Pop Up Gaeltacht!

Pop Up Gaeltacht!

by | 2018/09/12 | Language Affairs, Personal

I bhfad ó Bhaile!

An chuid is mó den bliain, bím i mo chónaí i San Diego, i gCalifornia, sna Stáit Aontaithe.  Bím ar ais i gCill Chainnigh an cuid eile den bhliain. Tá sé deacair go leor an Ghaeilge a labhairt in Éirinn, mar ní úsáidtear ár dteanga go minic lasmuigh de na Gaeltachtaí, agus fiú amháin ansin,  cloistear a lán Béarla. Nach mór an trua é sin? ach tá dea-scéal ann freisin. Níl a fhios agam ar chuala tú riamh faoi na Gaeltachtaí“Pop Up”!. B’fhéidir nár chuala, mar tá na cruinnithe seo réasúnta nua.

Cúpla bliain ó shin, thosaigh beirt fhear – Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh and Osgur Ó Ciardha na himeachtaí cultúrtha seo.  Cén fáth? Bhí siad mí-shásta leis na meáin, a bhí á rá nach raibh a leithéidí ann ar chor ar bith – daoine uirbeacha a úsáideann an Ghaeilge ar bhonn laethúil.  Bhain siad trial as imeachtaí Gaeilge a chur ar siúl ag úsáid an idirlíon. Ar dtús, roghnaigh siad beáir i mBaile Átha Cliath féin mar shuíomh dá n-imeachtaí. Bhí a sáith iontais orthu nuair a d’éirígh thar barr leo, mar tháinig  alán daoine chun Gaeilge a labhairt le chéile agus chun an craic a bheith acu. “Pop Up Gaeltachtaí” an t-ainm a chuir siad ar na cruinnithe seo, agus d’fhás siad ní h-amháin in Éirinn, ach ar fud an domhain freisin.

Gaeilge anseo?

Céard a cheapfá má dúirt mé leat go raibh mo bhean chéile agus mé féin ag labhairt Gaeilge le grúpa daoine i dteach tábhairne anseo i San Diego, California, an tseachtain seo caite?  Nach gceapfá go bhfuil mé as mo mheabhair? Nó go bhfuil samhlaíocht iontach agam? Ach tá sé fíor! Bhí Gaeltacht Pop Up ar siúl i San Diego an Satharn seo caite – agus bhí sé ar fheabhas!  Fear óg darb ainm Jeffrey a chuir an ócáid seo le chéile. Chaith sé an samhradh seo caite in Éirinn, agus rinne sé ag staidéar ar an nGaeilge ansin ar chúrsa Chonradh na Gaeilge. Tá sé ag déanamh  staidéar ar an nGaeilge le breis agus bliain anois, agus tá sé in ann Gaeilge a labhairt go líofa! Is Calafóirneach an fear seo!

Cé gur rud iontach é sin, ní hé sin an rud is iontaí a tharla an oíche sin ag an nGaeltacht Pop Up.  Go deimhin, bhuaileamar le hÉireannaigh agus iad ina gcónaí i Meiriceá le blianta agus ar mhaith leo an craic a bheith acu as Gaeilge.  Ach bhuaileamar freisin le daoine as California nach raibh in Éirinn riamh – ach dá gcloisfeadh sibh iad ag caint go líofa as Gaeilge, cheapfá gurbh Éireannaigh iad, tá blas Gaeilge chomh maith ag an mbeirt acu.  Fear agus a bhean chéile atá i gceist. Padraicín an t-ainm atá ar an bhean. Bhí a hathair as Éirinn agus bhí Gaeilge líofa aige. Nuair a bhí sé beo do mhúin sé Gaeilge san ionad Gaelach darb ainm “House of Ireland” i San Diego.  Ach níor thosaigh Pádraicín féin ag foghlaim Gaeilge go dtí go raibh sí fásta. Ach seo é an rud is iontaí: nuair a phós Padraícín fear Seapánach-Meiriceánach, mhúin sí Gaeilge dó – Brian is ainm don bhfear atá i gceist agam anseo. Tar éis tamaill, nuair a bhí Brian in ann an Ghaeilge a labhairt maith go leor,  thosaigh an beirt acu ag labhairt Gaeilge agus ag maireachtáil as Gaeilge gach lá sa bhaile. D’éist siad le Radio na Gaeltachta le chéile agus bhraith siad ar TG4, ar chláracha éagsúla, cosúil le Ros na Rún. Bhí an-ghrá acu donn teanga agus do chultúr na hÉireann, agus caithfidh mé a rá, go bhfuil Gaeilge álainn ag an mbeirt acu anois.  I mo thuairim, taispeánann sé sin gan dabht go bhfuil an Ghaeilge beo fós agus in úsáid in áiteanna éagsúla ar fud an domhain ag daoine éagsúla, fiú amháin uaireanta daoine nach bhfuil deoir fola Gaelaí ag rith trína gcuisleanna!

Laethanta saoire in Éirinn?

Tar éis tamall ag déanamh comhrá, chuir mé ceist ar Phádraicín agus Brian ar mhaith leo riamh, dul go hÉirinn, ar a laethanta saoire.  Thosaigh Brian ag gáire láithreach bonn. Ní raibh a fhios agam cén fáth!

“Ag magadh atá tú – an ea?  Seo an rud – dá rachaimís go hÉirinn, ní fhillfiimís!  Sin cinnte!” a dúirt Brian, agus é ag gáire. Chlaon Pádraicín a ceann, í ag aontú leis.

