry

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 12:00:00

Most will be aware of her membership of Aosdána and her background as daughter of former Tánaiste Seán McEntee and as wife of the late Conor Cruise O'Brien. However, for over half a century, this formidable intellectual force was one of the three main pillars of poetry in Irish along with Seán Ó Ríordáin and Máirtín Ó Díreáin. These three came to prominence as the leading lights in the modernisation of Irish poetry, taking up the baton from the writers of the revival. They brought their own peculiar experience of contemporary Ireland to a public which was already tiring of a writing which sometimes emphasised the richness and purity of language rather than literary merit. As a thoroughly modern woman who had brought a forensic academic mind to bear on the craftsmanship of the great Munster poets, Mhac an tSaoi was eminently placed to produce a refreshing new poetry which drew strongly from the tradition while making no concessions to any prevailing sloppiness of language. In fact, her mastery of the Irish language has been a wonderfully enabling factor in her composition. She writes with an ease and a self-confidence that few could carry off and which many would envy. Here is no instant translation. She has been bilingual from a very young age and it is clear that she has got right under the skin of the language. Sometimes, one could almost imagine her having an effortless "agallamh" (exchange) with one of the old bards. In the collections that she has published since Margadh na Saoire in 1956, Mhac an tSaoi has been a pioneering spirit in giving free rein to the most intimate feelings of women. Although speaking through other characters in her early work, including some from Irish mythology, she gradually emerges from offstage to speak in her own voice with burning passion and devastating honesty. This was at a time when such material would attract the unwelcome attention of the moral Taliban who wanted to live everybody's life for them. It would be hard to exaggerate the influence of this writer on the many young women poets who have thankfully come to the fore in recent times. Long before Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill elicited a gasp from an audience with a frank poetic description of intimacy, Mhac an tSaoi in the poem Ceathrúintí Mháire Ní Ógáin was giving vent to her character's frustration thus: "I care little for people's suspicions, I care little for priests' prohibitions, For anything save to lie stretched, Between you and the wall." This is a translation of one of the longer exquisite poems in this new bilingual volume An Paróiste Míorúilteach/The Miraculous Parish which draws from all of Mhac an tSaoi's five collections in Irish. The selection was made by fellow poet Louis de Paor, the book's editor, in consultation with the author. The list of able translators is itself a major tribute to the life's work of a poet now entering her 90th year including, as it does, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Biddy Jenkinson, Celia de Fréine, Douglas Sealy, Louis de Paor and Peter Sirr. Mhac an tSaoi has produced poetry of the highest calibre in Irish for over 50 years. She has gained the respect and recognition of three generations of Irish language literati. In fact, she has been regularly celebrated in those circles. Although translation is never completely satisfactory, this selection will open her work to a much wider English-language audience and will undoubtedly add to her growing band of admirers. Finally, in one new verse, Ceann Bliana, written to mark one year since her husband Conor's death, she demonstrates the power of Bardic brevity: "I arrange my memory in readiness for the grave, Put spices in her shroud and silver coins, The snow is still on the cemetery ridge, I lie down beside the body on my bed." Seán Ó hÉalaí is producer of the RnaG arts programme 'Ardán na nEalaíon' Foilsithe ar 14 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

Democracy needs national, not nationalist, broadcasters

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 11:58:00

He showed the same moral courage as a board member of TG4 by protesting about the Rose Dugdale programme. Pity the RTE Authority members don't show the same courage. Because there is a consistent lack of balance in RTE's coverage of stories connected with Sinn Fein. Let's start with the Hunger Strike. The 1981 State Papers show that Margaret Thatcher was ready to do a deal. Richard O'Rawe, a PRO for the strikers, believes the Provo leadership blocked it. That was also the view of my late friend Fr Denis Faul. You may not agree with my analysis. But you should be able to hear both sides. Recently, however, RTE radio has been dominated by Danny Morrison, the former propaganda maestro of the Provisional IRA. Pat Kenny is a brilliant broadcaster. So why was Danny Morrison allowed to dominate the show on H Blocks, just as he had dominated Drivetime? Why in both cases was Richard O'Rawe not invited to join the panel? Pol O Gallochoir, the boss of TG4, is not a Provo or fellow traveller. TG4 is a superb channel -- as O Liathain stressed. So why was Dugdale allowed to dogmatise about the armed struggle in English without anyone being asked on to denounce her delusional views? The presenters of Radio Na Gaeltachta presumably believe in balance. But it was barely there in interviews I heard with O Liathain last week. Among other crimes he was accused of following a Sunday Independent agenda. But what about the RTE, TG4 and Radio na Gaeltachta agenda? All three stations seem to share the general view of Sinn Fein: that it is simply another normal party, and its account of the armed struggle is as acceptable as any other account. But Sinn Fein is not a normal party. And its account of the armed struggle is largely a tissue of lies. How can broadcasters swallow Sinn Fein's self-serving story that it simply wanted to make peace and did so with the help of John Hume? Here is an alternative analysis. The Provos sued for peace for three reasons. First, the RUC Special Branch had riddled the IRA with informers. Second, the Northern Protestant body politic had worn out the Provo lash. Most important of all, the Irish Republic had shut the door on the Provos' view of Irish history, past, present and future. Section 31 was the bolt on that door; the symbol of the Irish Republic's rejection of the right of the Provos to make propaganda. That is why I supported Section 31 so strongly in RTE. And I considered that opponents of Section 31 fell into two categories. First, likeable liberals who believed in free speech even for fascists. Second, covert supporters of the Provisionals whom I called hush puppies. In 1987, an FWUI meeting of radio producers rejected a resolution to condemn the Enniskillen bombing. It was a watershed in my moral and political life. Failing to get the FWUI to move on the matter, I reluctantly resigned from my union. A faction in RTE has never forgiven me. And while most of them are long gone, their animosity lives on. That is because any national institution, be it RTE or the BBC, retains a form of race memory, a canteen culture passed on to new recruits. Until 1987 the canteen culture of RTE was largely pluralist and hostile to the Provos. The British state papers of 1981 claimed that this was due to the influence of those of us who supported the Workers Party. While flattering, it is also a lot of nonsense. Anyone who lived through the dark days of the armed struggle knows that until 1987 or thereabouts, the majority of the staff of RTE rejected the Sinn Fein narrative lock, stock, and above all, barrel. Alas, that is not how things are today. The reasons for the change in RTE canteen culture are complex. But the chief one is that after 1987 Sinn Fein sympathisers increasingly secured positions of influence in RTE. But by the time they retired they had recruited many who shared their radical chic prejudices. RTE radical chic broadcasters are not supporters of Sinn Fein's agenda. But far too many of them share Sinn Fein myths. One of them is that the Sunday Independent had no right to treat the Hume-Adams talks with the utmost scepticism. These radical chic hacks clearly do not believe that mass media have a duty to defend democracy when faced by a wolf in sheep's clothing. They seem to think the Sunday Independent should have taken the Provisonal IRA at face value just because they were hanging out with John Hume. Luckily we did not do so. Because the Provos could not and cannot be trusted. Contrary to the myth-makers, the Provos and John Hume did not deliver a permanent peace in 1993 or even in 1998. The Provos were still robbing banks and still beating people to death with iron bars until a few years ago. Contrary to nationalist myth, the Provisionals did not open talks with John Hume in 1993 to simply make peace. They were also testing for weakness. And if the Irish Republic had shown any softness, the Provos would have smashed down the doors of Irish democracy. From 1993 until the presidential election of 2011 the Provos have been probing for soft spots in the Irish media. They found none in this newspaper. Most of our contributors insisted on inspecting Sinn Fein's credentials every step of the way. RTE had the same responsibility: to stand guard for the Irish Republic. But it did not discharge that duty with the same diligence. The presidential election proved that it is still too willing to swallow the Sinn Fein narrative. There are three reasons the Irish Republic should continue to treat Sinn Fein with scepticism. The recession, the forthcoming 1916 centenary, and the diabolical attempts of the Recurring IRA to revive the armed struggle. The German recession of the 1930s was the main reason for the rise of Adolf Hitler. Without it the Nazis would have been dismissed as nutters. As the Irish people struggle with a mountain of debt, we can see the conditions for a revival of noxious nationalism. Sinn Fein is marking time at the moment. But if the recession deepens, and the 1916 centenary blows on the dormant sparks of southern nationalism, while at the same time the Real IRA stokes Northern sectarian tensions, who knows whether Sinn Fein will stay a sheep? That is why we should be grateful to men of moral courage like Concubhar O Liathain. Among other things he shows that Irish speakers do not have to support Sinn Fein's narrative. As a major Irish poet says in a text to me: "The core issue of course is to ensure the Irish language does not provide a primal cave for Provos and their nauseous 'oglachas', that malign mix of armed service, manhood and warriorship." Foilsithe ar 15 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

IRA propaganda paid for by State

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 11:00:00

It was disgusting to see viewers' money being expended on terrorists like Rose Dugdale, who was allowed to portray herself as some kind of heroine. Furthermore, to learn that other similar females are to follow in the weeks ahead is appalling in the extreme. One, Pamela Kane, was a member of an IRA unit which attempted to murder members of the gardai as the gang attempted to shoot their way to freedom following a bank raid in Enniscorthy on May 1, 1990. It was bad enough that the garda authorities failed to honour the four brave gardai who arrested the seven-member gang without loss of life, but to see that one of those terrorists is now to be given a half-hour of national TV time to glorify her actions is really galling. One would hope that our Government, which subsidises this station, would make it clear that such propaganda will not be tolerated, otherwise its subsidy would be withdrawn. Tony Fagan, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford Foilsithe ar 15 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

Campbell hits out at TV show over ‘IRA propaganda’

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 10:58:00

The TG4 programme – the first in a series – featured Rose Dugdale, an English aristocrat who later became an active member of an IRA unit in the border areas. During the documentary, Dugdale spoke about her attempts to bomb Strabane RUC station using milk churns packed with explosives and also the raid on Russborough House in 1974, in which valuable artwork was stolen and the owner beaten up. DUP MP Gregory Campbell has written to Pat Rabbitte TD, the minister for the Department of Communications, which provides funding to the channel. In the letter, Mr Campbell says that IRA terrorism was portrayed as “justifiable and even necessary” in the show. He also said that Dugdale was referred to as a “soldier” and as a member of “Oglaigh na h’Eireann”, which he claimed attempted to equate the PIRA with the legitimate state forces of the Irish Republic. Victims of IRA violence, he said, were given no focus by the show, which he pointed out was available to watch in Northern Ireland. “It is of grave concern to many people that this propaganda might be allowed to continue,” he said. Mr Campbell asked the Irish government minister “to outline clearly where your department stands on progamming which clearly attempts to legitimise the IRA’s campaign of terrorism and engage in a process of revisionism”. Responding to earlier criticism, TG4 deputy director general Pádhraic Ó Ciardha said the station was standing by both the Dr Rose Dugdale programme and the rest of the Mná an IRA programmes. TUV leader Jim Allister also said the programme was “consistent with the ongoing sanitising of terrorists." Foilsithe ar 15 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

Start Ups & Inventors

Gaelport — 16/01/2012 10:53:00

DIGITAL AND ONLINE Incident Control Room Before launching his own company last year, David McCarthy was made redundant in 2009 having worked as an environmental health and safety consultant. Based in Cork, his new start-up allows large companies to analyse emergency events more efficiently. It expects to break even in the fourth quarter of this year.Funding has come from personal resources, Cork Enterprise Board and Enterprise Ireland. “We started in January 2011 and got a customer on board quite early, which was a huge help. What we’re doing is a cloud-based technology that allows large organisations to prepare for and manage their large-scale emergencies efficiently. We’re dealing with things like explosions and we provide an application that allows companies to customise and apply information in a clever way, on an app or an iPad or iPhone. Say, for example, someone was hurt, we bring the supervisor through a series of steps to minimise the severity of the injury of the person affected and the costs to the organisation. We launched in November and we have three paid customers and now have four staff. This year is all about growth for us.” incidentcontrolroom.com Irish Lives Remembered This new company is an online digital memorial service where people can log on and create a memorial for a loved one who has died. The company started last November and charges €30 for an entry. Basically, think Facebook, but with an emphasis on dead persons, while the site also contains a virtual graveyard. Eileen Munnelly worked for Johnston Press in Ireland as an advertising and sales manager for regional titles before taking the leap and starting up her own business. “We make it easy for people to remember their loved ones in an online space,” she says. “I was in media for 15 years and found myself out of work and felt with the Irish dispersed globally, I wanted to provide a platform for people. The business is challenging, I’ll be honest. We’re getting more people from abroad than at home. The Irish aren’t used to this service yet. “We have just got investors on board and we plan to launch an app this year. It was angel investors and the business is mostly self-funded. I did get a small grant from my local enterprise board. By mid-year we hope to employ a second person.” irishlivesremembered.com Touch Communications Set up last February, this new company aims to provide a mix between social media, digital marketing and public-relations services in the Irish market. Founder Pat Carroll had previously worked with company RendezVous353, which built up a network of Irish persons globally. Carroll noticed a gap in the market in integrating social media into marketing strategies and Touch Communications was born. Funding for the business has come from a mixture of government start-up funds and personal savings. “With the current economic climate a lot of people are about reinvention so it is a great time to reinvent yourself,” says Carroll. “It is very liberating to work for yourself after many years of working for other organisations. It is going very well, even though the company is only 10 months old. “I’m doing a lot of work in London and New York and this year I hope to build on international connections and link up great Irish companies with international markets.” touchcommunications.ie CHILDREN BábógBaby Four years ago husband and wife team Adrian and Karen Devane came up with the idea of an Irish speaking toy. Last year was the first full year in business for BábógBaby, which is a talking teddy bear that teaches 33 words of Irish to toddlers and children. AIB gave the company a small SME start-up loan of €100,000, and that enabled the company to make initial orders. The bank continues to lend support to the business. Adrian worked for 13 years in film and television production, working on Ballykissangel and the Disney film King Arthur among others. “2011 was a busy year for us, with sales in excess of 20,000 teddy bears,” he says. “We also launched an app, and with the success TG4 have commissioned a 10-part TV series based on the teddy called BB agus Bella . This June will see the series launch and we will also launch three new language bears in Welsh, Scots Gaelic and English for the UK market. We’re in about 14 states in the US at the moment and we also want to expand that across America. If we can achieve that, it should grow really well. I’m very optimistic about the year ahead.” babogbaby.com CLOTHING MotionFox This new start-up aims to supply and make high-visibility safety wear a little more stylish and fashionable. Its products include the FlashBk, an expandable patent-pending hi-vis vest that can cover the wearer and their bag, or it can be worn as normal. The company has qualified for the final of a €10,000 start-up competition, with the winner chosen by public vote. Prior to founding his company, Rob Quigley studied for a PHD in computer science. “We noticed a huge increase in cycling and as a cyclist I wanted a better choice of hi-vis activewear,” he says. “I wanted activewear that was fun as well as functional. We launched online five weeks before Christmas but plan to expand into retail shops into 2012. Our products are all Irish designed and manufactured overseas. This year we are very optimistic. We had a great response coming up to Christmas time and we are also bringing out a range of fun high-vis clothing for kids in the near future.” motionfox.com Irish Bobbles This company set up in early 2011 and launched its range of Gaelic football and hurling bobble head figurines before Christmas on the Late Late Toy Show . The company make figurines of every county team in Ireland and each figure is hand painted. Co-owner Mark Carey worked in retail as manager of a music store before setting up his company. The funding has come through a bank loan and one private investor. “We are only starting to kick off in the last few weeks,” he says. “We’re looking forward to the Showcase Expo in the RDS when we’ll get a sense of how buyers react to the product. Our plan is to have a big launch in early February and we’re branching out into a lot of different sports. I’d recommend anyone starting out getting in touch with their local enterprise board. Last August we took on our first employee, the Tipperary hurler Conor O’Mahony, who is heading up our sales and marketing department.” irishbobbles.com LEGAL Healy O’Connor Solicitors In a sector where many are struggling, this new legal company has its first full year in trading behind it. The practice currently employs six persons. The main areas of speciality are litigation, debt collection, personal injuries, and employment, criminal and family law. It also provides a niche service to credit-union clients and has recently opened an office in Dublin. The firm was founded by Maurice O’Connor and Shane Healy, both solicitors who had worked in Cork for a number of years. The funding for the business came mainly from personal reserves. “The key for us is that we came after all the difficulties with banks and after the crash,” says Maurice O’Connor. “We had a clear run at the business and came into it at the low end of the market when value for money was very important. We didn’t have the loans or the baggage from the last 10 years so we were able to go at everything with a fresh attitude. The reason it is working out is that we are constantly reviewing our costs. The second thing is that we have to ensure for the most part we get paid. Even with the best of intentions, we are still finding it very hard to get paid for the work we have done. We steer away from hourly billing. Instead, we are more into giving people a set cost and sticking to that.” hoc.ie Steri-Orb Ann-Marie Durkin was a secondary school home-economics teacher when her first baby was born prematurely. With that event came the discovery that there were no pre-sterilised soothers or portable baby-bottle sterilisers available for busy parents. Instead, sterilisation could take up to 15 minutes each time. This set off a chain of events that ended with Durkin setting up a company called Steri-Orb, helped by Enterprise Ireland and other private investors. The Steri Soother was a world first, and the company got orders from South Africa, the UK, Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. And now Durkin's portable compact baby-bottle steriliser is about to plough the same path internationally. "It's very compact and you can sterilise a bottle anywhere in 30 seconds in one cycle. It's very fast and efficient and it means you don't have to go preparing six bottles because you're going out for the day," says Durkin. "It has mass appeal." Vitfiz How many people take note of the exercises their physiotherapist recommends to help them get better? As few as 30 per cent, according to research. Most patients listen to the instructions but subsequently lose motivation and never fully or properly complete the prescribed regime. Those who do persist often have the wrong posture and move their limbs in the wrong direction. Vitfiz, however, will soon be changing this, using sensor-gaming technology and a simple piece of velcro to ensure patients do their exercises correctly. Under the Vitfiz plan, a physiotherapist will first use a sensor to take a template of the patient doing exercises, before sending them home with an accelerometer on their smart phone, which tracks progress. The phone is strapped to the affected limb, and as the patient exercises, the avatar on the screen will tell them if they are doing the prescribed exercises correctly. Vitfiz co-founder Brian Caulfield, a physiotherapist and UCD lecturer, says he simply wanted his research to help those recovering from operations. That was in 2008, when very few people had a smart phone, which meant he had to take a leap of faith and trust that in time they would become the phone of choice. "When I started doing research, I could have churned out academic papers continually but I just felt it was never likely to change the world," he says. Physical recovery is a thriving area with massive potential - its current market value in the US, UK and Ireland is around €2.4 billion per annum. And there is a waiting customer base if Caulfield can finalise the application by the end of 2012. Between north American and Europe alone there are 500,000 therapists, dealing with in the order of 200 million clients per year. Sure Wash Sleepless nights interspersed with days of frenetic energy have been the norm lately for two men driven by one simple aim: to train people to wash their hands thoroughly. "Some days are just rolling with you and other days, you are pulling your hair out and trying to figure out how we get to the next stage. There are always frustrations, but we feel we are moving, albeit slowly, in the right direction," says Sean Bay of Sure Wash. Bay and Gerard Lacey claim to have found the answer to containing contagious viruses in hospitals and reducing high absenteeism rates in large companies using a mobile machine based on gaming technology. And they have the patents in Europe and the US to prove that they have come up with something special. Their invention centres on something akin to Wii for hand hygiene - an interactive video camera capturing hand movements in real time, motion sensors and a step-by-step check list of tasks. Except this one is based on seven strict poses drawn up by the World Health Organisation (WHO). There is real-time feedback, as the Wii-like device checks whether all seven poses have been completed. When the pair first discussed the product during a coffee break in Smurfit College five years ago, the statistics before them were stark. Some 140,000 people die in Europe every year because of an infection picked up in hospital. Up to 50 per cent of these are transferred by hand. The stats on the other side were equally stunning: improved hand hygiene can reduce Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAIs) by 50 per cent and absenteeism by up to 40 per cent in large, highly populated companies. "Nobody has anything like this . . . that's a buzz, that from a small office in Dublin, we can take this worldwide. There is nothing stopping us," says Bay. "We have a huge capacity to earn value for the country and build a reputation for reaching out, as a small Irish company, to work very well in a bigger environment." Radisens Diagnostics More than one billion blood tests are ordered annually worldwide. Rather than wait days for the results, one Cork-based inventor, Jerry O'Brien, is developing a system where a finger-prick sample of blood can be tested and analysed within minutes in a GP's surgery. It could be a game-changer in the health system and the European Space Agency (ESA) and Enterprise Ireland are among those acutely aware of the potential. O'Brien is now the recipient of a $1 million contract with the ESA to develop a blood-testing device for use by astronauts on board the International Space Station and on various human spaceflight missions. Ultimately, the device designed by Radisens Diagnostics will enable a GP to test patients for diabetes, liver and kidney damage, and thyroid conditions in their surgery with instant results. It's hoped future developments will enable the diagnosis of heart attacks, early stage cancers such as prostate and ovarian, and HIV and other viruses. In effect, a small matchbox-sized device can match a unit costing hospitals upwards of half a million euro. And such is the level of innovation under O'Brien's watch that the company has 11 patents pending or granted. Since 2007, developing the product has been a fulltime task. "There are always frustrations but I was never close to throwing in the towel. In my previous career, I was exiled away from Cork for 15 years and it took a Cork woman to bring me back. "At the time I had job offers internationally in Boston and London and Hong Kong and just felt, it's taken me all this time to get back to Cork, I'm not leaving. I always knew I wanted to do something of my own," says O'Brien. With offices in Boston and Cork, the company's staff has grown to 12, but will double again this year. By 2013, up to 35 people will be employed in research and development, as O'Leary bids to begin clinical trials in 2013 and launch into Europe in 2014. From there, the hope is that the small device will appear in every physician's office, emergency room, intensive care unit and acute care setting. Bagsitt.com Jill Aston’s company Cake Craft once baked speciality cakes for Westlife, U2 and Gay Byrne. Then, in 2006, with children reared and mortgage paid, Aston took off for a year-long backpacking trip around the world. She returned with a new product idea, secured an Irish patent and applied for an international patent, which is expected in 2013. As she crossed continents, countries and cultures, Aston noticed one thing: men and women could not be parted from their handbags, laptop cases and briefcases. They got in the way, inconvenienced owners and workers, were easily stolen, easily muddied and easily forgotten. She returned to Ireland with multiple drawings and the idea for BagSitt.com. This is a hat stand for bags, if you like, with two strong arms with tamperproof clips allowing bags to be kept close and on view at all times. An A5 advertising spot is pitched on top for the business to advertise their products or for a third party to rent as advertising space. “I’m working on a five-year plan because as soon as we can get the formula right in Ireland, we can take it further. This has global appeal,” says Aston of her gadget, which recently made its debut in Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel in south Co Dublin. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board was among the first to spot the marketability of what Aston was proposing. “And the interest not only from the public but from well-placed and high-end restaurants has been beyond my wildest dreams,” she says. AK Ballyshonog Farm Foods Farmer Colin Hadden decided in 2011 to go direct to market with his Wicklow lamb, spotting a niche for chefs looking for local quality produce. By the end of 2011, the business had grown to encompass a butcher shop and food hall based close to the farm in Tinahely, Co Wicklow. The plan for this year is to expand the number of restaurants supplied from 10 to 30, and launch an online shop. Emma O’Sullivan, sales director, had worked for Cuisine De France before joining and helping to start the business. Unable to receive funding from banks, the business was set up on private resources. “It has been tough but there is definitely a market in promoting local produce,” says O’Sullivan. “Pre-Christmas we struggled to keep up with demand so anticipating that demand was a big challenge. We will know how to plan better this year. Launching online is our big project this year. We now have 15 people employed, excluding ourselves, so we’ve effectively doubled our anticipated workforce. Our experience shows it is all do-able if you keep the right attitude.” ballyshonogfarm.ie DC Store ‘This new retail shop opened to the public in November 2011 on Cross Street in Galway city by husband and wife team John and Grainne Deely. This was one of the first DC stores in Europe and deals exclusively in the well-known brand of action sports and lifestyle clothing. The stock includes a large range of footwear from toddlers upwards as well as outdoor clothing. The plan is for the store to act as hub for the brand in Ireland, and an outdoor BMX and skating bowl is nearing completion in Moycullen village, with the support of DC and the shop. “I had previously worked for Guinness while at college and we have been retailers for 12 years in Galway and had been building a relationship with DC over that time,” says John Deely. “The major hurdle to overcome to make the project happen was trying to keep everything going while we sought funding. We were turned down by one bank and kept going until Bank of Ireland and the local credit union came on board. It took a huge amount of work. We have an official launch party on Valentines weekend and then a follow-on event in conjunction with the Volvo Ocean Race. The DC project has taught me that getting the right player on board and sharing some of the risk is going to be the way forward. The support we found now with DC is helping with my other suppliers, landlords and others. It can be done, if everyone is realistic about what is achievable.” WD Distribution Two Irish businessmen, John Curtin and Conor Barry, set up a new distribution company last year to help distribute a product that originated in the US, called Noho: The Hangover Defence. The formula is in liquid form and is made from vitamins and nutrients to help prevent hangovers. The pair decided to import more than 200 units, having spotted it on a television programme, to test the market. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, selling 1,000 units per day, with plans to start operating in the UK market this year. Curtin previously worked in corporate finance and private equity, mainly in Dublin and the Middle East, while Conor Barry worked in capital markets. Funding came from the partners’ own resources. “We saw this opportunity and it started off as a side project and it completely took on a life of its own,” says John Curtin. “We have sold in something like 22 counties and well as several countries in Europe and Australia. This year we plan to go nationwide in Ireland. We’ll expand and also be hiring a number of people.” nohodrink.ie Foilsithe ar 14 Eanáir 2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 16 Eanáir 2012

