Brú na Bóinne!

Brú na Bóinne!

by | 2023/09/13 | Personal, Opinion

Brú na Bóinne!

World Heritage Site

The Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site is the richest landscape in Ireland from an archaeological point of view.

The last time we visited Brú na Bóinne, I had a lot more hair! It wasn't a World Heritage Site then, either. We promised ourselves for a long time that we would go there again. It's been a while since then, but my wife and I finally visited this wonderful site again.

We were amazed when we entered the Visitor Center, not to mention the archaeological sites! It is a first-class facility, as good as can be found anywhere in the world. The Visitor Center exhibition is a fully interactive visitor experience discussing the culture, landscape and monuments from the Neolithic period at Brú na Bóinne. Unfortunately, we didn't know about the exhibition in advance, and we weren't able to see it all, because we had to get the shuttle bus to the monuments.

Cnóbha

Built around 3,200 BC, the passage tombs at Brú na Bóinne (Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth) are among the most important Neolithic sites in the world, with the largest collection of megalithic art in western Europe. When we got off the bus at Knowth there was a guide waiting for us. We were not allowed to enter the passage, but there was much to see outside. There is a large tomb and eighteen tombs, and their size is amazing. The large tomb is two meters high and 67 meters in diameter, with two tombs inside. There are 127 pillar stones around the tomb and many of them are decorated with megalithic art, and abstract patterns can be seen on them. We have no idea what the Neolithic artists intended with those abstract symbols. It was a very beneficial, very spiritual experience to see them, however. The guide did an excellent job of explaining to us the contextual background regarding the structure and purpose of the tombs at Brú na Bóinne, the stone carving, the people who built the tombs, and the people who were buried there. He shared with us results from DNA research, which changed our understanding of the Neolithic civilization that built those passage tombs. I will come back to the information he shared with us in a moment.

Newgrange

After another trip on the bus, we stopped at Newgrange where another guide was waiting for us. This carn is about 11 meters high and 80 meters in diameter on average. There are 97 curb stones around this tomb and the passage and room are made of 450 other similar stones. Many of them are also decorated with abstract patterns. Inside the room, there is a corbeled vault as a roof, which has kept the room dry for 5,000 years so far!

It is estimated that around 200,000 tons of material were used to build this pile, and white quartz, sandstone and granite stones were collected in some places along the Wicklow mountains. It is thought that those materials were transported by sea rather than by land, but it was a very complex task, no doubt! There were excellent architects and builders working on this project, which took at least thirty years to complete.

We entered the passage which was narrow and low. This passage and the inner room are aligned towards the south-east. There is a small gap above the entrance door (the roof box), which lets the sun in to illuminate the room at the winter solstice. The guide turned off the lights so that it was dark, and then he lit another light and a ray of light came in that lit up the passage and the floor of the room, just as happens with the sun at the solstice. The solstice was undoubtedly very important to the Neolithic people. The passage tombs were multi-functional sites, and it is likely that that society had social events and religious ceremonies in the monuments in Bru na Bóinne.

The bus was waiting for us when we came out of the passage, and we were all quiet in the bus. This trip had an affect on us, I think, and added to our life in a positive, spiritual, even philosophical way!

DNA research

A few things were discovered that were significant and that no one expected. Dr. Lara Cassidy (Department of Genetics at Trinity College) did most of the research and detective work to reveal the facts based on DNA from a man buried in the tomb in Newgrange, confirmed by DNA from other people from other tombs around the country.

Those Neolithic people came to us from the Meath Crescent in the Middle East around 5,000 years before Christ. We don't have much of that DNA in us in Ireland anymore. They were farmers who came over from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, and later they went north to Ireland through Europe. What about our own DNA, then? Well, another migration came to Ireland between 3,000 and 2,500 years before Christ, from the Pontic Steppes in eastern Europe, and since then, DNA from those people is seen in us in Ireland.

Dr. Cassidy also discovered a few remarkable things when she did her DNA analysis. Incest was determined, where the parents were close relatives. This only happened when there was a hierarchical society and a kingdom in effect, like the society of ancient Egypt and its pharaohs. It is now considered that such a society existed in Ireland at the time of the construction of the tombs, which was not expected.

Undoubtedly, our archaeological knowledge and understanding is growing and changing all the time, especially with new tools at our disposal, such as DNA analysis. I would highly recommend a visit to Brú na Bóinne, but set aside some time for the exhibition – you will not be disappointed!

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Dírbheathaisnéis 3 – Cill Chainnigh!

Autobiography 3 – Kilkenny!

by | 2023/09/06 | Dírbheathaisnéis

Dírbheathaisnéis 3 – Cill Chainnigh!

We moved once more, because my father got a job at St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny. I had no problem with that, and I was really looking forward to the big day. That day finally arrived and we were off to Kilkenny!

We rented a flat on Dublin Road and I attended St John's national school during that time. It was harder to get used to school at first, because I didn't understand what anyone was saying, and no one understood me, either. I remember my first week at school and we were out in the yard playing. The children were making fun of me, and I was like a trapped fox in the corner of the yard, all the children gathered around me, asking me to speak, so that they could imitate me and laugh at me. I didn't expect this, but I put up with it, because really, I had no second choice. The children had never heard my accent from the north side of Dublin before. I hadn't heard their dialect before, either. But, as soon as I was able to communicate more effectively, I had no problems making new friends. I need not say that I soon lost the Dublin accent, for nothing is more important to a young lad than to be able to fit in with his company.

After half a year or so, my parents bought a house on Waterford Road on the outskirts of the city, with St. Kieran's College close by. I started attending a new school, St. Patrick's National School on Cootes lane in the Village ('Village'), and I would walk to school every day, and even home at lunchtime. My father came home for lunch too, and it was nice for our family to be together like that in the day.

St. Patrick's School was a small national school, and I remember that two classes were held in the same room, with one teacher in charge. I well remember Brother Abban who was my first teacher. I thought he was very old, and I was surprised that someone of that age would still be alive. He was younger than I am now, no doubt!

At that time, there used to be corporal punishment in schools and especially boys' schools. Boys were usually sent to one school and girls to another. Often, men taught the boys, and women taught the girls. Boys and girls used to have different curricula, too.

Almost every teacher in the boys' schools used to have torture devices, and it was thought at the time that it was necessary to use punishment to discipline boys so that they would grow up to be strong men.

Abban's torture device of choice was an ash stick. I was scared when I saw Abban hitting a student in class for the first time. Maybe the student got the wrong answer to a question Abban asked him, or maybe he wasn't listening in class, or maybe he forgot his homework. Anyway, the poor student was shouting, begging Abban to stop, and trying to withdraw his hand, but his efforts were fruitless. Fortunately for me, I rarely got the rod, because I loved learning at school. But I felt sorry for every student whom he hit and I thought there was something wrong with that terrible practice. It was also difficult for me to understand how cruel God's representatives could be. Wasn't such behavior just against the teachings of the church?

Abban's other cruel practice added insult to injury. When his ash stick broke after a while, he asked his next victim to cut him a new stick, from the ash tree that was next to the school. Unbelievable!

Although we were weak, we took revenge on Brother Abban, another thing that contradicted the teachings of the church. But we couldn't care less about that!

There was a glass of water on the table in front of Abban, and he took a sip of water from time to time to wet his mouth. Whenever the glass was empty, Abban asked some student to get him a new glass of water. We also noticed something else about Abban – he was losing his eyesight. As it turned out, there was a pond outside the school near the ash tree and it had frogspawn and even tadpoles in it in the spring. These facts paved the way for playing a trick on Abban.

Once, when Abban asked a student to cut him a new rod, he did so but then caught a few tadpoles and put them in a bottle. Abban hit the student with the new rod as he was wont to do and continued to teach the class. After a while, having drunk the glass of water, he asked another boy to get a new one. Abban didn't see the student he hit, handing the bottle to the student who was getting him a drink. He did not see that student put the tadpoles in the glass. And he didn't see the tadpoles swimming in the glass when he lifted it to get a swig of water, either. Abban huffed and let out a big sigh. Then he continued to teach. We laughed and couldn't hold back. With every new rod he got, Abban got a few unwanted tadpoles. We justified our terrible misconduct with the idea that it was retribution for a crime. Maybe we were wrong to do that trick, and we did it over and over again until the metamorphosis was complete and each frog was a new frog! Unfortunately, the one thing every student in Abban's class has learned is that revenge is sweet.