Tús curtha le tógáil ‘Gaeláras Mhic Ardghail’

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 12:49:00

Táthar dóchasach go mbeidh an obair críochnaithe agus go mbeidh an Gaeláras oscailte faoi Mheán an Fhómhair 2012 - in am do chomóradh ar Choláiste Bhríde Ó Meith (1912) a bheas á reáchtáil in Iúr Chinn Trá, agus in Ó Meith Mara. “Lárionad oidhreachta agus oideachais a bheas ann” mar Ghaeláras Mhic Ardghail, “áit a bheidh ag riaradh ar riachtanais Ghaeilgeoirí cheantair an Iúir,” de réir Séamus Mac Dhaibheid ó Chraobh an Iúir de Chomhaltas Uladh atá taobh thiar den tionscadail. Tá an Gaeláras á thógáil ag ‘Cnocán Phádraig Naofa’, Sráid an tSéipéil, ar an Iúir. Ba le clann Mhic Ardghail, May, Úna agus Tomás, an teach seo agus is ina n-ónóir a bheas an áras ainmnithe. Bhronn an teaghlach gaelach seo an teach agus an suíomh seo ar Chonraitheoirí an Iúir – suíomh a bhí roghnaithe ag na Bráithre Críostaí breis is 150 bliain ó shin d’fhonn a gcéad scoil in Iúr Chinn Trá a lonnú ann, Scoil Phádraig Naofa. Tá an comhlacht tógála Kelly McEvoy Brown, as Caisleán a’ Mhuilinn, Contae an Dúin, roghnaithe leis an obair tógála a dhéanamh, conradh atá bunaithe ar phleananna a rinne Milligan Reside Larkin, ailtirí áitiúla. Déanfar sean-bhungaló chlann Mhic Ardghail a athchóiriú chun spás teagaisc agus leabharlann-dánlann a chruthú. Ar chúl an tí beidh Halla an Chonartha agus taobh leis dhá sheomra do ranganna na Craoibhe. Is é Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge príomh-mhaoinitheoir na scéime, dream úrbhunaithe a bhí sásta suim shubstaintiúil a infheistiú sa togra nuair a ba léir dóibh go raibh Comhairle an Iúir agus Mhúrn toilteanach deontas £100,000 a thabhairt. Is le Craobh an Iúir de Chonradh na Gaeilge an Gaeláras agus thug Comhaltas Uladh £30,000 don tionscadal mar is dócha go mbeidh Gaeláras Mhic Ardghail ag feidhmiú mar áit chruinnithe do bhaill an Chomhaltais amach anseo. Tá Bunscoil an Iúir suite gar don Ghaeláras agus chítear deiseanna chun seirbhísí breise iarscoile a chur ar fáil do Ghaeilgeoirí óga an Iúir. “Beidh muid ag soláthar ranganna, imeachtaí sóisialta agus oideachais, lá agus oíche le linn na seachtaine. Déanfar freastal ar leith ar pháistí a bhfuil an Ghaeilge acu cheana ach nach bhfuil fóram iarscoile acu. Táimid ag smaoineamh go háirithe ar lucht Bhunscoil an Iúir, idir dhaltaí agus tuistí,” a deir Séamus Mac Dhaibheid. “Tá tacaíocht faighte cheana ón Heritage Lottery Fund chun Oifigeach Forbartha Oidhreachta a cheapadh agus déanfar duine a cheapadh go luath,” a deir sé, “Beidh deiseanna fostaíochta eile ann gan aon agó.” Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Comórtas Amhrán Nua-chumtha Pan Cheilteach 2012

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 12:38:00

Tá beartaithe go mbeidh an comórtas idirnáisiúnta amhrán nua-chumtha ar cheann de bhuaicphointí na féile. Tá coiste na féile ag glacadh le hiarratais d’iontráil na hÉireann ó chumadóirí ceoil faoi láthair ach ní mór brostú mar ‘sé 5.00i.n. ar an Aoine, 20ú Eanair an spriocdháta. Déanfar gearrliosta de na hiontrálacha is fearr agus roghnófar amhrán na hÉireann ag an gcomórtas náisiúnta a reachtálfar ins an Óstán Seven Oaks i gCeatharlach ar an Déardaoin 8 Márta ag 7.30i.n. Cuirfidh an pearsa teilifíse Daithí Ó Sé na hamhráin i láthair don phobal agus beidh Ollie Hennessy ina stiúrthóir ceoil don ócáid mhór. Tá IMRO i gcomhar le Gael Linn ag déanamh urraíochta ar an gcomórtas agus bronnfar duais €1,000 ar an mbuaiteoir naisiúnta. Rachaidh sé nó sí san iomaíocht leis na hamhráin nua-chumtha ó na tíortha ceilteacha eile ag an bhFéile Idirnáisiúnta Pan Cheilteach a bheidh ar siúl i gCeatharlach ó 10-15 Aibreán agus bronnfar duais €1,500 maille leis an trófaí Pan Cheilteach ar an mbuaiteoir idirnáisiúnta. Tá an comórtas oscailte d’amhráin thraidisiúnta, do phopamhráin, d’amhráin tíre agus d’amhráin rac cheiltigh ach is gá na focail agus an ceol a bheith nua-chumtha agus a bheith i nGaeilge. Tá rialacha uile an chomórtais agus foirmeacha iarratais ar fáil ar shuíomh greasáin www.panceltic.ie nó is féidir glaoch ar oifig Pan Cheilteach i gCeatharlach ar 059 9158105, 087 2857048. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

Gaillimh le Gaeilge to host Gradam information evening

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 12:06:00

This prestigious award recognises, honours and celebrates all the great bilingual work done in Galway City and is named in honour of Seosamh Ó hÓgartaigh, founding member and company secretary of Gaillimh le Gaeilge. This award is the perfect opportunity for any business to put itself out there as a company which is proud to use the Irish language in its business. Gaillimh le Gaeilge provides a ‘Gaeilge sa Ghnó’ service, free of charge to help businesses/organisations prepare for the Gradam. If you would like more information on this free service, contact Gaillimh le Gaeilge on 091 568876 or email gearoidin@gleg.ie. This year, the Gradam features four categories which were recently unveiled by the Deputy Mayor of Galway City, Cllr Frank Fahy. These are retail, hospitality and tourism, services and other companies. A winner will be chosen in each category and the overall winner will be selected from the four category winners. The information evening will provide you with an excellent opportunity to chat with previous Gradam winners and find out how they went about achieving it. Moltóirí an Ghradaim will speak on the adjudication process and Foireann Ghaillimh le Gaeilge will be happy to answer any questions and show you what to do in order to prepare for the Gradam. David Keane, Menlo Park Hotel, will also speak about winning Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh and how it has helped strengthen the hotel’s brand and promote it. Application forms will be made available on the evening and refreshments will also be provided. At this event, Gaillimh le Gaeilge will also welcome the renewed commitment from Údarás na Gaeltachta, which is sponsoring the replicas of the Gradam designed by the renowned artist Pádraic Reaney. They join an already established group of Galway sponsors including Galway Advertiser, D’Arcy Marketing and PR, Fáilte Ireland, Galway Chamber, Galway Bay FM, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, NUI Galway, and Snap Galway. The total value of the prizes and benefits provided by the local businesses is in excess of €19,000. It is not essential to be a fluent speaker to participate in this prestigious award. The Gradam is now open until Thursday Feb 9 to companies and organisations that are registered and doing business in Galway city and not involved primarily in the promotion of the Irish language or subject to the Official Languages Act 2003. Contact Gaillimh le Gaeilge for a brochure or you can enter online at www.gleg.ie Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

Letter use analysed to date ancient Irish texts

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 11:55:00

Aoife Gregg (16) is presenting her findings at the BT Young Scientists and Technology Exhibition under way at the RDS. Although the exhibition is open tomorrow, it reaches its climax this evening when the young scientist for 2012 is announced. The transition-year student from Loreto College, St Stephen’s Green, carried out a letter frequency analysis of the Irish language, using a computer to determine which letters occurred most frequently. The top four in order were A, I, H and N, but then she got the idea to measure letter frequencies in older documents to see how the Irish language changed. She studied 17 documents dating as far back as AD 600 and immediately found changes in the letter frequencies. The letter A is much more frequent today, she said yesterday and also the letter H. This may seem a bit academic but in fact she used these methods to date old Irish texts. She correctly determined the ages of eight out of 10 old texts, she said. “It provides an alternative way of dating Irish documents.” Eamon Hennelly McCarthy (16), and also a transition-year student, conducted a different analysis using non-invasive methods to identify people. A student at Skerries Community College, Co Dublin, he used “soft” biometric details such as hair colour and type, tongue folding, gender and other cues to correctly identify individuals. While fingerprints are a definitive identifier, it is quite possible to use a wider selection of soft biometrics to do the same job, he said. He developed a check list and computerised the analysis so identification came down to getting a match between stored biometrics and the individual. He settled on a list of 15 attributes, he said. “The more biometrics I added the more people I could identify. I got a 96 per cent accuracy.” Of the four he did not identify, two were twins and the remaining two could have been identified if age had been included as a biometric. He left out age and similar attributes that changed radically over time. A project by Robert Gabriel (18), a sixth-year student from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál in Blarney, Co Cork, also depended on computers, but this time to make them run faster. He has developed a piece of software, an algorithm, to help make the internet go faster. “It helps your download speed in areas where you can’t get good connections,” he explained. The algorithm smoothes out intermittent connections by breaking up the downloaded information in a different way, making it possible to take jumps and pauses out of the picture. And in areas where connections run well, it speeds them up still further, allowing information to be displayed almost instantly. In tests his system ran faster than search engines Bing and Yahoo, he said. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

When I started out as a singer, I wasn't

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 11:40:00

But there’s no doubt he is one of our most distinctive voices. Distinctinve voices are always a welcome arrival, regardless of the orbits they choose, and Iarla Ó Lionáird’s is one that ventures far beyond the boundaries of any one genre: a defiantly unclassifiable sound. He’s a child of traditional music, born and bred in Cúil Aodha, in the belly of the Cork Gaeltacht, with Seán Ó Riada a neighbour and indisputable early influence. His grand aunt, the traditional singer Bess Cronin, had forged a reputation for rich interpretation before him, paving the way for the young Ó Lionáird to still audiences with his plaintive, textured voice at Mass, and later, in parlours, front rooms, snugs, town halls and concert halls. The mood of Ó Lionáird’s third solo album, Foxlight, is one of buoyant lightness, with shards of darkness slicing through it. His last album, Invisible Fields , was released in 2005. Lengthy gestation, resulting in the release of work that is fully realised, is a hallmark of Ó Lionáird’s recorded output. Living outside Inistiogue in Kilkenny, he’s sanguine about the ways in which life inevitably influences his music, his singing and his writing in ways which he might not have bargained on before. Ó Lionáird has three children, so it’s unsurprising that fatherhood has impinged on his perspective, and this is palpable in his songwriting. “Really, my kids are the future. I’m not,” Ó Lionáird muses, having come to an understanding with himself about the relationship between art and mortality. “I’m living my present in service to their future, in a way. Despite the fact that you go through life doing your own thing, and it all appears to be about yourself, when you have kids, it isn’t like that any more. You have a lot less time to think about yourself. And so, [his song] Daybreak is about the fact that it’s all about them. “And that they will be there, and I won’t, but that’s okay. The thought that you wouldn’t be there any more could be very upsetting to a person, but I found the solution in thinking about them. The equation had a solution and it didn’t trouble me any more. Once I acquiesced to the notion that ‘is sibh a bheidh ann’ [‘that you will remain’], that’s cool, you know. So fatherhood has had an immersive effect on my preoccupations as I write, as it would do with anyone, I’m sure. I’m no different.” Foxlight follows an ambitious arc through traditional songs such as Fáinne Geal An Lae and The Goat Song , with a beautiful reading of O’Carolan’s Eleanor Plunkett, and a kaleidoscopic range of original material, written by Ó Lionáird. His producer, Leo Abrahams, brings cool, clean lines to the arrangements, having worked previously with Brian Eno, David Byrne, Gavin Bryars and Nick Cave, among others. It’s a collection that refuses to be corralled, weaving the mood music of the title track with the transcendence of Lámh Le Lámh and the mournful resignation of Stay. Abrahams’ influence can be characterised as “the light at the end of each phrase”, he says. Although Ó Lionáird has never rejected his sean-nós roots, he has long vacated the space where “traditional singer” might have defined him. For him, making music is less about playing to the strictures of any musical genre than it is about stretching his abilities as a singer and a songwriter with something to say. “The idea of writing songs was something I always wanted to do,” he says, “but I inherited this identity as an interpreter of old songs, and it seemed that it wasn’t really encouraged to mix those two identities. In media terms, I’m always seeing that binary: ‘Iarla Ó Lionáird’ and ‘sean-nós singer’. It disappoints me a little that there isn’t sufficient oxygen in the media to fully explore the complex identities of artists. When I set out to do an album, I aim to create things that didn’t exist before, from nothing. Even with Foxlight, I didn’t record the traditional songs until the end, because I was synthesising what I was doing. Everything is new, everything is different, everything is generative of the things that come after, and linked to the thing that went before.” The truth is, it’s the individual sonic qualities of Iarla Ó Lionáird’s voice that define him. That voice, with all its midnight depth and soaring breadth, transcends anything that might box or classify him as one thing or another. “I came to the conclusion a few years ago that what really is my identity is the sound I make rather than any notion of me being a culture bearer,” he says, with a certain relief at the simplicity of the supposition. “Whatever I got in Cúil Aodha, I’ve carried with me, and I’ve married that with a deep need to explore my own musical voice, paint using my own colours. There’s no way back from that really.” Such clarity is at the heart of Ó Lionáird’s collaborations with The Gloaming (Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Thomas Bartlett), whose debut tour last summer attracted record audiences and rave reviews in equal measure. The band will reunite early this year in New York, with a March concert mooted for Dublin and, after that, an album is promised. Through these disparate activities, Ó Lionáird hopes that “the plasma of the band can be contained and maintained”. Alongside that, he’s also currently revving up to record a new album with fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, and another with Steve Cooney. Ó Lionáird’s previous work with the Afro Celts signposted a way which was never going to be predictable. Foxlight is shot through with light that ricochets in many directions. From the childlike innocence of The Goat Song to the luminous Daybreak, with its plangent vocals from Norwegian chanter Sara Marielle Gaup, the shapes Ó Lionáird’s voice makes are suggestive rather than directive, conjuring subtle moods that float to the surface almost imperceptibly. “Emotion is a thought process,” he offers, explaining his approach to this latest studio outing. “It’s vastly more powerful than any other form of thinking, and any other form of experience. What’s great about making records is that you have the privilege of exploring that form of thinking: thinking using emotion. In Foxlight, I wanted to do that, and how I do it is through the sound of my voice.” Foxlight has its fair share of shade, too. Ó Lionáird has never shirked the shadows. Much of what distinguishes his music is in how he’s put a finger on life’s more obscured experiences: the light and shadow of birth, the ageing experience and the anticipation of death. Ultimately, Iarla Ó Lionáird sees his latest foray into the studio as just another step in a circuitous journey, whose destination remains unknown. “One thing I’ve learned is that there is no possible end,” he says. “Your relationship to your own sound is like the rotation of the Earth. It goes on. It can’t stop. You just have to be awake to it. When I started out as a singer, I wasn’t. I was only awake to the experience and the ecstasy of singing out, whereas there are many other ecstasies: the ecstasy of singing, to be quietly in the presence of what you want to say. Thankfully, with Leo Abrahams’s stewardship, I was given the time to really find all the narratives of the sound that my voice can possibly make.” Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

Féile Scoil Drámaíochta na Gaillimhe

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 11:29:00

Reáchtálfear an Fhéile in Amharclann Chois Fharraige, Indreabhán ón Luan 6 Feabhra go dtí an Aoine 10 Feabhra 2012. D’éirigh go breá leis an bhféile anuraidh, áit a léiríodh 35 dráma le linn na seachtaine agus táthar ag súil leis an méid céanna drámaí nó níos mó fiú i mbliana. Caithfidh iarratais a bheith seolta isteach roimh an Aoine 20 Eanáir agus ní ghlacfar le haon Iarratais tar éis an dáta sin. Is féidir an fhoirm iarratais a íoslódáil ón suíomh www.scoilnatulai.com Caithfear an fhoirm iarratais, in éineacht le táille iontrála de €30 agus cóip clóite den script a sheoladh sa phost chuig Rúnaí Féile Scoil Drámaíochta, Scoil Cholmcille, An Tulaigh, Baile na hAbhann, Co. na Gaillimhe láithreach. Cuirtear míle fáilte roimh an bpobal bualadh isteach le linn an Fhéile Scoil Drámaíochta chun tacaíocht a thabhairt do na haisteoirí óga. Go deimhin, cuirtear léiriúchán den scoth ar stáitse le linn na seachtaine agus is fiú go mór a bheith i láthair le talann an aos óg. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

Leabhar Filíochta Dheirdre seolta

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 11:24:00

Leabhar dhátheangach dar teideal “Hidden Places: Scathán Eile” atá ann le dhá chnuasach filíochta, ceann i nGaeilge agus ceann i mBéarla. ‘Sí Caitlín Mhic Cárthaigh, iarphríomhoide Ghaelcholáiste Cheatharlach, a sheol an leabhar agus dúirt sí gurbh onóir mhór di an gnó a dhéanamh. Dúirt sí go raibh ardmheas aici ar fhilíocht Dheirdre tar éis di blianta a chaitheamh ag múineadh dánta leis an bhfile a bhí ar chúrsa na hardteistiméireachta. Is scribhneoir dátheangach í Deirdre – filíocht, gearrscéalta agus drámaí foilsithe aici thar tríocha bliain. Rugadh í i mBaile Átha Cliath. Bhain sí céim amach sa Bhéarla agus Laidin agus ina dhiaidh sin, an tArd-Teastas san Oideachas. I measc na dtéamaí atá pléite as Gaeilge agus as Béarla in “Hidden Places: Scathán Eile” tá an aois, tírdhreach, an nead folamh, foréigean, éagnú, eisimirce agus deoraíocht. Mar a dúirt Caitlín faoin bhfilíocht “Ní bhíonn eagla riamh ar Dheirdre roimh rud ar bith – is cuma cén tuairim atá ag daoine eile!” Tá clúdach crua ar an leabhar maisithe le pictiúr álainn ag an ealaíontóir clúiteach Pauline Bewick. Foilsithe ag Arlen House tá cóipeanna den leabhar ar fáil @ €15 ó oifig Glór Cheatharlach ag emma@glorcheatharlach.ie nó cuir glaoch ar 059 9158105 nó 085 1340047. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

Lá an Dreoilín

Gaelport — 13/01/2012 11:13:00

Iad ag damhsa seiteanna, ag canadh carúil Nollag, ag bualadh steipeanna an tsean-nóis agus ag bailiú airgid ar mhaithe le Cúram Bhaile Cheatharlach/Cill Chainnigh. Ar Lá le Stiofán, lá an dreoilín, thug an grúpa de cheoltóirí, rinceoirí agus amhránaithe cuairt ar Ospidéal an Chroí Naofa agus chuir idir fhoireann agus othair fíorchaoin fáilte rompu. Ar aghaidh leis an seó bríomhar ansin chuig scata de thithe tábhairne áit a raibh idir bhainistíocht agus custaiméirí ag súil go mór leis an siamsaíocht agus an spraoi. B’iontach chomh fial flaithiúil is a bhí daoine i dtráth seo na géirchéime eacnamaíochta agus bailiodh €500 ar mhaithe le Cúram Bhaile taobh istigh de chúpla uair a chloig. Leanadh leis an gceiliúradh ag Céilí Mór na Nollag a reachtáladh i gClub CLG Chnoc Arda áit a deineadh seiteanna go maidin agus an ceol á sholáthar ag banna céilí Bhrian Ború. Nollaig eile! Dreoilín eile! Agus an dreoilín bocht saor go ceann bliana. Go mbeirimid, chomh maith leis an dreoilín, beo ar an am seo arís! Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 13 Eanáir 2012

Athbhreithniú ar an Acht Teanga

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 11:00:00

Tá deis anois ag pobal na tíre a dtuairimí a chur ar fáil faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003, mar chuid den athbhreithniú ar an Acht atá fógartha ag an Rialtas. Tá go dtí 31 Eanáir ag daoine a dtuairimí agus a mholtaí a chur ar fáil do Roinn na Gaeltachta. Is féidir é seo a dhéanamh trí shuirbhé ar líne a chomhlíonadh maidir leis an Acht reatha agus freisin trí aighneacht a dhéanamh maidir le hathruithe a rachadh chun tairbhe spriocanna an tAcht Teanga a bhaint amach, sé sin cur leis an leibhéal seirbhíse a chuireann an stát ar fáil do phobal na Gaeilge. Is féidir teacht ar an suirbhé agus foirm shamplach le haghaidh aighneacht ar shuíomh na Roinne ag www.pobail.ie nó www.ahg.gov.ie. Is féidir brú ar an nasc Athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 ar an leathanach baile. Tá teacht ansin freisin ar théarmaí tagartha don athbhreithniú agus eolas eile faoin Acht féin. Ar ndóigh tá eolas cuimsitheach faoi fheidhmiú an tAcht Teanga ar fáil ar shuíomh an Choimisinéara Teanga ag www.coimisineir.ie. Cé go bhfáiltíonn pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta roimh an athbhreithniú, tá buairt ollmhór ann gurb ionann an t-athbhreithniú seo agus iarracht a dhéanamh lagú a dhéanamh ar an Acht agus ach go háirithe lagú a dhéanamh ar an tsárobair atá ar siúl ag Oifig an Coimisinéir Teanga. Is léir le tamall anuas go bhfuil cigireacht na hoifige sin ag cur as go mór don chóras stáit, córas a rinne neamhaird iomlán ar chearta phobal na Gaeilge roimh achtú an tAcht Teanga. Tá dearcadh Fhine Gael agus páirtí an Lucht Oibre ar thodhchaí iomlán an tAcht Teanga le ceistiú freisin i bhfianaise chinneadh an Rialtais Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga sa Spidéal a dhúnadh mar oifig reachtúil neamhspleách, agus a chuid feidhmeanna ar fad a chur isteach faoi Oifig an Ombudsman. Is léir áfach, agus é admhaithe ag an Aire Stáit Dinny McGinley sa Dáil gur mó séanas go mbeidh costas breise ar an stát mar thoradh ar an gcinneadh, nach sábháil airgid a bhí mar bhunús an cinneadh seo. Bunaithe ar chruinniú poiblí a eagraíodh i nGaillimh roimh Nollaig tá iarrtha ag pobal na Gaeilge ar an Rialtas an cinneadh seo a aistharraingt. Níl freagra faighte ar an iarratas seo fós ach is cinnte anseo san Iarthar go mbeidh súil ghéar á choinneáil ar an leibhéal tacaíochta a bheidh ar fáil d’Oifig an Coimisinéir Teanga ó Theachtaí Dála an Rialtais sa Dáilcheantar seo, Seán Kyne, Brian Walsh agus Derek Nolan. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

Prioritise maths in primary school, says NCC report

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:56:00

The National Competitiveness Council's (NCC) annual report calls for sweeping changes across the education system, as well as further reform of the public sector, more reductions in the cost of doing business and increased productivity in the private sector. Other changes recommended in education include: - Higher third-level fees. - Reform of the Leaving Certificate. - Further training for teachers throughout their careers. "Primary school children in Ireland spend the second-highest amount of time in the classroom of all children in the OECD but receive the least amount of tuition in mathematics," the report states. At second level, the NCC claims the points system "distorts performance by encouraging students away from vital subjects such as maths and sciences in favour of subjects (perceived) as easier". "A new method of entry into third level, which is meritocratic and promotes problem solving and innovation. . . is required to replace the current system," the report states. Teachers should also undergo regular training, with "professional and in-service development" that is "frequent, continuing and progressive during a teacher's career". Meanwhile, at third level, institutions "remain underfunded relative to institutions internationally". In response, the report recommends undergraduates "contribute a greater portion of the cost of their education". NCC chairman Don Thornhill -- a former secretary general of the Department of Education -- welcomed the changes currently being implemented but added that more needs to be done, especially with regard to the teaching of Irish. "The elephant in the room is Irish. Giving a huge amount of time to teaching Irish doesn't seem to have worked, and we have been doing that since 1922. "Despite the economic importance of education, there has been a strong bias in the department to the social and cultural roles of education but you won't have a vibrant social or cultural society if there is no work," he added. The report, which was co-authored by government thinktank Forfas, also recommends measures to reduce the cost of doing business in Ireland including the phasing out of subsidies for peat-generated electricity, a faster planning process, an accelerated re-evaluation process for commercial rates and further investment in broadband infrastructure. This could be the last such report, as the two bodies involved may disappear. Forfas has been earmarked for integration with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, while the future of the NCC will be reviewed later this year. Last night an education department spokesman defended its record. "The Department of Education gives the teaching and learning of maths high priority (and) has prioritised the rollout of a new maths curriculum -- Project Maths -- in second-level schools," he said. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

Reality show aims to make the cúpla focal sexy

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:51:00

An G-Team, a 10-part series which launches on TG4 this weekend, is described as one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in the station’s history, with one of its makers claiming it will make Irish sexy. More than 50,000 people have taken part in the filming of the show, which aims to get English-speaking communities to converse as Gaeilge on a daily basis. An G-Team has been almost a year in the making, from its earliest stages when more than 100 small towns and villages responded to ads to win a €40,000 Foras Na Gaeilge-sponsored prize by becoming the top Irish-speaking community outside the Gaeltacht. Dublin-based Adare Productions whittled the applicants down to 12 before pre-recording nine of the 10 hour-long shows before the live final, to be screened on March 18. G-Day, or Gaelige-Day, marked the much anticipated 24 hours when the cameras watched everything — every town or village was rigged with CCTV and everyone was under scrutiny — as two communities went head to head each week to take a place in the semi-finals. Brian Graham, owner of Adare Productions, said the most satisfying part of the mammoth production has been the lasting legacy on the communities which took part. He said the series — which is tipped to net record audience for TG4 — has reinvigorated interest in the native tongue among entire parishes and has resulted in hundreds more people continuing to converse as Gaeilge on a daily basis. He said: "People get spooked and put off when it’s pushed down their throats. We wanted to make it sexy — you could say the opposite of Peig Sayers. "For G-Day, each community was asked to put on a festival, something which celebrated something distinctive about their community, be it a fishing or music festival or whatever. But even a couple of months before G-Day, we would check up on them and make sure they were using every effort to use Irish in the planning stages. "The results have been amazing. What we’ve seen is fathers starting to read bedtime stories in Irish, the local butcher dealing with his customer as Gaeilge and even local lads chatting up the girls in Irish. Young people started leaving text and Facebook messages in Irish for the first time. "And in one memorable case, which will be shown on TV in a few weeks, a man even trained his dog to obey his commands in Irish," Mr Graham said. * An G-Team begins at 8pm on Sunday, January 15, on TG4. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

The linguistic legacy of James Joyce

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:43:00

The event was marked at the time in The Irish Times by that other great Irish writer Brian Ó Nualláin (alias Myles na gCopaleen, alias Flann O’Brien). In his column Cruiskeen Lawn on January 25th, 1941 Myles wrote the following comment in Irish (I have modernised the spelling): “Is cúis doilís agus trua dúinn gur éag an sár-éigeas Éireannach Séamus Seoige. Fágann a bhás gág do-líonta ’san saol ealaíona. Ar a bhealach féin chuir sé i bhfeidhm ar fud an domhain mhóir an stuaim liteartha is dúchasaí de threibh na tire seo. Ní raibh an saothar a rinne sé indéanta ag éinne ach ag Éireannach agus ar an ábhar sin tá an lítríocht a d’fhág sé ’na dhiaidh níos Gaelaí ná a lán atá againn ó dhaoine nár thuig focal Béarla. Tiocfaidh méadú ar chlú an scríbhneora seo le himeacht aimsire agus ’sa tír seo tiocfaidh meas air do réir mar thuigtear don choitiantacht cad is litríocht ann. “Nuair a bheas údar inchurtha leis ag scríobh i nGaeilge, beidh an teanga mhathartha as baol agus ní bheidh go dtí sin. Ins an mheántráth, beidh an saothar cuanna mínmheilte sin againn – Séadna. Agus Niamh, An Béal Beo, An Mháthair, maraon lena lán trachlaise eile atá chomh bréagach mí-ghaelach is tá sí suarach.” (The death of the great Irish writer James Joyce is a cause of sorrow and regret to us. His death leaves a great void in the world of arts. In his own way he displayed to the wider world the literary genius most native of the tribe of people who inhabit this country. His work could not have been created by anyone except an Irish person and on this basis the writings he has left us are more Gaelic than many of those we have from people who never understood a word of English. With the passage of time this writer’s fame will grow and in this country respect for him will increase as the generality of people come to understand what literature is. Not until there is a comparable author writing in Irish will the mother tongue be out of danger. In the meantime we will have that comely finely-ground work Séadna. And Niamh, An Béal Beo, An Mháthair, as well as a lot of other rubbish that is as false and as ungaelic as it is contemptible. ). This fascinating piece reminds us of the complex relationship between our bilingual heritage and our bilingual literatures as reflected in the lives and works of our great writers. It is also a reminder of the continuing relevance of the Irish language to a fully inclusive understanding of our cultural inheritance. This is a point which I think was missed in your special supplement (published on October 1st, 2011) to mark the 100th anniversary of Ó Nualláin’s birth. – Yours, etc, JOHN GLENNON, Cillín Chaoimhín, Co Chill Mhantáin. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

Cláraigh Anois do Sheachtain na Gaeilge

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:40:00

Tá Conradh na Gaeilge ag ullmhú Clár na Gaillimhe de Sheachtain na Gaeilge faoi láthair. Beidh Seachtain na Gaeilge 2011 ar siúl ón 5 – 17 Márta agus beidh na céadta imeacht ar siúl le linn na tréimhse sin agus na mílte duine ag glacadh páirte sna himeachtaí. Mar is iondúil, beidh béim ar rannpháirtíocht an phobail ar fud chontae na Gaillimhe. Chuige sin tá Conradh na Gaeilge ag iarraidh ar aon ghrúpa ar spéis leo páirt a ghlacadh i Seachtain na Gaeilge teagmháil a dhéanamh leo. Cuirfear tacaíocht ar fáil dóibh agus déanfar cinnte go mbeidh siad páirteach sa chlár agus go gcuirfear poiblíocht ar fáil dá gcuid imeachtaí roimh agus le linn na féile. Is féidir eolas a chur ar fáil ach teagmháil a dhéanamh le Conradh na Gaeilge, 45 Sr. Doiminic, Gaillimh, 091 567824 nó conradh@bradan.iol.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

Delving into Kerry placenames gives a fascinating insight into our local history

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:35:00

I worked on a project some years ago, via Ciarraí Beo/conradh na Gaeilge, collecting placenames/fieldnames of Mid Kerr. The project, 'Logainmneacha Chiarraí/ Corcaigh', which was the brainchild of Eamon Langford of Oileán Chléire, Cork, was a most fascinating study. With the aid of 6" Ordnance Survey maps we proceeded to collect names by the hundreds, talking to the older people of the locality especially, about the names of fields, rocks, streams, hills. We discovered names such as Tóin na Choirce, Bottamín Rowl, Móinseacháin... very poetic and highly descriptive of places as well as acknowledging the bygone activities of areas. Our placenames, I would assume, arise from the first utterances of a people describing a sense of place and connection with their surrounds. Ireland in the 19th Century had the most sophisticated maps, due to the work of the 'sappers' — map makers employed by the British Army — who had the most up to date surveying equipment. The only drawback was their unfamiliarity with Gaelic and, because of this, we have inherited meaningless, anglicised names that defy any kind of accuracy in description of place. For example, the name ' Killarney' is meaningless until it reverts back to the Gaelic 'Cill Áirne' — the Church of the Sloes. Today's metropolises of New York, London, Paris or Dublin had their beginnings some aeons ago... be that as a settlement by a riverbank or the sea, or as a centre for a specialised activity of sorts. Essentially they were all at one time a 'greenfield' site until names were bestowed on them. The city of Chicago for example, translates from native American dialect - 'The Swamp of the Wild Onion', perhaps a trading post or meeting place on the riverbank. One has to employ, as it were, forensic linguistics in dealing with names of places, examining the layers of meaning, synchronised with the historical period or epoch and bearing in mind the landscape of an area. Take, for example, the town of Milltown - Baile an Mhuilinn. It's straight forward enough - The Town of the Mill has a recent origin in the 1700s and is so named from the flax and grain mills established by the Godfreys as they endeavoured to industrialise their estate and environs. Scratching the surface however, one finds an old placename in the vicinity of Main Street/old Post Office Square, that of Knockinillane translated as Cnoc an Oileáin - The Island Hill/ Hill of the Island. The theory begins that Knocinillane, when viewed from a Rathpook (northerly) perspective, in times of winter flooding when and the two rivers flanking Milltown - Abha Solais and Chapel River – burst their banks gives the impression that the raised area - Knockinillane – is an and island. Milltown parish placenames and comprehensive histories are available at Bleachfield Heritage Village/ Restaurant including the Prendergast Famine Letters 1840-50; Turners Milltown History 1865; Denis Sugrue's notes, flax history and the Hanafin brothers exhibition. Sin an méid agam. Tír le Teanga. Áit le Ainm. Sincerely, Thomas O'sullivan, Milltown. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanair 2012

An daonlathas

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:31:00

B’fhéidir gurb í sin is brí leis an daonlathas céanna, an comh-mhéadaí is lú ar an bpraghas is airde. Beir uainn an tásc nach ag iarraidh guth an phobail a dhíchur atáimid, ach cad is fiú an daonlathas céanna nuair gurb í is brí leis deachtóireacht idir dhá thoghchán? Tabhair dod mheabhair an sceimhle a rug ar dhaoine nuair a leomhaigh an Ghréig reifreann a mholadh ar a dtaoscadh féin; agus cuimhnigh nárbh fholáir dúinne vótáil cúpla uair chun an toraidh inmhianaithe a thabhairt nuair nár réitigh sé le guth b’airde ná ár gceann féin. Is measa fós ná sin é. Ar nós an chórais oideachais, is cuma cad é an córas a cheapann tú, is iad na daoine is mó meabhair agus cúiléith a thiocfaidh chun barra. San pholaitíocht, is cuma cad é an córas a cheapann tú, is iad is mó a bhfuil dúil sa chumhacht is san airgead acu a dtiocfaidh a lá. Is a n-oíche, is a nóin mhór agus lár an lae. Is acu a bheidh an caiscín mór agus an toirtín ramhar agus na hoirc agus na hairc. Ba dhóigh leat gurb é gnó an daonlathais an ceannas sin a mhaolú nó a shrianadh. Ach ní mar sin a bhíonn. Nuair a thagann an díogha ar an rogha is é an díogha a roghnaítear. In uair na hanachaine gabhann an pobal leis an dream is mó a dhéanfaidh a n-aimhleas. In am an ghátair, tugann an pobal guth do na daoine atá go follas ina n-aghaidh. In uair na géarchéime is fearr leis an bpobal an dream a chosnóidh an saibhir agus a dhéanfaidh dochar don daibhir, go fiú is má tá a bhformhór beo bocht, nó ag dul sa treo sin síos. Níl aon bhrí eile le toghcháin iarthar na hEorpa – Fine Gael sa rialtas baile, na Caomhaigh thall, Sarkozy i measc na nGall, Merkel in inneall na hEorpa, Rajoy ar shliocht Mhiléisius sa Spáinn. Sa mhéid sin, nuair atá daoine ag léirsiú ar na sráideanna bheadh fonn ort a rá, “Cén fáth an fhearg? Is sibhse a chuir isteach iad!” ach amháin nach iad na daoine ar na sráideanna i gcónaí a dhein an drochbheart. Sna Stáit Aontaithe féin, trasna an chuain siar, sa domhan úr friseáilte, roghnaigh siad fear breá liobrálach leathgheal a raibh gach aon deastruip air is a thug a lámh is a fhocal dúinn go raibh tír tairngre na polaitíochta nua i ngar dúinn. Ní raibh an ghealach dulta faoi ó chuir sé a lámh ar an mbíobla nuair a buamáladh daoine bochta sa Phacastáin nach raibh a fhios acu cá raibh teach geal ná bán. Cérbh iad na daoine sin? An bhfuil ainm againn orthu? Clár teilifíse mar gheall ar a bpian is ar a gcailliúint? Ó shin i leith, tá na Poblachtánaigh neamhphoblachtánacha ag iarraidh cur ina choinne, ach tá ag dul díobh ar fad, toisc gurb uachtarán poblachtánach ina chrutaon é, de cheal an lipéid. Cad eile a thabharfá ar dhuine a thug an t-ordú cnuasbhuamaí a úsáid go forleathan i dtíortha Allah; cogadh neamhúdaraithe a chur i gcrích in Libia; a réimeas féin a stuáil le feidhmeannaigh ó Shráid an Bhalla; coinneáil gan triail gan chrích ar phríosúnaigh a raibh coireanna sceimhlitheoireachta curtha ina leith; cead dúnmharaithe ar shibhialaigh Mheiriceánacha i bhfad i gcéin ar samhlaíodh mar naimhde iad...? Cén fáth a ngluaistear i gcónaí ar dheis sna tíortha saibhre agus ar chlé sna tíortha bochta go dtagann fáltas éigin chucu? Leithleachas agus saint an freagra gonta air sin. Sroichtear caighdeán áirithe sna tíortha róshaibhre i measc na haicme a vótáileann, agus as sin amach is é gach duine ar a shon féin é. Is leo agus is dóibh agus is astu a thig reacaireacht an scéil. Ní thuigeann an sách an seang. I margadh na n-éileamh tá cead ag duine ar bith rud ar bith a gheallúint, agus dá mhéid iad na bréaga is ea is airde na vótaí. Is féidir an saol is a sheanmháthair a gheallúint roimh thoghchán, ach is féidir an gheallúint sin a chaitheamh sa phus ag an bpobal ina dhiaidh sin, agus gáire a dhéanamh lena linn. Na buanna agus na buntáistí a bhaineadh leis an daonlathas tá siad creimnithe agus clipithe ag bréaga agus ag breabaireacht. Is beag ag daoine an tsaoirse mar níl a mhalairt ar eolas. Ina choinne sin, más í an fhorbairt eacnamaíochta an t-aon dia amháin ar an bhfód, is de shuimiúlacht gur tír neamhdhaonlathach chumannach an tír is éirithí ar domhan! Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