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Cruinneas sa Ghaeilge!

Acccuracy in Irish!

by | 2023/08/30 | Language Affairs, Personal

Acccuracy in Irish!

I had no idea what lay ahead, as we had never been to Glencolmkille before. I shared my first impressions of this area with you last week, and now I want to write a few words about the course I attended in Glencolmkille.

Nuair a shroicheamar Oideas Gael i nGlencolmkille ar an Satharn, chuir bean den fhoireann fáilte romhainn agus threoraigh sí muid go dtí ár lóistín ar imeall an bhaile. Lóistín leaba agus bricfeasta a bhí ann agus bhí seomra mór dúbailte againn (mé féin agus mo bhean chéile) le seomra folctha en-suite.  Is trua é nach raibh lánlóistín ar fáil, cosúil leis an lóistín a bhí againn i nGleann Fhinne an tseachtain roimhe, ach sin a bhfuil.

One hundred and twenty people attended the induction session at seven o'clock on Saturday, and one of the organizers explained to us everything about Oideas Gael and the courses that would be available to us. In particular, he said that Irish classes would be available to us at seven levels and another special course called 'Accuracy in Irish'. This course is aimed at people who speak Irish to a high standard, who already have some knowledge of the grammar of the language but who wish to gain a better knowledge of it. The emphasis is on writing and reading the language but speaking activities are also involved. I had no choice but to attend this course!

The other seven classes were more general with the emphasis on spoken Irish. My wife signed up for one for them and she really liked the course. We had a busy schedule, with classes taking place every day (Monday to Friday) from ten o'clock in the morning until lunchtime at one, and again from three to five o'clock in the evening. an bhéim ar Ghaeilge labhartha. Shínigh mo bhean chéile suas le ceann dóibh agus thaitin an cúrsa go mór léi.  Bhí sceideal gnóthach againn, agus ranganna ar siúl gach lá (Luan go hAoine) óna deich a chlog ar maidin go dtí am lóin at a haon, agus arís óna trí go dtí a cúig a chlog sa tráthnóna.

There were ten people in my class, and we had a great teacher called Dubhán. I already knew him, as he taught us the advanced class in Glenfinn the week before. Dubhán is a man very familiar with the subject of Irish, and he has a PhD in hand at the University of Ulster, on the Fiannaíochta legends. He is also a creative writer, and has published a collection of poetry called 'IDEO Locator'. Dubhán laid out the course based on the textbook written by Éamonn Ó Dónaill MA, 'Gramadach gan Stró'. Éamonn taught the same course years ago, using his own book.

I loved the approach that Dubhán had. It didn't start with chapter 1, chapter 2 and so on through the book, page by page. Instead, he chose interesting topics, and then taught lessons discussing those topics and using the book to give us insight. We also did homework from the book, to convince us of the points.

The following are a few examples of the material.

Adjectives in the Genitive Case: I didn't know before this class that there are three declensions of adjectives! We learned about them and the rules associated with them.

Numbers: Dúbhán dived deeply into this matter, and we learned things like this: 'the beginning of the first week' (week in genitive case), but 'the beginning of the second week' (with week in the nominative); 'the end of the long great eleventh year' (genitive) and 'the value of the twelve houses' (nominative).

Verbal noun – genitive case: This genitive case is usually the same as the verbal adjective. For example: 'smoking', but 'smokers' (caitheamh versus caite in latter case), 'cleaning toilets', but 'toilet cleaner’(glanadh versus glanta in latter case)).

The nominative form instead of the genitive: this is a difficult matter – when two (or more) words come together in the genitive case what changes need to be made? It is necessary to learn about the Meaning Unit (Definite and Indefinite) first, to understand the rules related to it. Example: 'discussing John's son's problems' (‘ag plé fhadhbanna mhac Sheáin’).