Balance on TG4

Gaelport — 12/01/2012 10:28:00

Súil eile, mar a déarfá. – Yours, etc, GABRIEL ROSENSTOCK, Gleann na gCaorach, Co Átha Cliath. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 12 Eanáir 2012

Tuairimí de dhíth ar an bhForas

Gaelport — 11/01/2012 10:52:00

Dar le Seán Ó Coinn, Leas-Phríomhfheidhmeannach Fhoras na Gaeilge, níor cheart go mbeadh imní ar na heagraíochtaí Gaeilge faoin athbhreithniú atá ar bun ar an gcóras reatha. Dúirt sé go bhfuil Foras na Gaeilge ag iarraidh teacht ar an mbealach is fearr chun an teanga a chur chun cinn; céard ba cheart dóibh a choinneáil agus céard ba cheart dóibh a athrú. "Níl ag éirí lenár n-iarrachtaí go mbeadh an Ghaeilge á húsáid go laethúil ag formhór an phobail sna Gaeltachtaí nó taobh amuigh díobh." "Is éard atá i gceist leis an bpróiseas seo, a chinntiú go gcaithfear cibé airgead atá le caitheamh ar an mbealach is éifeachtaí agus is féidir sula dtarlóidh meath ar an nGaeilge nach féidir a tharrtháil." Reáchtálfar cruinnithe agus grúpaí fócais leis an bpróiseas comhairliúcháin seo a éascú. Is é 2 Aibreán an dáta deiridh do fhreagairtí. Eolas ar www.gaeilge.ie Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Aire ag tóraíocht Fáinne óir Gaeilge

Gaelport — 11/01/2012 10:47:00

D’fhógair an tAire, Carál Ní Chuilín, roimh Nollaig go raibh breis agus 1,000 síniú bailithe ag an scéim Líofa 2015 cheana féin. Tugann an scéim seo an deis do phobal an Tuaiscirt freastal ar ranganna Gaeilge atá maoinithe ag Foras na Gaeilge. Is é an aidhm phearsanta atá ag an Aire, an Fáinne óir a bhaint amach faoi 2015. “Ba mhaith liom ceannaireacht a ghlacadh ar an scéim seo trí dhea-shampla a léiriú. “Is í mo theanga dhúchais í ach níl sí agam,” arsa Ní Chuilín. “Tá Gaeilge bhunúsach agam; rinne mé staidéar uirthi nuair a bhí mé ar scoil ach sin i bhfad ó shin. “Is mise an t-aon duine i mo theach nach bhfuil líofa sa teanga. Labhraíonn gach duine as Béarla nuair a shiúlaim isteach i seomra.” Bíonn an tAire ag freastal ar ranganna Gaeilge faoi dhó in aghaidh na seachtaine. Dúirt sí le Foinse: “Is deis é do dhaoine cosúil liomsa, nár lean leis an nGaeilge nuair a d’fhág siad an scoil, filleadh ar ais ar an teanga.” Ba é an aidhm a bhí ag Líofa 2015 spreagadh a thabhairt do 1,000 duine an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim faoi 2015. Go dtí seo tá níos mó tacaíochta ná sin faighte ag an scéim; tacaíocht ó dhaoine mór le rá san áireamh; Judith Gillespie (leas-ardchonstábla an PSNI), William Crawley (BBC), Joe Mahon (UTV), Joe Brolly (CLG Dhoire) agus Paddy Cunningham (CLG Aontroma). “Tá sé ar intinn againn monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar an dul chun cinn a dhéanann na daoine a fhreastalaíonn ar na ranganna le fáil amach cén tacaíocht a theastóidh uathu.” Dar leis an Aire, tá borradh tagtha ar an nGaeilge agus ar oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart Éireann le cúpla bliain anuas. Léiríonn figiúirí ón Roinn Oideachais gur fhás líon na ndaltaí atá ag freastal ar bhunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge ó 713 i 1994 go 2,217 in 2009. Creidtear go bhfuil breis agus 4,000 duine ag freastal ar bhunscoileanna agus ar mheánscoileanna Gaeilge sa Tuaisceart anois. Dúirt sí le Foinse: “D’fhreastail mo pháistí ar ghaelscoileanna. Ba chuid den mhionlach iad, ach tá athrú iomlán tagtha ar an scéal ó shin.” Beidh straitéis don Ghaeilge á tabhairt chun tosaigh ag an Aire Ní Chuilín i mbliana chomh maith le straitéis do na healaíona, don chultúr agus don oidhreacht sa Tuaisceart. “Tá súil agam go mbeidh siad mar chuid den phróiseas reachtaíochta d’Acht na Gaeilge amach anseo,” a dúirt sí. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Tóstal na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath

Gaelport — 11/01/2012 10:38:00

Pléifidh saineolaithe idirnáisiúntana bealaí ar féidir stádas na Gaeilge a threisiú tríd an Athbreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003. Eolas: www.gaelport.com/tostal2012 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Lost in translation

Gaelport — 11/01/2012 10:34:00

On Oliver Plunkett St, I was horrified to see a street sign supposedly for the English market, bearing the legend Béarla sa Mhargadh, which means "English (as in language) at the Market". If this is the accepted standard of Irish for our street signs, we may as well give prizes for the most ridiculous translations. At least we would get a much-needed laugh in these grim times. What about Sráid Tonna Níocháin for Washington St? Gerry Motherway Grange Cork Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Scoil Gheimhridh Merriman

Gaelport — 11/01/2012 10:28:00

Faoi chaibidil beidh an iris liteartha Comhar, atá ag ceiliúradh 70 bliain ar an saol. Eolas: http://www.merriman.ie/index.ga Foilisthe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Tá cealú toilteanach an díchreidimh faoi bhagairt mhór

Gaelport — 11/01/2012 9:53:00

Is sinne na déithe nua agus casann an cosmas timpeall orainn agus tá ár saolta ag croílár an chosmais féin. Tá an seanchóras ina raibh an cine daonna urramach do dheasghnátha seanbhunaithe agus faoi smacht ag eaglaisí righne, dolúbtha ar an dé deiridh. Ní ghéillimid go héasca do Dhia nó do dhuine, d’fhéadfaí a rá. Ceistimid an uile ní agus vótálaimid lenár gcosa nuair nach bhfaighimid na freagraí atá de dhíth orainn. Glaotar “daonlathas” ar an gcóras nua, aisteach seo, córas a bhí doshamhlaithe 40 bliain ó shin. N’fheadar arbh é an chéad LP de chuid na Beatles nó eachtraí Woodstock nó Aifreann Uí Riada a chur tús leis an ngealtachas seo ach is cuid dár saol laethúil anois é. An cuimhin le héinne anois Dlí an Chiúnais? Nuair a bhíodh fógraí le feiscint sa leabharlann, mar shampla, leis an mana “Ciúnas sa Leabharlann” greanta orthu? Cuireadh iad siúd ann le go bhféadfadh daoine suí nó seasamh agus leabhair a léamh ar a suaimhneas. Is mó leabhar a léigh mé féin ó chlúdach go clúdach sna laethanta órga sin go bhféadfá biorán a chloisint ag titim ar an urlár adhmaid le méid agus le faid an chiúnais. Bhí na fógraí céanna le feiscint in amharclanna agus cé nach rabhadar crochta in áit ar bith i séipéil, i seomraí ranga, i léachtlanna, i bpictiúrlanna, i ndánlanna ná i siopaí leabhar, fós bhí sé intuigthe go raibh an dlí céanna i bhfeidhm sna scrínte seo. Ní bheadh sé de mhisneach ag éinne Dlí an Chiúnais a shárú in áiteanna den chineál seo. Is duine mise a thaitíonn cuid de na scrínte seo ar bhonn rialta i gcónaí. Ach ní fada eile a leanfaidh mé leis an drochnós, is baolach. Na laethanta seo bíonn mo chroí i mo bhéal agam nuair a thugaim cuairt ar shéipéal, ar phictiúrlann agus ar amharclann ach go háirithe. Braitheann na heispéiris áirithe seo ar choincheap an fhile Samuel Taylor Coleridge a bheith i gceart i ngach cás. Táim ag tagairt don fheiniméan ar a nglaotar “willing suspension of disbelief”. Ciallaíonn an nath seo go gcaithfear an saol réadúil a fhágáil ag doras na hamharclainne, na pictiúrlainne, an tséipéil srl má táthar chun an ócáid istigh a bhlaiseadh go hiomlán. Ar ndóigh, tá sé seo fíor maidir leis an léitheoireacht freisin. Chum Coleridge an frása ina shaothar liteartha Biographia Literaria sa bhliain 1817. Ag an am sin bhí sé ag éirí neamhfhaiseanta, creid é nó ná creid, creideamh a bheith agat san osnádúr agus in eilimintí osnádúrtha san fhilíocht agus sa drámaíocht. Bheadh ar dhaoine an “díchreideamh” seo a chur ar ceal, go sealadach ar aon chaoi, chun an t-eispéireas ealaíne a chreidiúint. I bhfocail Coleridge “...yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of the imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith”. Ach le blianta beaga anuas tá an “creideamh fileata” seo faoi bhagairt mhór. Tá coimhlint láidir ar bun idir an saol réadúil agus saol na samhlaíochta. Agus thosaigh ag géarú ar an gcoimhlint ó bhlianta an Tíogair Cheiltigh ar aghaidh. Is in olcas atá cúrsaí ag dul. Théinn go dtí an leabharlann ar bhonn rialta chun léamh agus scríobh go dtí le gairid. D’éirigh mé as an chleachtas seo ar na mallaibh. Ní fhéadfainn cur suas a thuilleadh leis na leibhéil torainn agus na hábhair seachráin a bhí thart timpeall orm. Páistí óga ag súgradh agus ag béiceadh i ngach aon bhall, daoine ag comhrá lena chéile os ard agus níos measa fós, daoine ag freagairt a nguthán póca taobh liom is gan cíos, cás ná cathú orthu. Nuair a thaithím an séipéal is é an scéal céanna go minic é. Buaileann an fón póca agus freagraítear é. Gan trácht ar an amharclann. Braitheann an drámaíocht go mór ar chúinse go gcuirfí coincheap Coleridge i bhfeidhm i measc an lucht féachana. Muna mbíonn na cúinsí fábhrach, titeann an rud ar fad ar a thóin. Bhíos ag léiriú de chuid Waiting for Godot de chuid Beckett cúpla bliain ó shin. Bhíos ag tnúth go mór leis an léiriú áirithe seo mar bhí 25 bliain imithe ó chonaic mé an dráma don chéad uair. Níorbh fhada gur thit an lug ar an lag agam. Bhí sé soiléir go raibh líon mór daoine san amharclann nach raibh tuiscint dá laghad acu ar chúrsaí drámaíochta, go háirithe ar an sórt drámaíochta a d’eascair ó Beckett. Bhí ceathrar taobh thiar díom nár stop ach a bheith ag cabaireacht os ard ó ardaíodh an cuirtín. Bhí duine taobh liom a raibh an braon faoin bhfiacail aige. Bhí bean mheánaosta cúpla suíochán chun tosaigh ar a guthán póca. Briseadh ar an ngeis. Níor fhilleas tar éis na hidirlinne. Oíche eile thugas cairde go dtí léiriú de The Man from Clare de chuid J.B. Keane. San amharclann áirithe seo tugadh cead a gcinn do dhaoine a ndeochanna meisciúla a bhreith isteach chuig an léiriú. Rinne na stíobhaird a ndícheall cúrsaí a choinneáil faoi smacht ach bhí sé fuar acu. Sara fada bhí an amharclann ina cíor thuathail ag daoine ag caint os ard, ag gáire agus ag cur glaonna ar a ngutháin phóca. Bheimis i bhfad níos fearr as a bheith ag diúgadh na gcárt dúinn féin sa teach tábhairne ná a bheith ag iarraidh mún in aghaidh na gaoithe san áit ina rabhamar. Is ar éigean atá spás beannaithe ar bith fágtha. Tráth dá raibh ba ócáid bheannaithe í féile na Nollag. Am suaimhneach, síochánta, ciúin. Am go bhféadfadh daoine machnamh a dhéanamh ar mhistéir na beatha agus sos a ghlacadh ó thranglam agus ó chlampar na bliana. Ní mar sin atá sé a thuilleadh. Ní cíor thuathail go dtí í. Gleo agus achrann agus rancás i ngach áit. Daoine ag dul as a meabhair ag iarraidh bronntanas a cheannach agus ag carnadh earraí saolta le haghaidh an cheiliúrtha. An bhéim ar fad ar an dtaobh neamhspioradálta den fhéile. Is geall le bréagcheiliúradh nó fronsa í ar an scéal miotaseolaíochta faoin leanbh beag sa mhainséar sa stábla umhal i mBeithil i gcomhluadar na bó, an asail agus na n-aoirí bochta. Tá cealú toilteanach an díchreidimh nó an acmhainn (agus an ceart) atá ag an duine daonna spás beannaithe a chruthú ina aigne don rud spioradálta agus don rud beannaithe faoi bhagairt mhór ar na saolta seo. Mar an gcéanna tá cearta na hindibhidiúlachta á treascairt ag an domhan ábharach ina mairimid. Rudaí luachmhara iad seo agus beimid níos boichte dá n-éagmais. Foisilthe ar Gaelport.com - 11 Eanáir 2012

Plé ar athbhreithniú Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 i TCD

Gaelport — 10/01/2012 10:27:00

Beidh trí sheisiún ar siúl i rith an lae agus beidh neart daoine ann ó eagraíochtaí éagsúla Gaeilge i láthair le plé a dhéanamh. Beidh deis ag na lucht éisteachta ceisteanna agus a moltaí féin a chur in iúl freisin ag deireadh an lae i rith fóram plé oscailte a chuirfidh Emer Ní Chonaola, an príomláithreoir nuachta ar TG4 i láthair. Roimhe sin, labhróidh an Coimisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuireáin maidir le taithí a oifige féin agus beidh ionadaí ón Roinn Ealaín, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta i láthair, chomh maith le hoifigigh Gaeilge in eagraíochtaí poiblí a labhrófar mar gheall ar an reachtaíocht go hinmheánach ina n-eagraíochtaí féin. Labhróidh Ard-Rúnaí Chonradh na Gaeilge mar gheall ar an dearcadh atá ag eagraíochtaí Gaeilge ar an reachtaíocht agus na tuairimí atá acu mar gheall ar an bhfeabhas a d'fhéadfaí a chur uirthi. Cuirfidh Éamonn Mac Niallais, ón eagraíocht Guth na Gaeltachta tuairimí a eagraíochta in iúl ar an lá freisin. Labhróidh sé maidir leis an gcaoi a bhfeidhmíonn an reachtaíocht ar son chearta teanga ar an talamh sna Gaeltachtaí agus na leasuithe a mheasann siad atá de dhíth. Tá fáilte roimh gach duine chuig an ócáid seo agus tá tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ón Oifigeach Gaeilge i gColaiste na Tríonóide, Aonghus Dwane ar 087 6232841 no seol ríomhphost chuig gaeloifig@tcd.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 10 Eanáir 2012

Derry will still stay ‘Irish’ City of Culture

Gaelport — 10/01/2012 10:04:00

The call was made amid fears that Derry’s bid to host the major music and cultural festival could fail because of objections from a number of Derry branches of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann who do not want the festival staged during the City of Culture year as they object to the ‘UK’ title. The Derry County Board of Comhaltas met on Wednesday night to discuss the bid but the meeting ended without agreement after five hours and will reconvene on January 18 to see if an accord can be reached. If the bid gets the approval of the county board, it will be passed to the Ulster Council of Comhaltas and if it is ratified there it will go before the group’s ard comhairle, who will make a final decision which will be announced on January 28. Foyle MP Mark Durkan said: “I strongly support the bid for Derry to hold Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2013. “Along with the representatives of other parties, sectors and bodies I took part in the civic panel which met Comhaltas representatives in Derry in late November. “The world standing and renowned quality of the Fleadh is due of course to the work and values of Comhaltas na hÉireann. “In all my support for this bid I am particularly sensitive to the integrity of Comhaltas’s ethos and procedures and the understandable sensitivity to protect their ownership of the Fleadh wherever it might be hosted.” Junior Minister and Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson also gave her support to the bid and called on all those involved to think of the benefits it will bring to the city. “Everyone who is proud of the Irishness of our City, while at the same time respecting the cultural diversity within it, needs to cooperate to ensure that it is portrayed throughout the world as the City of Irish Cultural and historical significance that it is. “If successful in their objections the small minority opposed to this bid will be self-defeating as without a strong Irish Cultural flavour to the events they will only succeed in allowing our historic Irish City to be portrayed throughout the world as a ‘City of U.K. Culture’ devoid of Irishness. “The only way to neutralise the U.K. prefix – which I doubt if anyone outside of here will take any notice of - is to take ownership of the project by making sure that the events that will make an impact on the world stage are those reflecting the reality that this is an ‘Irish City of Culture’ regardless of working titles or tags,” Ms Anderson said. The organisers of the bid, the Derry city branch of Comhaltas, have said they are committed to ensuring the success of the bid and have pledged to work towards a positive outcome. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 10 Eanáir 2012

Irish not dead

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 12:06:00

So it always angers me when I hear people ridiculing the language or questioning its role. The most frustrating thing is that the majority of those who question it are not fluent in the language. It's through their ignorance that their disdain evolves. Irish is part of our identity and remains our first language under the constitution. The language is not dead, nor is it dying in my mind, but it does require more support from the Government. Ni neart go cur le cheile. Derek O'Brien Eagarthoir Gaeilge, The College View, Oifigeach Idirchumainn, Cumann Gaelach Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com- 9 Eanáir 2012