Variations of speech: for example - 'I don't believe the house was right' ,(Ní chreidim a dheise a bhí an teach); 'there is no man so strong that age does not weaken him', (‘níl fear dá láidre nach lagaíonn an aois é’); 'As Smart as you are, I am smarter', (‘dá chliste tú, tá mise níos cliste’); 'the man is getting weak'( ‘tá an fear ag dul i laige’).

I don't have space to mention other subjects, but the examples mentioned above gave you a small taste of the course. We had a great week learning all the time, and I will definitely be back to attend another course before long. If you are interested in improving your Irish, I highly recommend the courses offered by Oideas Gael in Glencolmkille and courses are also available online!

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Gleann Cholm Cille!

Glencolmkille!

by | 2023/08/23 | Language Affairs, Personal

Glencolmkille!

Glencolmkille

The sheet of fields overflowing

Waves sliding down the valley

Falling towards the sea below

To the most beautiful place in the world

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Its name is Glencolmkille

I have never seen anything like it

Wonderful and warm people live there chroíúil ina gcónaí ann

The site is steeped in history suíomh

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Located in Donegal Gaeltacht

In a beautiful, remote place out in the countryside

In a beautiful, remote place out in the countryside

To speak Irish with ease

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You have affected me deeply, O Glencolmkille

You have me put completely under your spell

I am changed because you moved my heart

I'll miss you when I'm back home

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Glencolmkille O Glencolmkille

Your equal is not to be had, be it old or new

Glencolmkille O Glencolmkille

We will be back together, be it sooner or later

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There is no arguing about the beauty of Glencolmkille. My eyes almost popped out of my head when we were driving down the road from Ardanra and an incredible view was revealed above us, stretching down to the shining sea, with the town of Glencolmkille sitting in the valley, framed by majestic hills that drop steeply into the choppy waves on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It is difficult to describe this place, without resorting to poetry, to convey to you the feelings associated with the sight. That's why I wrote the poem mentioned above. I also wrote a short poem in English – here it is:

Glencolmkille

Fresh green-fielded quiltwork spills,

Pleats and folds tumbling down hills,

Gliding through glistening, gulleted glen,

Riven by meandering river Murlin

Cloud-swaddled as it cradles spangled sainted land,

Then Softly surrenders to the sea's silver sand.

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There is much to recommend about the Glen and its area, in terms of the activities available. Oideas Gael's headquarters are on the edge of town, and they organize Irish language courses from the beginning of the summer, at all levels. Other courses are also available – including archeology and mountaineering – all in Irish. People meet in Glencolmkille who have a strong love of culture and language, and although most of them are Irish, foreigners are also involved. I will be writing an article about the same matters in another article, but today there is a general overview, about Glencolmcille and the area where it is located.

Facilities and accommodation

The town has shops, restaurants, pubs and a garage. Bed and breakfast accommodation or self-catering apartments are available, but are very popular. Therefore, it is quite difficult to find any kind of accommodation in the town itself and people often have to find accommodation somewhere else, like Na Cella Beaga, and then commute to the Glen.

Colmcille Way and Colmcille Tour

The Cholmcille Way goes from Glencolmcille in Ireland to the Isle of Î in Scotland, visiting sites associated with the Saint's life and tradition. This Way is similar to the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Every year, a pilgrimage is organized by Gaeltacht cooperatives and language planning areas. The walks are usually led by mountain guides and native speakers.

In Glencolmcille itself, Slí Colmcille follows the route of Turas Colmcille. People go on a pilgrimage to Glencolmkille every year between the 9th of June (the festival of the Saint) and the 15th of August (the festival of the Ascension). Some ancient stones (dating back to 3000 BC) and gallants (dating back to 500-700 AD) can be seen at the 15 sites that make up the stops on the tour.

The Stone

The 'clachán' was opened in 1967, as a community project founded by Father Mica daivhir, a famous priest who founded many social schemes. There are seven thatched houses located under the mountain near the large beach, which give the visitor an insight into local life in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in west Donegal. There is also a nice craft shop and cafe.

Conclusion

Glencolmkille is a beautiful and remote place, with many facilities and activities available. I would highly recommend you to visit it and especially if you want to improve your Irish.

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Fáilte Roimh Chách – Inné, Inniu agus Amárach!

Welcome Everyone – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

by | 2023/08/16 | Current Affairs, National News, Politics

Welcome Everyone – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

It's not too long ago when nobody would have thought that the day would ever come when people would be flooding the coasts of our country, hoping to join us. Wasn't it in the opposite way that the human flood was pouring out of us, day after day, week after week and year after year? At that time, you would only hear complaints and grievances from the poor about the poverty of this poor country. Everyone had the same tune, all claiming that our country had gone astray. The media were confirming the same attitude, saying that this country had been "banjaxed", and had gone down the toilet, into the sea.

Even our education system was aimed at getting jobs for our young people in overseas countries, and we were training doctors, nurses, priests, teachers and more, who had no chance of getting a job ONLY overseas. In addition to that, the people of this country did not care about the migration of those educated people, or about the 'Brain Drain' as it is called in English.

Undoubtedly, those who migrated did well, but of course, we should never forget the injustice done to them, when we, as a community, were unable to serve them in their own homeland. Although they managed to achieve a good career, they often shed the bitter tears of exile, because wouldn't it be much better to have the same success in their own country? They were wonderful people, who sent money home to us when it was badly needed.

Arrival of the Celtic Tiger

Big changes began in the nineties, slowly at first and then faster, until we no longer had those difficulties. Young people were going on holiday to faraway places in the world. People had cars, who once had only poor four-legged, long-eared Neids. People were going out to inns and restaurants to dine. And as well as that, people were dressed elegantly, all the time. The look, taste and smell of money was to be found, below and above, near and far, all over the country. You would no longer hear people saying on the Radio or the Television that our land had been "banjaxed", as the people who used to sing that tune were now sitting pretty, earning a pile of money over the years, from the purse of that same "banjaxed" State. To make a long story short, the news of the money was soon out on us, all over the world.

The "Black Babies"

There was only one result of that reputation for money, and that was that people came to the coasts of this country, hoping that they would get a generous share here. Those people came, one by one at first, then in small groups, and finally, they became a strong, unstoppable flood. In the beginning, we did not treat the strangers who came among us so generously, since we had no practice of such, but with the passage of time, we had to accept that we had a duty to treat them with dignity and respect. Didn't we spend many years in this country collecting pennies for the "Black Babies", but when those same Children grew up, and when they came to try and get in, well - that was a whole other story! But after a while, we were made aware that we had no other choice but to give them asylum, when such was due to them, and in addition to that, we welcomed essential workers who came to us in a strong, hopeful, unstoppable toorent, and no wonder we welcomed them, as they helped us to feed and fatten the hungry, Celtic Tiger of ours. As far as I am concerned, we should welcome those righteous people who come to us, in search of asylum, or work, and we should also be happy to grant them the citizenship of our country, if they deserve that.

Now, it wasn't just the "Black Babies" who came to our door, since as soon as the word spread that there was excellent work and jobs to be found there, people from different ethnicities started raising their sails, to make their way to this country.

Welcome to All

Although it is more difficult to deal with more people, we still have to stick to our basic principles. May we never forget the millions of us who fled this country during the Great Famine and found refuge in other countries, including Canada and the United States. No matter how hard it is, it is better to do something, in my opinion, especially in a situation like this. That's not to say that rules aren't necessary, because they are, but when anyone is admitted legally into the country, and especially those seeking asylum, we have an obligation to treat them well. When I see terrible things happening in Dublin, where a camp for asylum seekers was set on fire, or in Ballincollig in Cork, where and a former school was set on fire, which was almost ready to give asylum to refugees from Ukraine, I am both disappointed and determined. Actions speak louder than words, and it is time for us in this country to fight xenophobia, and offer a helping hand to the refugees that our government took in in the first place, to give them a new life. We have no excuses and we have to do the right thing from now on.

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