TG4 stands by series criticised by board member

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 12:03:00

Concubhar Ó Liatháin accused the programme makers of Mná an IRA of bias and described the first programme, on Dr Rose Dugdale, as “slipshod” and “one-sided”. The programme was broadcast last Thursday. The six-part series has been made for TG4 by independent production company Loopline Films. Mr Ó Liatháin said the use of the term “Óglaigh na hÉireann” at the start of the programme to describe the IRA was a loaded one which suggested some equivalence between it and the Army of the Irish State. He confirmed he had sent an email on Friday to both the director general of TG4, Pól Ó Gallchóir, and the chairman of the TG4 board Peter Quinn, the former GAA president, urging them to review the five other programmes in the series. He maintained as a board member it would be too late to bring it up at the next scheduled meeting in February as the series would be over by then. Mr Ó Liatháin, a former editor of the now defunct Lá Nua newspaper, said the programme “went against everything I know to be holy writ about making programmes as in there is another side to the story”. He said no attempt was made to interview the victims of Dugdale’s actions and her views as an unrepentant Republican were not challenged. However, TG4 deputy director general Pádhraic Ó Ciardha said the station was standing by both the Dr Rose Dugdale programme and the rest of the Mná an IRA programmes. He confirmed they had received letters from Mr Ó Liatháin, and said these would be responded to. He said the board was the proper forum for board members to bring up issues of importance. “We don’t make any comment on internal discussions,” he said. The programme detailed Dr Dugdale’s unusual life from her time as the daughter of English aristocrats who became involved in the student movements of the 1960s and then her involvement with the IRA. She spoke freely about her attempts to bomb Strabane RUC station from the air using milk churns packed with explosives and also the raid on Russborough House in 1974, in which priceless works of art were stolen and the owner Sir Alfred Beit was badly beaten up. Mr Ó Liatháin said two of the four contributors to the programme, Séanna Breathnach, the former officer commanding of the IRA in the H-Blocks, and Ite Ní Chionnaith, a former member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the political wing of the INLA, were supporters of the Republican cause and there was no attempt to provide balance from those who opposed the armed struggle. The programme also featured contributions from former Limerick Labour Party councillor Frank Prendergast and academic and human rights lawyer Fionnuala Ní Aoláin who spoke about the effects of violence on those who perpetrate it. Future programmes in the series will be about former Republican prisoners Josephine Hayden and Rosaleen Walsh; Pamela Kane, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for a bank robbery in Enniscorthy; Sinn Féin MLA and junior minister in the Northern Assembley Martina Anderson; and Rosie McCorley, who was sentenced to 66 years for IRA activities but was later released under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

IRA series 'seriously stains TG4'

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:59:00

A board member of TG4 has said the Irish language station must urgently re-examine the remaining programmes in a series on IRA women for "balance and historical context". The demand follows the first episode of the taxpayer-funded series Mna an IRA which featured Dr Rose Dugdale, the unrepentant convicted terrorist. Concubhar O Liathain, who is a member of the TG4 board, said that Mna an IRA is a "serious stain" on the television station's record of achievement. He has asked TG4 director general Pol O Gallchoir and the chairman of the board Peter Quinn to review the remaining programmes which feature female Republicans Josephine Hayden, Pamela Kane, Martina Anderson, Roseleen Walsh and Rosie McCorley. Josephine Hayden served five years in prison for possession of weapons; Pamela Kane was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment after a 1990 bank robbery in Enniscorthy; and Martina Anderson was convicted of conspiring to cause explosions in England. Roseleen Walsh was interned in Armagh Prison from 1973 to 1974 and released without charge. Rosie McCorley was jailed in 1991 for 66 years for the attempted murder of an army officer and possession of explosives. She was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. "If the first programme is any indication of what's to come, it will be nauseating and heartbreaking for the victims of the IRA and their relatives," Mr O Liathain writes in today's Sunday Independent on page 20. "Right from the title sequence where Dr Dugdale was described as a 'saighdiuir/ soldier' and a member of Oglaigh na hEireann, Mna an IRA struck the wrong chord. "How could Dr Dugdale be described as a 'soldier' despite never having enlisted in a real army, bound by international laws and conventions regarding human rights, as opposed to an illegal paramilitary force? "How could a programme, funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and broadcast on TG4, be allowed to describe the Provisional IRA as Oglaigh na hEireann when the only force on this island to legitimately use that name is our Defence Forces?" An interview with Dr Dugdale conducted on RTE radio last Wednesday by John Murray to promote the TG4 series was criticised because of the perception that Dr Dugdale was given a soft ride. In the interview Dr Dugdale dismissed the notion of IRA "atrocities". In a joint statement, the producers of Mna an IRA, Vanessa Gildea and Martina Durac, told the Sunday Independent: "We stand over the approach taken. As independent viewers, they (the public) are more than equipped. . . to make their minds up about how they feel about the actions and activities of the women. "It [the series] is motivated by an attempt to understand part of the recent history of our country and why certain people became involved in violent activity -- by hearing their personal stories and finding out what motivated them into such drastic action. "It is not a current affairs-style probe into their lives and activities and had it been so, a different approach would have been employed." Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

One-sided IRA documentary is a stain on TG4's good record

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:39:00

Dr Rose Dugdale was arrested in 1974 for her part in the robbery of several old masters from Russborough House in Co Wicklow and the attempted bombing from the air of Strabane RUC station. The robbery of the Beit art collection involved the assault of the owners by Dr Dugdale and her accomplices. Decades later, she turned up on TG4 last week to retrospectively justify her actions. It certainly soured Nollaig na mBan for me, following what was a very successful Christmas season of programmes on TG4. Mna an IRA is a new series on the Irish language station, which prides itself for its 'suil eile', and it will profile women who were involved in that illegal organisation over the next six weeks. If the first programme is any indication of what's to come, it will be nauseating and heartbreaking for the victims of the IRA and their relatives. As a board member of TG4, appointed in September 2010 following a public competition, I am generally proud of what is being achieved by the station. It has won several awards for its documentaries and other programmes and has recast the Irish language as an integral part of Irish culture that is attractive and useful. Mna an IRA is a stain on this record of achievement. I was especially proud last year about programmes such as the pre-General Election Leaders' Debate, a historic first for TG4 and for the Irish language and a feature for which I had advocated when I appeared before a Joint Oireachtas Committee during the Summer of 2010 during my appointment process. It was incredible, in my view, that such a debate hadn't occurred previously, but now it is an indispensable part of the election schedule. Right from the title sequence, where Dr Dugdale was described as a 'saighdiuir/ soldier' and a member of 'Oglaigh na hEireann', Mna an IRA struck the wrong chord with me. How could Dr Dugdale be described as a 'soldier' despite never having enlisted in a real army, bound by international laws and conventions regarding human rights, as opposed to an illegal paramilitary force? How could a programme, funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and broadcast on TG4, be allowed to describe the Provisional IRA as 'Oglaigh na hEireann' when the only force on this island to legitimately use that name is our Defence Forces? There is a style of profile documentary in which the interviewer remains silent and the person being profiled is allowed to tell his/her story without any questions from the interviewer being heard. This is entirely the wrong approach to take in a film involving the likes of Dr Dugdale. If there must be a documentary on this subject, surely the producer should involve an interviewer who can challenge the presumptions of the person being profiled that everything he or she did was right and justifiable. If that isn't possible, at the very least the programme should include commentators who can give some sense of balance and context. In the instance of Mna an IRA, the commentators didn't include any person who gave a challenging viewpoint. Republicans have reviled the revisionists over the years for giving an alternative view of Irish history, which cast the IRA and Sinn Fein in a poor light. As evidenced here, revisionism isn't a one-way street as it appears republicans can be as revisionist as any of those they reviled in order to paint their actions in the best possible light. That's fair enough for An Phoblacht TV -- but TG4, as a publicly funded TV station, needs to abide by higher standards lest its impressive record be tarnished by shoddy, one-sided productions such as Mna an IRA. It amazes me that the series was funded by the BAI. No doubt there is a story to be told about the role of women in the IRA and other such illegal organisations -- but the story needs to be told in full, including the testimony of the victims of these women. Would the BAI fund a series, 'Fir an IRA', without stipulating that the programmes be fair to all parties, including the victims? That the programme was broadcast on the same night as the dissidents attempted to blow up a member of the PSNI underlines the dangers of broadcasting programmes such as Mna an IRA without a rigorous examination of the content of the programme and their relevance in contemporary Ireland. I have written a letter to the director general of TG4, Pol O Gallchoir, and the chairman of the board, Peter Quinn, asking for the remaining programmes to be examined for balance and historical context. If they are as one-sided and revisionist as the first installment of Mna an IRA, they should be shelved immediately until they can be rebalanced. I have an abhorrence of those who attack TG4 and who would deny those who speak Irish such a vital resource as a modern television station, as if Irish speakers were second-class citizens. But I abhor even more those who would use TG4 and the Irish language to peddle half-truths and propaganda in support of a failed ideology and to justify, retrospectively, their violence. Concubhar O Liathain was appointed to the board of TG4 following a public competition in 2010. He is writing here in a personal capacity. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

Cork’s English (in the) Market lost in translation

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:27:00

A number of signs for the famous English Market have been put in place in recent weeks and have causing a bit of stir on Twitter. The reason for this is the Irish name chosen by the local authority for the market is completely wrong. The result is that the Irish title being used on signs for the famous landmark now read "Béarla sa Mhargadh", which translates as "English [language] in the Market". Worse still, it seems whoever was charged with the Herculean task of translating two simple words into Irish didn’t even bother to do the most basic of research. For example, a quick look at the website for the English Market comes up with the Irish translation of "An Margadh Sasanach". Another translation used is "An Margadh Sacsan", as the English may have been referred to as Saxons at the time of the market’s construction. However, the people responsible for the signage seem to have plumped for a more accurate source — Google Translate. Given the infallibility of such an approach, it seems the people are stuck with the ludicrous translation "English in the Market". Having seen a picture of the sign on Twitter, Independent city councillor Chris O’Leary said it was clear the conferences attended by councillors on the importance of heritage were paying dividends. "Those city councillors who have attended recent Irish language conferences on translation and heritage should maybe look for a refund on the money that was spent on them," he said. Eoin O’Mahony, a butcher in the market, appears to have been first to spot the mistake and posted a picture on Twitter. "Why didn’t someone ask the likes of Gael Taca, or an Irish speaker for a translation," he tweeted. Now that makes sense. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

An insurrection in print

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:21:00

In 1922, at the height of the Civil War, Ernie O’Malley was given the invidious task of executing the editors of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent , but fortunately for those concerned, did not carry out his orders. Some months earlier, republican forces under Rory O’Connor had smashed the printing presses of the Freeman’s Journal for its vociferous support of the Treaty. Attacks on free speech were of course decried, but it is a measure of the impact of the press that at the founding of the state, it had come to rival the Catholic Church as an influence on Irish society. It is remarkable that so little attention has been paid to the press as an institution and this valuable collection of essays on Irish journalism makes a major contribution to redressing that deficit. Too often, as the editor Kevin Rafter points out in his introduction, the press is used merely as an archival source and not as part of the story in its own right. In two overviews of the rise of the profession, Mark O’Brien and Michael Foley discuss how journalism came in from the cold – or rather, how journalists had to brave the cold as the new role of “reporter” forced them to leave the comfort of their desks. As one reporter noted, this was not without its hazards: during the Land War, a journalist turning up at an eviction ran the risk of being mistaken for a bailiff, and being treated accordingly. One of the rewards of the book is the discussion of several journalists who, though not household names, were key figures in their own time. Matthew Potter writes on Frederick Potter of the Skibbereen Eagle who, like Sarah Palin, could see Russia from his back window; as the author points out, local papers carried large swathes of international news and were not nearly as “provincial” as they are today. Female journalists had to fight for recognition and Gillian O’Brien discusses the Tyrone-born Margaret Sullivan who, based in Chicago, linked the Irish to the Mexican struggle for freedom. Sullivan’s reputation was so incendiary that when Parnell saw her in the Ladies’ Gallery of the House of Commons, he expected her to throw a bomb into the chamber. Martin O’Brennan, from Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, was another Fenian sympathiser and Andrew McNicholas recounts how his Connacht Patriot newspaper in Tuam – “a malicious Garibaldian rag” – and the Irish News in London ran foul of both church and state, forcing him also to emigrate to Chicago. That the press constituted an “insurrection in print” is highlighted in ML Brillman’s discussion of Daniel O’Connell, Young Ireland and the Nation , and is evident in the fact that the Land War and Parnellite period gave rise to 31 newspapers, of which 20 were nationalist. Paul Rouse looks at the role of Michael Cusack’s the Celtic Times , and the IRB-run the Gael , in establishing an extensive nationwide profile for the GAA within a few years of its founding. All roads, however, did not lead to Croke Park or the GPO. Maurice Walsh writes about the London Times leader-writer, James Woulfe Flanagan, scourge of the Land League and author of the notorious Parnellism and Crime series, who lived long enough to work at the Times with the young Graham Greene. Peter Murtagh relates the story of the Dublin-born WH Russell, whose vivid report of the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade, and evocation of the “thin red line”, made him the most famous journalist of his generation. Kevin Rafter traces how another Dublin-born foreign correspondent, EJ Dillon, used his mastery of disguise and 26 languages to cover events in Asia Minor and Eastern Europe for the Daily Telegraph , exposing the first wave of Turkish massacres in Armenia. By contrast, the widely travelled journalist Francis McCullagh put in a good word for Turkish culture, comparing the conviviality of the coffee-house to an Irish pub. As John Horgan notes, this crossing of cultures did not go down well with a Moorish chief, Kaid Gilhooley, who, notwithstanding his Irish name, expelled the journalist from Agadir for a gift of dodgy Irish whisky (McCullagh thought that, as a Muslim, the chief would not sample it). If Margaret Sullivan encouraged Mexican radicalism, McCullagh deplored it, and his later reporting of “Red Mexico”, revolutionary Russia and the Spanish Civil War relapsed into a zealous Catholic conservatism. IN A FASCINATING discussion of Irish language journalism, Regina Uí Chollatáin shows how the literary aim of writing good Irish with a view to reviving the language, clashed with the need to write good journalism which just happened to be in Irish, and which risked, as An Claidheamh Soluis put it, “degenerating into a mere patois”. At the other end of the spectrum, Ciara Meehan examines in detail how Arthur Griffith placed his prodigious energies at the service of the Sinn Féin movement, but such was his professional standing that he headed a list of the best known journalists in the city. Felix Larkin analyses the manner in which Griffith’s initial strained relationship to the Freeman’s Journal altered as, under its new proprietor, Martin Fitzgerald, it threw its weight behind him in support of the Treaty. The role of the press as peacemaker in the run up to the Treaty is charted by Ian Kenneally, but it was precisely this productive role that came to grief during the Civil War, leading to the ransacking of the newspaper’s offices by republican forces. The Freeman’s Journal offices were the location for the “Aeolus” episode in Ulysses and Terence Killeen notes how Joyce’s meticulous recall of his visits to the office was put to good use in the chapter. Unlike the Irish language revival, Joyce had little difficulty distinguishing between literary language and journalism, but in Ulysses he paid the press the ultimate compliment by modelling the epic structure of the novel on the lines of a newspaper – though, admittedly, with a longer shelf-life. In this collection, newspapers also acquire a new historical importance, long after their sell-by date is gone. LUKE GIBBONS reviews Irish Journalism before Independence: More a Disease than a Profession Edited by Kevin Rafter Manchester University Press, 240pp. £65hb, £14.99pb Luke Gibbons is professor of Irish Literary and Cultural Studies at NUI (Maynooth) Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

Traditional languages witness revival over the festive season

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:15:00

And, for the Irish language in particular, the last few weeks have seen a huge revival among campaigners, including a very successful fundraiser at the Bank House Hotel, featuring such renowned artists as harpist Nodhlaig Brolly, Carrickmore ballad singer Niamh Nic Giolla Dhuibh, and local band Chasin Hooley. On Sunday, December 18, meanwhile, local priest Fr McAleer celebrated a special Irish language Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Dungannon, with music provided by An Cór Gaelach, an Irish language choir under the direction of Helen Mhic Ruairí. Children from St Patrick’s Academy, St Joseph’s Grammar in Donaghmore, Gaelscoil Uí Néill, and St Catherine’s College Armagh, all took part in the readings and the Rang a 1 class of Gaelscoil Aodha Rua performed their Christmas Nativity Play. Móna Uí Dhochartaigh from Gaelscoil Aodha Rua, Dungannon’s first and only Irish medium primary school, has welcomed the recent emphasis on activities promoting the language, which included a 10-week course of classes for adult learners, and a 10-week youth club for juniors, both of which were held at the school. She continued: “The Gaeltrail group have just returned from a trip to the Gaelic speaking region of Scotland and attended an Irish language religious ceremony at the Presbyterian Fitzroy Church in Belfast, ending with a dinner at An Cultúrlann, Belfast’s Irish language restaurant. “These are just a taste of the many Irish language activities taking place in the Dungannon area at the moment. “Gaelscoil/Naíscoil Aodha Rua would like to thank all their sponsors for their Christmas Raffle, and all the local groups and businesses who have supported them in their first term.” Naíscoil Aodha Rua held its Open Morning or Maidin Oscailte on Thursday in order to welcome parents and children interested in finding out more about the benefits of Irish Medium Education and Bilingualism. On behalf of the staff, pupils and committees of both schools, Móna had a very special Christmas message to all: “Nollag Shona daoibh go léir agus Bliain úr faoi shéan agus faoi mhaise - Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.” Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

Irish singing classes resume next week

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:08:00

The class explores the rich tradition of song in the Irish language, both in terms of singing the songs themselves as well as examining the stories behind the lyrics. The first class of the New Year will take place on Thursday January 12th at 8pm and will be led by well known Derry gaelgeoir, Risteard MacGabhann. Speaking ahead of the first class, Mr MacGabhann said the first song on the agenda will be ‘A Mhic mo Chroí.’ “As usual, all are welcome to attend this session, and new members are especially welcome,” he said. For more information contact Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin on 71264132. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

Cnoc na Rós Irish classes

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 11:04:00

Classes will resume in the school on Tuesday evening at 7.30pm and the group have said that new members are welcome. Micheál Mac Mhaongail from Cumann Gaelach Chnoc na Rós encouraged anyone interested in learning Irish to come along to the classes. “If your New Year’s resolution is to learn a new language then why not come along to Cumann Gaelach Chnoc na Rós and make it happen. “At Cnoc na Rós we operate a relaxed, learner-led approach to teaching the language. It is based mainly on conversational Irish and we encourage people to speak as much as possible, but also involves reading and grammar. “Those who come to our classes will hear Irish spoken by teachers and cumann members who are passionate about promoting the language in a way that includes everyone and excludes no-one, ” he said. He also encouraged anyone who may have learned Irish at school to reacquaint themselves with the language. “People are always surprised at how quickly it comes back to them, ” he added. Classes are held from 7.30 to 8.45pm in St Anne’s Primary School every Tuesday evening and cost £3 per night. For more information contact 71371771 or email cnocnaros1@hotmail.co.uk or log onto www.cnocnaros.wordpress.com Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 9 Eanáir 2012

Comhra Cois Tine with Conradh na Gaeilge

Gaelport — 09/01/2012 10:57:00

I láthair na huaire bíonn sé ar siúl gach oíche Luain ó 8 p.m. go 9.30 p.m sa chistin ag Mikie Ryan’s ar an bPríomh Shráid. Bíonn sé go breá neamhfhoirmiúil sonasach agus glacann gach éinne páirt ann. Tá líofacht sa Ghaeile ag an chuid is mó des na daoine a bhíonn ag freastal ann. Tá an chuid eile ar bheagán Gaeilge ach gheibheann siad gach cúnamh í a fheabhsú gan aon stró dá chur orthu. De ghnáth bíonn ábhar cainte éagsúil ar siúl chun na daoine a spreagadh, ach i gcónaí bíonn sé éadrom, geal gháireach agus bríomhar. Tá slua an-deas ag freastal i láthair na huaire ón mbaile féin is ó na paróistí timpeall air agus cuirtear fáilte is fiche roimh dhaoine nua i gcónaí. Bígí linn mar sin agus fáilte isteach! For over thirty years there is Comhrá Cois Tine (fire-side chat) taking place in Cashel under the auspices of the local branch of Conradh na Gaeilge. At present is is held every Monday night from 8.00pm to 9.30 pm in the kitchen of Mikie Ryan’s in the Main Street. The chat is pleasant and informed and everyone takes part in it. The majority of those present are fluent in Irish. The minority with limited Irish are helped in every way improve their grasp of the language. Generally there is a specific topic to encourage people to get involved; but it is always light-hearted, lively and enjoyable. At present a fine representation of people from the town and neighbouring parishes attend, new members are always welcome. So come and join us and you will be made most welcome. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eanáir 2012

Tóstal na Gaeilge 2012 dírithe ar an Athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla

Gaelport — 06/01/2012 11:22:00

Tá sé á eagrú ag Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge chun deise a thabhairt do phobal na Gaeilge a dtuairimí ar nithe ábhartha a léiriú agus a roinnt lena chéile. Beidh deis ann moltaí a dhéanamh ar pholasaithe reatha an Rialtais i dtaobh na Gaeilge nó ar pholasaithe ar mhaith leo go gcuirfeadh an Rialtas i bhfeidhm freisin. Pléifidh saineolaithe idirnáisiúnta na bealaí ar féidir stádas na Gaeilge faoin mBunreacht a threisiú tríd an Athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 freisin agus beidh sé mar aidhm an Tóstail i mbliana feasacht an phobail maidir leis an athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 a bhfuil tús curtha leis ag an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta le déanaí a ardú. Beidh neart daoine éagsúla ann ar an lá ag labhairt ar ábhair éagsúla, neart ó eagraíochtaí Gaeilge. Labhróidh an Coimisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin faoin taithí atá ag a oifig agus beidh Máire Seó Breatnach ó Oifigeach na Gaeilge i gComhairle Chontae Phort Láirge ann chomh maith le Tánaiste Chonradh na Gaeilge, Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill. Beidh an Dr. Peadar Ó Flatharta ó Fhiontar in Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath i láthair ag an ócáid freisin. Beidh painéal de shaineolaithe idirnáisiúnta an chun moltaí maidir leis an ndeachleachtas i dtíortha eile a chur in iúl. Beidh an tOllamh Colin Williams, ó Ollscoil Cardiff, an tOllamh Dr. François Grin ó FTI, Université de Genève agus An Dr. Wilson McLeod ó Ollscoil Dhún Éideann ar an bpainéal sin. Síleann Julian de Spáinn ó Chonradh na Gaeilge go mbeadh sé spéisiúil na daoine idirnáisiúnta seo a chloisteáil agus a dtuairimí a fháil ar Acht na Teangacha Oifigiúla agus an Coimisinéir Teanga. Tá Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge ag súil le go dtabharfaidh an ócáid seo eolas breise go pobal na Gaeilge maidir leis na réimsí de mholtaí ar leasuithe ar an Acht Teanga nach mór dúinn a éileamh lena chinntiú gur láidriú ar chearta teanga a bhíonn mar thoradh an athbhreithnithe. Beidh tuilleadh eolais faoin Tóstal ar fáil ar www.tostal.ie nó is féidir glaoch ar Chomhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge ar 01 6794780. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eamáir 2012

Opposition to Irish language merger

Gaelport — 06/01/2012 11:19:00

– We, as members of the Irish language community both within and outside of the Gaeltacht, expect that the Government will change its decision to merge the functions of the Language Commissioner with the Ombudsman Office in 2012 and are calling on the Government to make that change now rather than dragging out the process and further damaging the effectiveness of the office. The language commissioner has been widely recognised as a highly efficient and dynamic commissioner who has been praised not only for his work in defending citizens’ rights but also for being a proactive advocate of best language practice. A recent example of this would be the highly attractive module on general language rights that his office recently developed for use in transition year at second level. We now know that the decision, as admitted by the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht in the Dáil on November 24th, could actually cost the state money. The decision also did not take in to account the fact that the current language commissioner has been reappointed until 2016 as an independent commissioner and therefore could open the State to the risk of legal action which could cost the State even more money. Indeed, An Bord Snip Nua when it looked at the office identified no efficiencies to be made and made no recommendation to alter the status of the office of the language commissioner as an independent office. All political parties and the Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations have backed the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2012-2030. We acknowledge that funding will be a problem in the short term, but why undermine the strategy and the goodwill behind it with this decision that has been acknowledged as having no savings to make to the exchequer? We believe that the Government should look at the economic arguments coupled with the wishes and the belief of the Irish language community both within and outside of the Gaeltacht that the office of the language commissioner should be supported, that it has our trust and that it has been a very effective service since been set up in 2004. Reversing their decision is therefore the logical and correct thing to do and should be done without delay. – Is muidne, AODÁN Mac AN MHÍLIDH, Gaeilge Átha Luain; AOILEANN Nic DHONNACHA; BLÁTHNAID Ní GHRÉACHÁIN, Gaelscoileanna Teo; BREANDÁN Mac GEARAILT, Ball d’Údarás na Gaeltachta; CABRÍNÍ de BARRA, Comhlucht Forbartha na nDéise CAITLÍN NEACHTAIN, Bainisteoir, Comharchumann Dhúiche Sheoigheach; CAOIMHÍN Ó HEAGHRA, An Foras Pátrúnachta; CARMEL Nic EOCHAIDH, Spleodar; COLM Mac SÉALAIGH; CONCHUBHAIR Mac LOCHLAINN, Seachtain na Gaeilge; SEOSAIMH Ó CONCHUIR, Cumann Cearta Sibhialta Ghaeltacht Chorca Dhuibhne; ROIBEARD Ó HEARTÁIN PÁID Ó NEACHTAIN, Cumann na nOifigeach Forbartha Gaeilge (Earnáil Phoiblí); DONNCHA Ó hÉALLAITHE; DONNCHADH Ó hAODHA, Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge; ÉAMONN Mac NIALLAIS, Guth na Gaeltachta; EITHNE O’DOHERTY, Craobh na gCeithre Chúirteanna; EOIN Ó RIAIN; FEARGAL Ó CUILINN, Comhluadar; GARY REDMOND, Uachtarán Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn; GEARÓID Ó MURCHÚ, An Spailpín Fánach; JULIAN de SPÁINN, Aontas Phobal na Gaeilge; LIAM Ó MAOLAODHA, Oireachtas na Gaeilge; LORCÁN Mac GABHANN, Glór na nGael;MAEDHBH Ní DHÓNAILL, Ógras; MÁIRTÍN Ó MAOLMHUAIDH, Gaelphobal Cheantar an tSratha Báin; MÍCHEÁL de MÓRDHA, Uachtarán an Oireachtais 2010; NIALL COMER, Uachtarán, Comhaltas Uladh; PÁDRAIG Mac FHEARGHUSA, Fóram Gaeilge Chiarraí; PEADAR de BLÚIT, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn; ROBBIE CRONIN, an chéad ionadaí don Ghaeilge thar cheann an ASTI; RUTH Ní SHIADHAIL, Gaeilge Locha Riach SEÁN Ó MURCHADHA, Craobh Mhuineacháin Conradh na Gaeilge, C/o Sráid Fhearchair, Baile Átha Cliath 2. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eanáir 2012

Gaeltacht an Chláir le héirí arís?

Gaelport — 06/01/2012 11:16:00

Tá Coiste i gContae an Chláir ag iarraidh go gcuirfear aighneachtaí chucu chun cuidiú leo plean teanga a fhorbairt mar chuid d’iarrachtaí chun aitheantas Gaeltachta a fháil don Chontae nó codanna de. Tá sé i gceist ag Coiste Forbartha na Gaeltachta do Chontae an Chláir, “stádas Gaeltachta a lorg do mhuintir Chontae an Chláir ar fad nó cuid acu feasta.” Tuigtear gur chuir an Coiste aighneacht chuig Roinn na Gaeltachta ar an ábhar seo díreach roimh an Nollaig. D’ainneoin go raibh cainteoirí dúchais sa Chontae ag an am, níor cuireadh áit ar bith i gContae an Chláir sa Ghaeltacht Oifigiúil nuair a leagadh amach í i 1956. Chaill an Clár a rian deireanach de stádas Gaeltachta in 2001 nuair a leasaíodh Acht na dTithe (Gaeltacht). Tuigtear go bhfuil plean teanga á chur i dtoll a chéile ag an gCoiste Forbartha chun an Ghaeilge a athbheochan agus a neartú tuilleadh i gContae an Chláir agus táthar ag súil le hionchur ón phobal i dtaca leis an phlean seo. Mar sin, tá cuireadh á thabhairt do mhuintir an Chláir angus mhuintir na tíre ar fad a gcuid smaointí agus tuairimí a chur in iúl trí aighneacht (leictreonach nó i scríbhinn) a chur chucu. Cuirtear aighneachtaí chuig rúnaí na heagraíochta : Rúnaí an Choiste Stiúrtha: Coiste Forbartha na Gaeltachta do Chontae an Chláir, 11 Croí na mBaile, Bóthar an Ghleanna Mhóir, Cill Mhichíl, Contae an Chláir nó chuig joseph.r.enright@gmail.com roimh an 1 Bealtaine 2012. Ach nach ró-uaillmhianach an sprioc seo, chun stádas Gaeltachta a bhaint arís? "Ní mór do dhaoine fís a bheith acu," a deir Seosamh Mac Ionnrachtaigh, Rúnaí an Choiste Forbartha, "Ní fiú an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus a athbheochan agus a neartú muna bhfuil aidhm ag coiste." "Teastaíonn uainn mar dhream deireadh a chur le meath na Gaeilge in iarthar an Chláir ach go háirithe taobh istigh d'achar gearr," a deir sé. "Tá an Ghaeilge fós beo in iarthar Chontae an Chláir" dar le Seosamh. Tá roinnt daoine ann go bhfuil an Ghaeilge go flúirseach acu. Tá daoine a bhfuil an Ghaeilge ar a dtoil acu. Tá foghlaimeoirí nua Gaeilge ag teacht chun cinn agus níos tabhachtaí ná tada ar bith eile tá an Ghaeilge á labhairt i measc cairde ar an tsráid." Dar le Seosamh, tá cainteoirí dúchais fós le fáil ann, "le scéal fada a dhéanamh gearr, maireann céatadán áirithe cainteoirí ó dhúchais fós fiú muna bhfuil ag cuid acu ach Gaeilge laghdaithe." Tá go leor áiteanna sa Ghaeltacht Oifigiúil ina bhfuil an Ghaeilge an-lag ar fad agus is minic a thugtar 'Bréag-Ghaeltacht' orthu sin - an mbeadh sé sin i gceist leis an Ghaeltacht seo? "Ní haon bhréag-Ghaeltacht é Contae an Chláir," a deir Seosamh Mac Ionnrachtaigh, "An chaoi a bhfuil sé ná gur Breac-Ghaeltacht thraidisiúnta é iarthar Chontae an Chláir. Go hoifigiúil is iar-Ghaeltacht í dar le Glór na nGael. Dar liomsa is sean-Ghaeltacht thraidisiúnta muidne nach ndeachaigh i léig riamh." "Tá 166 duine le Gaeilge i Ráth Cairn. I gceantar mar Chill Ruis amháin tá Gaeilge ag suas le 112 cainteoir laethúil Gaeilge dar le taighde atá déanta againn." "Bheadh muist ag smaoineamh ar na ceantair ar fad cois cósta agus roinnt ceantair intíre go háirithe in áiteanna a bhfuil an Ghaeilge á labhairt go laethúil i gContae an Chláir faoi láthair." "Má labhraítear an Ghaeilge i measc gréasán, nach ionann é sin agus mion-Ghaeltacht? Tá cur amach ar an nGaeilge ag go leor daoine in iarthar Chontae an Chláir san am atá i láthair agus in áiteanna eile nach é," a deir dé. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eanáir 2012

Gaelscoil i mbaol druidim

Gaelport — 06/01/2012 11:07:00

D'aithin an Roinn Oideachais Gaelscoil na Spéiríní i mBaile na Scríne cúig bliana ó shin. Maoiníonn an Roinn an scoil. Ach dar le polasaí de chuid na Roinne, ní thugtar maoiniú muna bhfuil ar a laghad 15 dalta nua ag dul isteach in aghaidh na bliana. Tá an scoil faoi láthair in ionad phobail An Rath Dubh ar an bhaile. Ach tá an t-ionad pobail chun é a dhíbirt muna ndíoltar cíos. Ní raibh urlabhraí thar ceann na scoile ná thar ceann an ionaid phobail ar fáil. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eanáir 2012

More Irish street signs

Gaelport — 06/01/2012 11:03:00

The move comes after an application was made by a local resident and questionnaires send out to other people living in the area to find their views on the matter. 24 questionnaires were sent out and eight completed forms were returned, with 100 per cent of those who responded in favour of the erection of the signs. It is expected that the signs will be erected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, an unsuccessful application was made to have Irish language street signs erected in Argyle Street in the Rosemount area. 77 questionnaires were sent out to local residents and 16 completed forms were returned. 38 per cent were in favour if Irish language street signs while 56 per cent opposed. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eanáir 2012

Killarney selected for €3m GAA museum

Gaelport — 06/01/2012 11:00:00

A planning application has been lodged with Killarney Town Council to build a two-storey museum, with parking facilities for cars and coaches, at the town’s Fitzgerald Stadium. The neighbouring towns had engaged in a war of words in their claims as likely locations for the county’s major new sporting and cultural museum. But the fact that Killarney attracts a large number of visitors was a key factor in determination the location. Fitzgerald Stadium, which opened in 1936 and which can accommodate more than 40,000 spectators, is also one of the country’s leading GAA grounds. The planning application, in the name of Kerry Gaelic Culture Museum Ltd, is for a 1,350 sq metre building to be erected on an under-used training field on the eastern side of the main pitch. Work will also involve the demolition of toilets, some of the boundary walls on the northern side, and all of the existing boundary walls, gates and entrances on the eastern side of the stadium. A decision on the planning application is expected on February 11 next and the aim is to have the construction completed in 2013, depending on funding being available from tourism bodies and the GAA. Michael Gleeson, a spokesman for Kerry Gaelic Culture Museum Ltd and the man who first mooted the idea, yesterday said the museum would not be solely about sport but would also reflect the richness of Kerry’s cultural, linguistic and literary traditions. "We’re a totally independent committee but Kerry County GAA Board and the Fitzgerald Stadium Committee are extremely supportive," he said. "We’re also hopeful Fáilte Ireland will see the merit of what should be a great tourism project. "Upwards of 1.5 million visitors come to Killarney each year and if 10% of those people visited the museum it would be self-financing," he suggested. "This proposal will not be a drain on any statutory body. The plan is that it will be self-financing and any profits will be reinvested in the museum." Cllr Gleeson, winner of two All-Ireland football medals with Kerry, along with other members of the committee have already met Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan — an All-Ireland winning Kerry captain — in relation to the proposed project. It is intended to display GAA memorabilia, including cups, trophies, medals, jerseys, photographs, match programmes and other historical documents and audio-video footage from major games and GAA events. It is also envisaged that exhibitions would be mounted occasionally. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 6 Eanáir 2012

Coinnigh an Coimisinéir neamhspleách!

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 11:22:00

Mar bhaill de phobal na Gaeilge laistigh agus lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht táimid ag súil go n-athróidh an Rialtas a chinneadh le hOifig an Choimisinéara Teanga a dhúnadh mar oifig reachtúil neamhspleách agus a cuid feidhmeanna ar fad a chur isteach faoi Oifig an Ombudsman i 2012. Táimid ag éileamh ar an Rialtas an t-athrú seo a dhéanamh láithreach in ionad fad a chur leis an bpróiseas agus níos mó damáiste a dhéanamh d’éifeachtacht na hOifige. Aithnítear go forleathan an Coimisinéir Teanga mar choimisinéir thar a bheith éifeachtach agus dinimiciúil atá molta ní hamháin dá chuid oibre le cearta saoránaigh a chosaint ach chomh maith mar dhuine réamhghníomhach i gcur chun cinn an dea-chleachtais teanga. Mar shampla, le déanaí d’fhorbair a oifig modúl ar chearta teanga go ginearálta le húsáid san idirbhliain in ár scoileanna dara leibhéal. Tá a fhios againn anois, mar a d’admhaigh Aire Stáit na Gaeltachta sa Dáil ar an 24 Samhain, go bhfuil an baol ann go gcosnóidh an cinneadh seo airgead ar an Stát. Níor tógadh san áireamh freisin nuair a rinneadh an cinneadh go bhfuil conradh ag an gCoimisinéir Teanga le bheith mar choimisinéir neamhspleách go dtí 2016. Ní féidir, mar sin, cinneadh an Rialtais a chur i bhfeidhm i 2012 gan baol ann go mbeidh an Stát oscailte do chásanna dlí amach anseo agus d’fheadfadh breis costas a bheith ar an stát dá bharr. Fiú amháin níor aithin an Bord Snip Nua aon éifeachtúlacht le déanamh nuair a rinneadh measúnú ar Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga agus níor mhol an tuairisc aon athrú i stádas na hoifige mar oifig neamhspleách. Tá gach páirtí polaitiúil agus na heagraíochtaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta tar éis tacaíocht a léiriú don Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010 – 2030. Aithnímid go mbeidh fadhbanna le maoiniú sa ghearrthéarma ach céard is fiú an bonn agus an dea-thoil a bhaint den straitéis leis an gcinneadh seo atá aitheanta nach ndéanfaidh aon choigilt don státchiste. Creidimid gur chóir don Rialtas na hargóintí geilleagrach chomh maith le mianta agus tuairim láidir phobal na Gaeilge, laistigh agus lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht, a thógáil san áireamh agus gur chóir tacaíocht a chur ar fail d’Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga Tá muinín an phobail ag an oifig agus tá seirbhís an-éifeachtach curtha ar fáil ó bunaíodh é i 2004. Is é, mar sin, an rud loighciúil agus ceart le déanamh ná an cinneadh a athrú láithreach. Is muidne le meas, Aodán Mac an Mhílidh, Gaeilge Átha Luain Aoileann Nic Dhonnacha, Baile Átha an Róine, Co. Laoise Bláthnaid Ní Ghréacháin, Gaelscoileanna Teo. Breandán Mac Gearailt, Ball d’Údarás na Gaeltachta Cabríní de Barra, Comhlucht Forbartha na nDéise Caitlín Neachtain, Bainisteoir, Comharchumann Dhúiche Sheoigheach Caoimhín Ó hEaghra, An Foras Pátrúnachta Carmel Nic Eochaidh, Spleodar Colm Mac Séalaigh, Baile an Teampaill, Baile Átha Cliath Conchubhair Mac Lochlainn, Seachtain na Gaeilge Cumann Cearta Sibhialta Ghaeltacht Chorca Dhuibhne Cumann na nOifigeach Forbartha Gaeilge (Earnáil Phoiblí), Roibeard Ó hEartáin & Páid Ó Neachtain Donncha Ó hÉallaithe, Indreabhán, Co. na Gaillimhe Donnchadh Ó hAodha, Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge Éamonn Mac Niallais, Guth na Gaeltachta Eithne O’Doherty, Craobh na gCeithre Chúirteanna Eoin Ó Riain, Baile na hAbhann, Co. na Gaillimhe Feargal Ó Cuilinn, Comhluadar. Gary Redmond, Uachtarán Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn Gearóid Ó Murchú, An Spailpín Fánach Julian de Spáinn, Aontas Phobal na Gaeilge Liam Ó Maolaodha, Oireachtas na Gaeilge Lorcán Mac Gabhann, Glór na nGael. Maedhbh Ní Dhónaill, Ógras Máirtín Ó Maolmhuaidh, Gaelphobal Cheantar an tSratha Báin Mícheál de Mórdha, Uachtarán an Oireachtais 2010 Niall Comer, Uachtarán, Comhaltas Uladh Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa, Fóram Gaeilge Chiarraí Peadar de Blúit, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn Robbie Cronin, an chéad ionadaí don Ghaeilge thar cheann an ASTI Ruth Ní Shiadhail, Gaeilge Locha Riach Seán Ó Murchadha, Craobh Mhuineacháin Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Finally - even stocious eejits can natter as Gaeilge

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 11:11:00

By the end of this year, people on the internet (an idirlin) will be able to tweet (tuit) their followers (lucht leanuna) 'i nGaeilge' and let them know if their latest YouTube video has gone viral (mearscaipthe). Foras na Gaeilge plans to launch the first new English-Irish dictionary (EID) in more than 50 years which will add thousands of 'new' Irish words into the lexicon. Not since 1959 has the State produced an up-to-date dictionary, and the main reason for the project is because huge numbers of modern words and terms are completely missing from the current text. "The current EID dates from an era when the language documented in dictionaries tended to be of a more formal register rather than reflecting language as spoken by the people," Foras na Gaeilge spokesman Cathal Convery said yesterday. "This means that many less formal words and terms which were in currency at the time of its publication were not included, including jammers, looper, natter, nosh and oxter. "The original EID was based on standard British English, and anything relating to Irish life would be absent from it. Even words like hot press, which the British would call the airing cupboard, were missing, along with other words like bockety, eejit, mitch, square ball and stocious." But the new dictionary, which will be published at the end of this year and available free on the internet, will change all that. Based on a database, or corpus, of 1.7 billion words of contemporary English, it will bring the Irish language completely up to date. Examples of words to be included relate to new sports which didn't exist in 1959 like aqua aerobics (aerobaic uisce); technical terms such as cloud computing, cyberbullying, tweet, follower and predictive text along with terms which only entered usage with the advent of the recession like toxic loans and rogue (as in solicitor). The computer system needed to publish the dictionary online is provided by a specialist French company, IDM. It has also provided software for English, English-Spanish and English-Turkish dictionaries. No Irish company submitted a bid to provide the system. The dictionary will have taken almost seven years to produce, at a cost of just over €6m. "The current EID sells over 2,000 copies per year, despite its age, and we're aiming to recover some of the development costs through sales of the hardcopy version," Mr Convery added. "The database that has been compiled for the New EID will also form the foundation of other dictionaries in the future, including a pocket English-Irish dictionary and technical dictionaries. "The initial version to be published at the end of 2012 will have 51,000 words and terms. We're hoping to get permission to go on for another year, which would result in about 100,000 words and terms. We think it's money well spent." Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

Time for the coalition parties to shine like they said they would

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 11:04:00

The head of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) told us that civil servants would become very agitated during this period if anything was said that "impinged" on the work of their minister. So, did the ESRI suffer political interference? Did the same thing happen to the Central Bank? I have pleaded for an investigation into what happened regarding the failure of the Central Bank, the Financial Regulator and now the ESRI. The public deserves to know the truth and we don't need a referendum to facilitate the setting up of an inquiry. The present Government won't budge on this issue and appears to give priority to protecting the last disgraced government. Is there a type of schoolboy's honour issue involved here, or is it too dangerous for our current leaders because it would highlight their silence and inaction at the time? Another area that needs to be looked at is the question of how the Irish language is faring and the justice or injustice of having compulsory Irish right up until Leaving Cert. The Taoiseach and Fine Gael brought up the topic while in opposition and they should bring it up again. It is most unlikely that the Government will allow or initiate a national debate on this question. I believe and know from working in Irish education at all levels that the work to support the revival of the Irish language in our schools, families and communities has resulted, in the main, in failure and huge amounts of wasted resources. Yet we carry on regardless and any debate is avoided as it is seen as a political hot potato that will result in the loss of votes at the next election. The Irish language is dying. There are many people who cannot speak or understand it or do little to promote the language, but they passively support it because I believe they have an emotional and romantic attachment to the language and its revival. So, in the politicians' eyes, it has become an untouchable sacred cow. This results in students who have problems with learning the language for whatever reason being coerced into studying it right up to Leaving Certificate. This is just not fair, but our Government won't act. An area that also needs to be tackled urgently is that of child benefit, which is presently universal. It was never intended to be universal and should only be allowed to those families in need who deserve it. Politicians refuse to look at this question, much less change it. The country needs united, honest, government and governance, which I believe it is not getting. an both parties please stop looking to the next election. We were promised openness, transparency and honesty, and it is sadly not there. I live in hope! I believe the two parties have huge talent and can make our country a better place in the future. David J Fitzgerald Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

Imní faoi scoileanna beaga Gaeltachta

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 11:01:00

Tá an ghéarchéim nua ag eascair as cinneadh an tAire Brendan Howlin TD, mar chuid den cháinfhaisnéis. Moladh sa cháinfhaisnéis go n-ardófar an cóimheas idir múinteoirí agus daltaí i scoileanna beaga le níos lú ná ceathrar múinteoir fostaithe ann. Dar le Treasa Ní Mhainín ó Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta “Tá an baol ann go ndúnfar suas go 91 bunscoil Ghaeltachta a bhfuil 86 nó níos lú dalta ag freastal orthu laistigh de thréimhse an-ghearr má leantar leis na rialacha nua atá molta.” Anseo san Iarthar tá baol ann go bhfágfar go leor ceantar Gaeltachta le scoileanna folamh agus go mbeidh poist i mbaol má dhéantar cónascadh ar scoileanna beaga. Ach, mar atá feicthe go minic cheana, is féidir dochar mór a dhéanamh don Ghaeilge féin má dhéantar cónascadh ar scoileanna beaga. Go hiondúil is iad na scoileanna beaga is láidre ó thaobh na Gaeilge de agus ó thaobh na staire de feictear go lagaítear an Ghaeilge go mór nuair a bhrúitear isteach iad le scoileanna móra. Tá fearg ollmhór léirithe ag tuismitheoirí agus múinteoirí agus na pobail éagsúla ar fud an Iarthair faoin gcinneadh seo atá déanta ag Fine Gael agus an Lucht oibre. Agus bliain úr romhainn is léir anois go bhfuil troid mhór le déanamh ag pobal na Gaeltachta. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

Spriocdháta do scrúduithe TEG

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 10:58:00

Is cáilíocht é seo do dhaoine gur mhaith leo cruthúnas a bheith acu ar a gcuid ardscileanna teanga. Bheadh cáilíocht C1 ina bhuntáiste do dhaoine atá ag obair leis an nGaeilge cheana féin nó gur mhaith leo a bheith ag obair le Gaeilge sa todhchaí, ar mhian leo cruthúnas a fháil ar a gcumas sa Ghaeilge. Ba mhór an buntáiste an cháilíocht seo chomh maith do mhúinteoirí gur mhian leo cúrsaí ag leibhéal C1, agus leibhéil eile TEG, a mhúineadh amach anseo. Is é an 9 Eanáir an spriocdháta d’iarratais. Tuilleadh eolais ar www.teg.ie nó glaoigh ar 01 7086417. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

Sraith Ranganna Gaeilge an Earraigh

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 10:55:00

Tá ranganna á gcur ar fáil ag 7 leibhéal éagsúla agus is féidir clárú ar líne do na ranganna tríd an suíomh www.cnag.ie. Beidh ranganna Gaeilge ar siúl i roinnt ionad eile ar fud an chontae chomh maith le himeachtaí eile chun deis a thabhairt d’fhoghlaimeoirí úsáid a bhaint as an méid atá á fhoghlaim acu. Chomh maith le ranganna an Earraigh tá amchlár ullmhaithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge do na ranganna ar fad do 2012, ina measc na dianchúrsaí éagsúla a bhíonn á reáchtáil acu. Beidh an Conradh ag leanúint freisin leis an teagmháil le hOllscoil Mhá Nuad maidir leis an gcáilíocht atá á reáchtáil ag an Ollscoil i dtaobh na Gaeilge. Ag éirí ón gcomhoibriú seo beidh deis ag na daoine atá ag freastal ar ranganna an Chonartha scrúdú a dhéanamh chun cáilíocht Eorpach a bhaint amach, más mian leo é sin a dhéanamh. Gach eolas ó Chonradh na Gaeilge, 45 Sráid Doiminic, Gaillimh, 091 567824, nó conradh@bradan.iol.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

Party to mark 30 years of teaching through Irish

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 10:52:00

Coinciding with the International Pan Celtic Festival, which will be hosted locally for the coming two years, a fantastic reunion of pupils and teachers, past and present, is planned for Sunday 8 April. Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc opened its doors on 1982 to 20 junior infants. The old school, now the Cathedral Parsih Centre on College Street, paved the way for bigger and better things for education in the country and the school has gone from strength to strength ever since, moving to its current premises in Ashgrove in December 2006. Second-level education through Irish was made available for pupils with the setting-up of Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach in 1990. A growing demand for and interest in education 'as Gaeilge' meant that the Gaelcholáiste also moved to state-of-the-art facilities in 2006, after a long wait and planning process. According to founder, Bríd de Róiste: "Thirty years later, the Gaelscoil has an enrolment of almost 500 pupils, while there are 335 students in the Gaelcholáiste." To mark 30 years of education through Irish in Carlow, past pupils, as well as past and present parents, teachers and staff, are invited to the celebrations on Easter Sunday - and a huge reunion is envisaged. The team at Glór Cheatharlach are using Facebook to spread the word. More information is available from emma@glorcheatharlach.ie. Foilsithe ar Gaelpot.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

An bosca

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 10:42:00

Is é bosca atá i gceist agamsa ná an ceann sa chúinne, an Balor leathshúileach a bhíonn ag glinniúint amach orainn de shíor is de ghnáth. Is dícheall dúinn cuimhneamh anois ar thráth nuair nárbh ann dó. Nuair a tháinig an rothar ar dtús b’é an gearrán iarainn é; an traein an carbad miotail; an t-eitleán an t-each eitilte; agus an teileafón an chluas fhada. “Cuir glao orm ar an gcluais fhada!” adeireadh duine. “Cuirfead, mura bhfuil an iomad céarach ann,” an freagra coitianta sna háiteanna sin nach raibh an lúidín ag obair go rómhaith iontu. Tá trácht i mbeathaisnéisí áirithe tuaithe ar chéad theacht an chloig, nó an chéad uair go bhfaca duine spúnóg. Níos sia siar ná sin, cheaptaí go raibh draíocht ag baint leis an leabhar féin, agus tá cuntas béaloidis againn ó Chontae Luimnigh gur iarradh díbirt deamhan i dteach amháin an chéad uair gur ligeadh leabhar isteach ann. Ní cúrsaí iontais, mar sin, gur chuir teacht na teilifíse leathchéad bliain ó shin sceimhle ar go leor. Is é sin teacht Teilifís Éireann, arb ionann é agus teacht na teilifíse d’fhormhór na tíre. Bhí Fionn agus na Fianna agus na púcaí agus na síofraí agus na síoga agus na lapracháin díbeartha tamall roimhe sin ag an leictreachais, dá bhrí sin, líon an teilifís poll a líonfaí le fodar de shaghas éigin luath nó mall. Agus abair go raibh go leor fodair ann. Cé go bhféadfaí gach cineál agus gné piseog a chreidiúint sa saol traidisiúnta, is fíor – clocha a bheiriú chun galair a leigheas, súiche a bhreith leat id phóca mar áis shlánaithe, ribí gruaige a chur sa tobar chun an crannchur a bhaint – fós féin bhí rud éigin baoth ag baint le Mr Ed, an capall cainteach. Agus cé nárbh ionann Southfork, Dallas, agus feirm ar bith in Iarthar Mhaigh Eo, ní thagadh daoine ar ais ó na mairbh sa chithfholcadh in Iorras. Ina dhiaidh sin, d’fhéachtaí ar gach clár siar go dúid agus go deireadh. Bhí draíocht ag baint leis an spota dheireadh oíche sin a théadh i laghad agus i laghad nuair a mhúchtaí an teilifís go dtí gur slogadh isteach i bpoll dubh é ar nós deireadh réalta féin. B’ealaín álainn é an cárta trialach féin a chuirtí suas ar feadh tamaill le taispeáint go raibh Teilifís Éireann agat, seachas stáisiún ar bith eile, bíodh nach raibh aon cheann eile ann. Agus chonacthas sneachta agus ceo ag titim go tiubh i lár na hoíche ar an scáileán seordánach agus tú ag suansiúl timpeall an tí. Tharla na nithe sin go léir, fadó fadó ar maidin mhoch na teilifíse, roimh theacht an chálsá go hÉirinn, agus sular oscail duine ar bith buidéal den Liebfraumilch ná den Bhean Rialta Bhuí. Bhí tráth ann, nuair a chaithfeadh duine éirí aníos as a tholg féin, gluaiseacht leis cúpla céad míle trasna an urláir, a mhéar a shíneadh amach chun an fhuaim a ardú, nó an stáisiún a athrú (nuair a tharla sin mar rogha). D’imigh meáchan daoine in airde go mór nuair a nocht an cnapaire chun an zap sin a dhéanamh duit gan chos a chorraí. D’imigh sin agus tháinig seo: dóthain chláracha teilifíse in aon lá amháin ar chúpla míle stáisiún nach bhféadfadh aon duine amháin iad a fheiceáil dá mbeadh aois na Caillí Béarra aige. Dóthain físdioscaí digiteacha nó DVDeanna leis an ngealt scannán is mó buile a shásamh. Dóthain ródhóthanach de shaibhreas físe an domhain ar fáil ach an cnaipe ceart a bhrú. Bhí an ceart ag Dev, agus ní den chéad uair é. Fórsa chun maitheasa nó chun oilc a bheadh ann, nó lena chur ar shlí eile, áis chun foghlama nó chun bómántachta de réir mar ba rogha. Duine ar bith a chaith tamall i seomra óstáin sna Stáit Aontaithe, mar shampla, agus a bhí i dtaobh le seacht gcineál seachtód faoi sheacht den dramhaíl chéanna, ní chuirfeadh dúnmharú le meaisínghunna uathoibritheach puinn iontais air. D’fhan mé tamall in óstán i Sofia na Bulgáire tar éis titim an bhalla agus muran measa ná cuid na Stát an teilifís, níorbh fhearr; choinnigh mé súil ghéar ar an bhfuinneog le súil is go bhfeicfinn na tancanna ag rolláil isteach anoir. Chuamar i dtaithí na teilifíse go mear ionas gurb é dícheall na ndaoine a bhí ann ag an tús cuimhneamh anois ar an uain nach raibh ann roimpi. In ainneoin an uile ní, is linne RTÉ, agus is féidir linn í a chiceáil timpeall dúinn féin, is é sin, nuair nach bhfuil ábhar ciceála níos fearr in aice coise. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

US soldier who learned Irish on internet to feature in documentary.

Gaelport — 05/01/2012 10:38:00

Sergeant Seamus 'Na Gaeilge' O Fianghusa was asked to take part in the documentary by TG4 in 2010 as he began a tour of duty in Afghanistan. The soldier -- who is known by the Anglicised name 'Fennessy' to his army buddies -- is a member of the famed 69th 'Fighting Irish' regiment in New York. He was born of an Irish father and Korean mother and raised in Brooklyn, but was always conscious of his Irish heritage. The documentary 'Dushlan' ('Challenge') follows him from New York to Belfast and Donegal, then onwards to the extremes of the Afghan conflict. "I would like it to be successful because it highlights the Irish language and culture in a way that is not at all traditional," he said yesterday as he visited Dublin. "Irish has an international relevance. Our language is vibrant and capable of change in modern circumstances, as well as having its traditional associations." Having learned the language over the internet six years ago, the soldier now considers Ireland -- and particularly the Donegal Gaeltacht -- his home from home. The 35-year-old is so dedicated to his roots that he used his two weeks' leave from combat to visit the Gaeltacht. "I was out in the middle of nowhere in Central Asia between life and death and then the next thing I am chilling out with a pint of Guinness in the Gaeltacht," he said. "I pressed for those dates because I wanted to go home and sing and speak my Irish." The four-part TG4 series 'Dushlan' is about different characters captured in a variety of extraordinary circumstances or places. In Sgt O Fianghusa's case, that place was Logar province in Afghanistan, where he spent nine months on patrol. "It's very different from anything else you would see anywhere else in the world," he reflected. "The brotherhood you have with your fellow soldiers, being in life-threatening situations every day, bonds you more than anything else could. "We endured many violent encounters -- being shot at, IEDs -- but I never really thought about how dangerous it was until I got home." He was approached to take part in the TG4 programme by series producer Mairtin O Muilleoir of the Belfast Media Group. Sgt O Fianghusa has been back to Ireland eight times since his first trip in 2008. He began to learn the language in 2006, using the internet as a research tool. "About a year into it, I was already able to speak it pretty well," he said. "I went to the Gaeltacht and I found that everyone spoke like me. I was in heaven." 'Dushlan' airs on TG4 next Monday at 7.30pm. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 5 Eanáir 2012

Weakening our language an act of vandalism

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 12:52:00

In the modern welfare state where a language is excluded from official business and when state services are only available in another language, the excluded language is abandoned in favour of the language of power. Even world languages, when so excluded, are not immune to fatal decline — eg Channel Island French, Dutch in northeastern France, or German in Alsace. The Government is currently "reviewing" the Official Languages Act. The decisions to end the independence of the Office of the Official Languages’ Commissioner and to scrap the requirement that Acts of the Oireachtas be published in both Irish and English simultaneously does not bode well. To further weaken our language for the sake of marginal savings would be an act of gross vandalism akin to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh BL An Leabharlann Dlí Baile Átha Cliath 7 Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Passengers onboard with Belfast bus route signs in Irish

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 11:20:00

The signs have been in use on Metro bus services operating on the Falls Road - or Bothar na bhFal - since the spring. There was a public consultation back in February when Translink asked people in west Belfast for their feedback on proposals to introduce the bilingual destination screens. There are currently no Ulster-Scots or other alternative language destination screens, but Translink said that was something it would consider if there was demand. A spokeswoman for the public transport provider said there was an overwhelmingly positive response from the public, and explained the costs involved were minimal. The consultation entailed public notices, letters and direct engagement with key stakeholders, including community groups and Press releases. "Bilingual destination screens using both English and Irish language were launched in spring 2011 following public consultation," a Translink spokeswoman said. "The entire Translink Metro fleet of approximately 250 buses is equipped to provide bilingual signage and currently Metro Services 10 A-F operating along the Falls Road are using this facility. "Where there is demand, we will consider any future requests from our passengers for bilingual signage to be displayed on bus destination screens." The introduction of the signs is in addition to bilingual passenger information on bus shelter timetables and route information that has been present for some time. Current Translink bilingual publications include 'See Belfast by Metro' guide to the city's main landmarks and attractions and a 'Travelling with Translink: Guide to Using Public transport in Northern Ireland' including bus and railway route maps. For more information call 028 9066 6630 or visit www.trankslink.co.uk. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Email 'as Gaeilge' scam tries to trick users

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 11:15:00

INTERNET fraudsters are going as far as translating scams into Irish in a bid to dupe unsuspecting web users. A new take on the common 'Spanish Lottery' spam mails has been detected by antivirus companies in recent days. Information technology expert Urban Schrott from ESET, an antivirus and IT security company based in Co Wexford, said most spam mails are sent out in English to reach a wide group of people. However, Mr Schrott said Irish mailboxes were being assaulted with a massive run of spam emails in both English and Irish, telling the recipient they were in line to win more than €450,000 in a Spanish sweepstakes lottery. "To make it all seem more credible, they went to the effort of translating it 'as Gaeilge' as well," Mr Schrott said. "If all .ie domain emails were targeted then as many as 10 million spam emails could have been pumped out. "Translating it 'as Gaeilge' is sure to strike a certain chord of credibility to many Irish users and playing along in this case means sending your private info to the crooks for further use and abuse." The IT expert said 90pc of emails phishing for information and money were stopped at the internet server level. "This one is very new. We noticed the first one yesterday and then got a second one," he said. "They are constantly trying to find ways to seem credible." Research from the National Consumer Agency (NCA) found six out of 10 people reported that they or a family member had been targeted by a scam. Around 28pc of those targeted replied with the intention to participate and one in 10 have handed over money or information to scam artists. Phishing Mr Schrott urged people to mark such messages as spam and not to reply as they would alert the fraudster to the fact that it is a valid e-mail address. Mr Schrott said he was aware of a number of people who had fallen for the so-called 'London scam' where they receive an email appearing to come from a friend asking for money as they have been stranded in London. Common scams reported to the NCA included phishing for sensitive personal information, a prize draw or sweepstake scam and unsolicited contact with a bogus claim that there is something wrong with the computer. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Stan's our man

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 11:06:00

As a perfect outlet for sport fans and language lovers, we feel we are an ideal fit for Mr Collymore. On a practical level, should Mr Collymore decide to combine his new-found passion for the Irish language with his traditional love for the round ball it may lead us to end our long trawl in search of a natural freetaker. Albeit we would have to train him up in the ways of the GAA. Mr Collymore obviously has the attributes to make himself a nuisance. He is a natural goalscorer, who could easily become the fulcrum of our attack. Delightful as all of this sounds, on a personal level I fear this could put an end to my own days of prowling around the edge of the square. May I just take this opportunity to ask Mr Collymore whether he would be happy with a slot in the corner come the championship? Daithi de Buitleir Cathaoirleach, Na Gaeil Oga CLG Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Tithe sócúlacha agus iaróg faoi chúrsaí pleanála sa Ghaeltacht

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 10:52:00

Achrann pleanála sa Spidéal, Co na Gaillimhe, a spreag Aire na Gaeltachta, Donncha Ó Gallchobhair, an moladh a dhéanamh i dtús ama. Ar 31ú Deireadh Fómhair 1974, thug Comhairle Contae na Gaillimhe cead pleanála don chomhlacht Luxury Homes Teo, 20 teach a thógáil sa Spidéal. Reachtáileadh éisteacht bhéil faoin cheist ach ainneoin gur chuir Coiste Paróiste an Spidéil, Gluaiseacht Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta, Conradh na Gaeilge, Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Bord na Gaeilge agus go deimhin Roinn na Gaeltachta ina choinne, bhronn an Bord Pleanála cead tógála ar an fhorbairt ar 12ú Iúil, 1977. Mheas an coiste paróiste gur chóilíneacht de Bhéarlóirí saibhre a bheadh san fhorbairt, a scriosfadh an Spidéal mar shráidbhaile Gaeltachta agus a leathnódh teorainneacha chathair na Gaillimhe siar. Ar 4ú Lúnasa 1977, scríobh an tAire Ó Gallchobhair chuig a chomhleacaí, an tAire Comhshaoil Sylvester Barrett, ag moladh dó an tAcht Rialtas Áitiúil 1976 a leasú chun treoir a thabhairt don Bhord Pleanála iarratais ar chead pleanála i gceantair Ghaeltachta a scrúdú i dtaca lena n-impleachtaí don theanga. Dúirt Barrett go raibh a leithéid san áireamh nuair a bhí an reachtaíocht á hullmhú ach gur measadh go mbeadh sé “virtually impossible to implement fairly and could prove highly contentious”. Dúirt sé go mbeadh pleanálaithe nua de dhíth le meastóireacht a dhéanamh agus an chóimheá cheart a aimsiú idir impleachtaí forbartha agus teanga. Thug Barrett fainic fosta maidir le cás an Spidéil: “What they really require is that there should be some mechanism to veto or prevent the sale of land or premises except for purposes compatible with the preservation of the language. “In this connection, you may well be aware that it is a common experience that premises built for one purpose come to be used shortly afterwards for another. Gaeltacht landowners have not infrequently obtained permission for housing development and subequently sold the land to non-Gaeltacht people to erect the houses.” Mhol Barrett, áfach, gur cheart iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar na féidireachtaí chun “Teastas Forbairte Gaeltachta” a thabhairt isteach. D’fhéadfaí a leithéid a eisiúint i gcás aon fhorbairt sa Ghaeltacht seachas teach cónaithe ina mbeadh an t-iarratasóir féin ag tabhairt faoi. “This type of approach might not involve much work for your department as provision could be made for appropriate penalties which would have a deterrent effect,” a mhol Barrett. Nocht Barrett tuairim bhreise ar 10ú Márta, 1978 go mbeadh sé leatromach diúltú d’fhorbairtí sa Ghaeltacht ar bhonn teangeolaíochta amháin agus go bhféadfadh sé tarlú go mbeadh daoine ag lorg cúitimh sna cúirteanna dá bharr. “Would your department be prepared to underwrite what could be a substantial liability?” a d’fhiafraigh sé. Mar mhalairt air seo mhol an tAire Cosanta, Bobby Molloy, go dtabharfaí feidhmeanna pleanála d’Údarás na Gaeltachta (a bhí ar tí a bhunaithe) agus gur air a thitfeadh an cúram feasta i leith iarratais phleanála a cheadú sa Ghaeltacht. “It is important that the Údarás play a role in housing, roads, water and sewerage and of course in Planning. The Údarás must be seen to have a vital function in matters affecting the daily lives of the people in the Gaeltacht. Otherwise it will have little relevance and be the cause of much dissatisfaction and disappointment,” a scríobh Molloy ar 20ú Feabhra 1978. Chuir an tAire Comhshaoil in iúl, áfach, nach raibh sé i bhfách le cúraim phleanála a bhronnadh ar an údarás. Ar an lámh eile, bhí Aire na Gaeltachta ag moladh go mbunófaí coistí Gaeltachta de na comhairlí contae ar bhonn reachtúil le rialú a dhéanamh ar fhorbairtí sa Ghaeltacht. Níor bronnadh feidhmeanna pleanála ar an údarás ach d’éirigh leis an eagraíocht réiteach a fháil ar an aighneas idir Coiste Paróiste an Spidéil agus Luxury Homes. I mBealtaine na bliana 1980 cheannaigh an t-údarás an talamh a bhí beartaithe don eastát tithíochta. Is ann atá An Cheardlann anois, mar a bhfuil siopaí beaga ceardaíochta agus ealaíne. Lean an t-údarás i mbun stocaireachta. Scríobh Micheál Ó Máille, an chéad chathaoirleach a bhí ar an údarás, chuig an Aire nua Gaeltachta, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn ar 25ú Iúil, 1980 ag clamhsán “nach dtugtar cothrom na Féinne don Ghaeltacht i gcúrsaí pleanála agus gur chóir go mbeadh forálacha sa dlí a bhaineann leis na cúrsaí sin lena chinntiú go dtabharfar aird chuí ar leas na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge”. Scríobh sise chuig Barrett agus chuig a chomharba, Ray Burke, ag tacú le seasamh an údaráis. Thug an Búrcach le fios nach raibh sé i gceist an reachtaíocht a athrú. Scríobh Micheál de Hál, rúnaí an údaráis, chuig bainisteoirí Chomhairle Chontae Chiarraí agus Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe ag iarraidh orthu rún a rith chun na hachtanna pleanála a leasú le tábhacht na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta a chur san áireamh i gcinnidh phleanála. Ghlac Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe le rún den chineál sin a tháinig ón Chomhairleoir Pól Ó Foighil ach chuir Comhairle Chontae Chiarraí go mór ina éadan. Dhiúltaigh siad d’aon ghuth don rún. “Is é an bhrí a bhain an chomhairle as an achaine ón údarás go gcuirfí iarrataisí pleanála os comhair an údaráis roimhré, ná gur iarracht é seo ón údarás cur isteach ar dhualgaisí dleathacha na comhairle agus do dhiúltaíodar dó seo, chomh maith, d’aon ghuth ... “Dúirt cuid des na baill gurb é seo an chéad chéim ar fheidhmeanna pleanála a aistriú ar fad go dtí an t-údarás agus d’iarradar orm a chur in iúl duit gur cúis buartha dóibh é sin,” a scríobh Bainisteoir Chontae Chiarraí, Tomás Ó Coileáin, chuig a chomhleacaí i nGaillimh. Ag eascairt as an litir seo, shoiléirigh Rúnaí Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe don Roinn “nach raibh sé i gceist ag an gcomhairle riamh go mbeadh aon bhaint ag an údarás le hullmhú pleananna forbartha nó le aon chur isteach ag an údarás ar fheidhmeanna reachtúla pleanála na comhairle”. Chuir sé sin deireadh le feachtas an údaráis i measc na gcomhairlí contae. Ba léir go raibh bunús le buairt na gcomhairleoirí maidir le haistriú feidhmeanna. Ar 30ú Meitheamh, 1981, chuir an t-údarás moltaí cuimsitheacha faoi bhráid an Aire Gaeltachta nua, Pádraig Ó Tuathail (FG) maidir le cúrsaí pleanála sa Ghaeltacht. Bhí trí rogha ann: (a) go leanfadh na húdaráis phleanála ar aghaidh mar a bhí (b) go n-ullmhódh an t-údarás plean forbartha do na ceantair Ghaeltachta agus go mbeadh sé sin mar chuid den phlean forbartha contae a bheadh á ullmhú ag na comhairlí contae agus (c) go dtabharfaí aitheantas don údarás mar údarás pleanála agus go mbeadh sé “go huile agus go hiomlán i bhfeighil cumhachtaí pleanála ins na Gaeltachtaí”. Ba léir gurb é an tríú rogha a bhí an t-údarás ag moladh agus dúradh sa cháipéis nach athrú mór a bheadh ann ó tharla go raibh a leithéid de chumhachtaí ag gach údarás áitiúil eile sa tír. Ach dhiúltaigh Ó Tuathail do na moltaí seo. Cuireadh in iúl don údarás gurbh ionadh leis go n-iarrfaí air a thuairimí a chur ar fáil faoin doiciméad a cuireadh faoina bhráid. “Is amhlaidh a bheadh an t-aire ag súil le sonraí iomlána agus moltaí meáite ón údarás,” a scríobh rúnaí an aire, mar fhreagra ar 7ú Iúil, 1981. “Ba mhaith leis an aire go mbeadh an gnáthchóras pleanála ag feidhmiú chun leasa don Ghaeltacht agus go mbeadh an t-údarás agus na comhairlí contae ag comhoibriú le chéile chun na críche sin.” Ba sa bhliain 2000 a tugadh isteach acht a thug aitheantas den chéad uair do chás sainiúil na Gaeltachta i gcúrsaí pleanála. Is Clár-Eagarthóir le Nuacht RTÉ/TG4 é Breandán Delap Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Can TG4 recapture some good feeling about Irish?

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 10:47:00

THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the first RTÉ broadcast provides an important opportunity to consider its Irish language offspring service, TG4. Although fully independent of RTÉ since 2007, the national broadcaster continues to play a significant role in TG4 through the provision of news and other programming. When my book Escaping the Global Village , which dealt with the campaign to establish the broadcaster was published in 2003, it was already clear it had become a force for innovation on the Irish media landscape. The service had transformed the image of Irish television and introduced new programme formats and work practices which were quickly copied by other broadcasters. However, it was also clear some activists who were involved in the campaign were disappointed that the service was not more deeply embedded in local Gaeltacht culture. They also had concerns about the standard of Irish used on the service. A critical point was reached in 1999 when the station changed its name from TnaG to TG4, positioning itself as the fourth major television service in Ireland. The schedule was also revamped, with more primetime slots devoted to English-language programming, and with less popular Irish language programmes being positioned around these sure-fire audience winners. Sixteen years on from its initial launch, it was inevitable the pace of innovation would slow as the service moved to maturity. Yet the resoundingly positive public response to the TG4 general election debate between the three party leaders last February illustrated how firmly the station has established itself as a player. A changing economic climate means tough times ahead, however. Advertising revenues are down in all sectors and government grants to cultural and media industries are being reduced. With cost bases increasing due to VAT, it is an appropriate time to ask whether TG4 can recapture some of that early innovative spirit in order to meet the challenge. A successful cornerstone of TG4’s schedule has always been children’s programming and the station may offer an entire children’s service on digital in the future. Its current children’s programming relies heavily on re-dubbed imports, and I notice that my own children favour programmes such as Global Grover and Tar ag Spraoi le Sesame Street over Dora and Spongebob , which can be easily accessed in English on other channels. One mum at the school gate said to me: “As soon as they understand the remote, it’s harder to get them to watch the Irish versions.” It may be time for TG4 to look further afield to source new and original children’s programme formats. The slogan Súil Eile (another eye) has been the guiding vision for adult programming. TG4 has undoubtedly delivered another perspective in terms of lifestyle programming, documentaries, film and drama. The recent six-part thriller series, Saor Sinn ó Olc , provides a particularly good example of TG4 drama at its best. The station has even exploited its niche status to broadcast the remastered director’s cut of The Exorcist ahead of other Irish and UK channels. Tough times in Ireland, however, have meant that adults are increasingly drawn to current affairs juggernauts such as Prime Time and Tonight with Vincent Browne . As current affairs programming tends to be strongly language-based, requiring a high level of language competency, it is difficult for TG4 to compete on this front. This brings us to the elephant in the room. Fulfilling its public service remit to broadcast programmes in the Irish language will always be a hugely complex task for TG4 because attitudes to the language are so complex. Census data and Irish language attitudes surveys continually show a high proportion of the Irish population is favourably disposed towards the language. Yet, smaller numbers of Irish people speak the language every day, and within this population, there is huge variation in their language competence. Fine Gael may have been surprised at the support for compulsory Irish in the Leaving Cert during the last election campaign, nevertheless, there is no doubt the policy of compulsion combined with poor teaching has left a significant number of Irish people with a marked hostility towards the tongue. The tensions were very evident during the recent controversy about the exclusive broadcasting of a Leinster-Munster Pro 12 League rugby game on TG4. Former Irish rugby international Neil Francis was publicly critical, saying: “I have no idea what commentators or the analysts are saying, and I have no idea whether they are any good or not – and I suspect 99.5 per cent of the people who had to watch the match on the channel didn’t either.” TG4 pulled its highest audience ever for a rugby match for the game, with official figures showing 635,000 people tuned in at some stage. However, online message boards show a mixed reaction to the commentary, with some contributors asking why TG4 couldn’t provide a red button English-language commentary, as is provided by Welsh language broadcaster S4C. The key source of the tension here was the exclusive rights of TG4 to the game. Here in another form was compulsion – Irish citizens being forced to grapple with the Irish language – and it was clear a considerable proportion of them didn’t like it. To be fair, TG4 has historically prioritised accessibility in sports coverage, particularly successfully in relation to snooker, where commentary was in Irish but analysis was provided in English. The broadcaster has also provided English language subtitles on a range of programmes, making them accessible to those with little language competence and to the hard-of-hearing. In the case of rugby commentary, a solution may lie in the adoption of a Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh-style GAA commentary which moves fluidly between English and Irish. There is huge overlap between GAA and rugby support, particularly among Munster rugby fans, so this style of commentary would be familiar and accessible enough to keep them tuned in. Although this type of bilingualism horrifies some language purists, it may have to become an increasingly central part of any coherent survival strategy. It is no accident that Hector Ó Eochagháin is one of the most successful transition personalities from the Irish language service. A master of bilingualism, his real achievement has been to establish bilingual spaces on both TG4 and the mainstream RTÉ service. Given the cost base of television, TG4 must recognise the importance of its role as a shop window on Irish language culture. Its main remit must be to entice and retain viewers from the large sector of the Irish population who have mediocre or poor language competency, but an interest in the language. I am currently researching transformations in Irish identity, and when interviewing migrants, I have been very struck by their openness to the Irish language. Already bilingual and sometimes trilingual, they are mystified by Irish language hang-ups. These new Irish will add another complex layer to TG4’s audience. Within the complexity there is also opportunity; for innovation, for playfulness, for laughter and most importantly for providing another perspective on a society experiencing profound transformation. Dr Niamh Hourigan is lecturer and head of graduate studies in sociology at University College Cork. Escaping the Global Village: Media, Language and Protest is available on Google Books Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Ó Ghlúin go Glúin CD launch

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 10:38:00

Some of the popular titles covered in the CD are Cailín Álainn and Buachaill ón Eirne. there are also a number of instrumental versions of the songs in order that the CD may be used as an Irish language teaching aid. The Ó Ghlúin go Glúin (From Generation to Generation) CD has been published by Dearcán Media and funded by Foras na Gaeilge. It was directed by Gaelscoil Éadain Mhóir music co-ordinator, Patricia Mhic Thorcaill, and the children are accompanied by school staff Katie Nic Aindreasa on piano and fiddle and Pól Mac Bradaigh on flute, bouzoki and low whistle. Mary Nic Ailín, school principal, said: “We are extremely proud of the children who sing beautifully on this CD. We are eternally grateful to the school staff and Dearcán Media who directed this project from start to finish. “We are delighted that Foras na Gaeilge decided to sponsor this worthwhile CD which will be of benefit to many teachers, parents and children in the future.” “Not only does this CD include outstanding singing, it will also be of great benefit to educators in the Irish medium sector all over Ireland and to groups who promote Irish Music and Culture as the CD includes instrumental versions of all of the songs which can be used in your own class or school as an accompaniment for the children who are singing.” The Ó Ghlúin go Glúin (From Generation to Generation) CDs are available to buy or order from the school. Contact the school office on 71268020 or An Cló Ceart at Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin on 71264132. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Public invited to comment on Dingle area built heritage conservation plan

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 10:33:00

While much of the focus recently has been on the mushrooming of new houses around Dingle during the boom, the street layout of Dingle is as it appears in the Ordnance Survey map of the town in 1841 and is “relatively unaltered”, conservationists who helped draw up the plan noted. The varying ridge heights of the houses on the streets are to be preserved and a central core area bounded on the north by Main Street and the south by the Mall and including Goat Street, Green Street, John Street, Emlagh Cottages and dwellings on The Wood are to form this preserved architectural core. The designation will ensure that original external features such as roofs, cast-iron drain pipes and gutters, iron railings, smooth plaster walls and windows are preserved. The traditional vibrant shopfronts and old signage, much of it in Irish, associated with Dingle town is also to be protected and the council is to encourage refurbishing existing name plates and shopfronts, according to the plan. Outside of Dingle, several 19th-century buildings are earmarked for preservation. These include the old presbytery at Ballyferriter; the 1851 school house, no longer in use, at Emlagh, Ballydavid; and a signal tower now in ruins but part of a network of coastal towers built in 1800 in Kerry to warn of invading French. The towers were used again during the first World War. Other structures to be preserved include a single-storey red corrugated iron-roofed cottage, common up to 30 years ago in Kerry but now, according to conservationists, extremely rare. In the village of Anascaul, two cast-iron water pumps dating to 1865 and manufactured by a Scottish company should be protected, it is suggested. These structures are in addition to already listed churches and schools. The public is invited to comment and the full council will vote on the proposals which take effect in 2012 for a period of six years, before they are formally adopted. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

TG4 sees jump in Christmas viewers

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 10:21:00

Results from the official source for TV audience data, Nielsen TV Audience Merasurement Ireland, show the channel performed significantly better at Christmas than it does normally. More than 2.7 million viewers tuned into TG4 during the holiday season, approximately 70% of anyone that watched TV over Christmas. The channel won a highly credible 3.2% share between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day and was placed 5th overall in national viewing for that time, three places above its usual weekly position. Christmas Eve and St Stephen's Day both saw a significant increase in TG4 viewing this year compared with 2010. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012

Tarkovsky agus feidhm na healaíne

Gaelport — 04/01/2012 10:00:00

BÍONN A lán cainte faoin oscailteacht agus faoin macántacht sa lá atá inniu ann. Ag éisteacht leis na polaiteoirí agus leis na tráchtairí sóisialta ar na mallaibh, bheifeá den tuairim gur smaoineamh radacach úrnua é coincheap seo na “trédhearcachta”, na tréithe sin a dtugaimid ionracas pearsanta agus poiblí orthu. Scrúdaigh téascanna spioradálta na cruinne, is cuma cén córas fealsúnachta atá i gceist, agus is soiléir go bhfuil an fhreagracht phearsanta mar bhunchloch leo go léir. Agus cad faoin bhfreagracht phearsanta i réimse na n-ealaíon – an scannánaíocht san áireamh? Is minic a chloistear seandaoine ag gearán nach bhfuil i gcuid mhór de scannáin an lae inniu, go mór mór iad siúd a dhéantar san Iarthar, ach scannáin amaideacha gan bhrí. Agus an ceart acu go minic. Ach ní mar sin do gach déantóir scannán nua-aoiseach, áfach. Ealaín thar a bheith cumhachtach is ea an scannánaíocht. B’in tuairim an déantóra scannán Rúiseach Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) ar aon chuma. Réimse thar a bheith tábhachtach a bhí ann dar leis. Ba ghnó thar a bheith dáiríre é agus bhí dualgais chomh maith le deiseanna féiniúlachta agus déanamh airgid fite fuaite leis. Chaith sé a shaol ar fad leis an scannánaíocht agus ba shainmhíniú é an metiér sin ar a shaol féin. Ba dhlúthchuid dá dhaonnacht é. Bhí Tarkovsky go diongbháilte maidir le brí agus feidhm na healaíne. Bhí an dá rud ar comhchéim, feidhm na beatha daonna agus feidhm na scannánaíochta, dar leis. Ní hé gur thug Tarkovsky an t-uafás mór-ráiteas uaidh. Nuair a labhair sé b’fhiú éisteacht leis, áfach. B’eisean a dúirt faoina chuid scannán féin: “Féadann duine ar bith, más mian leis, féachaint ar mo chuid scannán faoi mar d’fhéachfadh sé isteach i scáthán, ina bhfeicfeadh sé é féin.” B’eisean a dúirt é seo a leanas, leis, ráiteas atá níos tromchúisí fós: “Ealaíontóir gan chreideamh is geall le péintéir a rugadh dall é.” Beitheanna spioradálta muid, a dúirt an Rúiseach agus cuspóirí faoi leith le cur i gcrích againn sa tréimhse ghearr atá againn ar an saol seo. Dúirt sé go raibh dualgais mhóra ar ealaíontóirí, is cuma an scríbhneoirí, péintéirí, dealbhóirí, cumadóirí ceoil nó déantóirí scannán iad. Bhí dualgais orthu mar d’fhéadfadh a gcuid saothar tionchar láidir a bheith acu ar a lucht féachana, a lucht éisteachta, a lucht léite. Chreid sé nach bhféadfaí an domhan briste seo a athnuachan mura dtógfadh ealaíontóirí na cruinne freagrachtaí pearsanta orthu féin arís, mura gcloífí go dlúth le feidhm na healaíne. Bhí cúiseanna pearsanta ag Tarkovksy chun a shaol ar fad a chaitheamh ag plé na mórcheisteanna pearsanta agus fealsúnachta seo – feidhm na beatha, feidhm na healaíne, feidhm na freagrachta pearsanta, feidhm na fulaingthe fiú amháin. Bhí saol sách crua ag Tarkovsky agus d’fhulaing sé cuid mhaith lena linn. Rugadh sa Rúis é sa bhliain 1932 ach cuireadh cinsireacht i bhfeidhm ar a chuid scannán. Is i ndeireadh a shaoil – fuair sé bás go hóg sa bhliain 1986 – a taispeánadh a chuid scannán – leithéidí Andrei Rublev, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker, Nostalghia agus The Sacrifice den chéad uair ina thír dhúchais. Chuaigh sé ar deoraíocht in iarthar na hEorpa agus é fós ina fhear óg toisc gur caitheadh chomh dona sin leis agus chaith formhór a shaoil ar deoraíocht ón Rúis. Tá an t-uaigneas agus an chumha sin a ghoill go mór air le haireachtáil i ngach scannán a rinne sé. Bhraith sé uaidh an Rúis. Go deimhin thug sé Nostalghia (1983) mar theideal ar cheann de na scannáin is cumhachtaí a rinne sé. Is féidir linne in Éirinn an chumha agus an grá tíre sin a thuiscint níos fearr ná mórán daoine eile. Tá sráideanna na hÉireann breac le muintir Oirthear na hEorpa na laethanta seo. Ach seans nach dtuigimid mórán i dtaobh stair na “nÉireannach nua” seo. I dtreo dheireadh a shaoil scríobh an Rúiseach Tarkovsky leabhar gearr, Sculpting in Time (1985). Bhreac sé sios na smaointe agus na coincheapa fealsúnachta a theoraigh a shaol féin sa leabhar seo. B’fhiú é a léamh, b’fhiú é a aistriú go Gaeilge. Go deimhin, b’fhiú cuid dá mhórscannáin a bheith againn i nGaeilge. Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com - 4 Eanáir 2012