Thuig mé díreach cad a bhí á rá aige.  Is áit an-spéisiúil Éire. Tá cultúr forásach, nua-aimseartha agus liobrálach ann ach, ag an am céanna tá sean-chultúr fíorluachmhar ann, lena teanga, ceol agus scéalta féin!

A chairde, nach bhfuil sé íorónta go dtógann sé strainséir, uaireanta, le h-aird a tharraingt ar cé chomh hiontach is atá an t-oileán seo, a daoine agus a cultúr !

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Pop Up Gaeltacht!

Ó Phápa to Pápa

by | 2018/09/05 | Personal

le Peadar agus Mick Barrett

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Peadar anseo…..

“Bfhédir nárbh eol dhuit go raibh mé in Ospidéal, i mBaile Átha Cliath, ar feadh scathaimh mhaith, le déanaí, agus gur tháinig mo mhac Mick i gcabhair orm, sa tréimhse sin, trí féachaint chuige go mbeadh an Colún seo le léamh ag ár léitheoirí, chuile sheachtain san idirlinn, agus ansin, d’iarr mé air leanúint leis sa bhfiontar sin. Thoiligh sé chuige sin, agus tá súil agam to dtaitneoidh toradh ár saothair libh feasta. Deir Mick fhéin gur cuma cá bhfuil cónaí air, nó go raibh súil aige go mbeadh ar a chumas cabhrú liom sa ghnó seo.”

Deir mo leath-bhádóir,Micheál, freisin………..

“Sa lá atá inniu ann, leis an idirlíon, níl sé neamhchoitianta a bheith i do chónaí in áit amháin agus ag obair in áit eile.  Cuma cá bhfuil mé ag cur fúm ag an am, tá súil agam go dtabharfaidh mé léargas difriúil go dtí an bord, agus mar sin sílim go mbeidh dearcadh úrnua sa cholún féin.  

De bhrí go bhfuil Gaeilge níos laige agamsa agus cé go bhfuil orm mo chion féin a dhéanamh, seans go mbeidh leibhéal na Gaeilge níos ísle, ar dtús, ar aon nós.

Dhá scór bliain!

Seo rud dochreite:  Tá an t-alt spéisiúil seo “I mBéal an Phobail” thart ar dhaichead bliain d’aois anois!  Thosaigh Peadar á scríobh tar éis chuairt an Phápa Eoin Pól, a Dó, sa bhliain 1979! Bhí ar Pheadar clóscríobhán láimhe a úsáid, agus bhí air cruachóip a fhagáil isteach ag oifig an Kilkenny People ansin! ‘chuile sheachtain,  Ní raibh an fón póca cumtha fós! Agus sa bhliain 1979, bhuaigh foireann iománaíochta Chill Chainnigh ar Ghaillimh.  Nach mór an difríocht idir inné agus inniu, a chairde!  Agus tríd na hathruithe go léir a tharla, mór agus beag, lean Peadar ar aghaidh ag scríobh!

Le linn a thréimhse mar colúnaí, thug Peadar cúntas dúinn ar na heachtraí a bhí ar siúl ina shaol fhéin, sa phobal áitiúil, agus go deimhin, ar fud an domhain mhóir.   Ach ná déan dearmad ar an rud is tábhachtaí, b’fhéidir! Ba i nGaeilge a scríobhadh gach alt díobh sin! Caithfimid ómós a thabhairt do Pheadar agus freisin don “Kilkenny People” as an tseirbhís riachtanach seo a chur ar fháil dá lucht léite.”

Tá sé in am!

“Dúirt Peadar liom le déanaí go mb’fhéidir go bhfuil sé in am aige tarraingt siar beagán!  D’aontaigh mé leis agus dúirt mé go bhfuil sos beag tuillte aige anois, tar éis daichead bliain!  Phléamar an t-ábhar sin ar feadh píosa, agus d’fhoghlaim mé go raibh imní air nach mbeidh dóthain Gaeilge sa pháipéar in éagmais a cholún seachtaine.  Bhí an ceart aige, nach raibh? Príomhpháirt dár bhféiniúlacht náisiúnta agus dár gcultúr uathúil is ea an Ghaeilge – nach ea? Agus mar sin, tá sé an-tábhactach í a shábháil, ní amháin dúinn féin, ach do shliocht ár sleachta!  Gach uair a úsaidtear an Ghaeilge, cabhraíonn sé leis an gcúis seo, agus mar sin, tá sé riachtanach an colún seo a choimeád beo! Ach an féidir le Peadar tarraingt siar beagán, agus ag an am gcéanna, don cholún dul ar aghaidh? Múineann gá seift, mar a déarfá, agus bhí smaoineamh againn conas an ceann sprice sin a bhaint amach!

Ar aghaidh linn!

Agus cad é an smaoineamh é sin?  Sin í an cheist ?  Bhuel, i bhfocal amháin – comhoibriú!  Nach bhfuil sé sin sofheicthe?

Tá cabhróir ag teastáil ó Pheadar, le comhoibriú leis ar a cholún.  Laghdódh an socrú sin an brú ar Peadar féin, agus bheadh sé in ann a intinn a leagan ar na rudaí is fearr leis.   Mar sin agus sa tslí sin, cheapamar go mbeadh an dá thrá á fhreastal againn! Shocraíomar triail a bhaint as an moladh sin ar aon chaoi.”

Cabhróir!

“Maith go leor!  Ach cá bhfuil an cabhróir sin?  Má tá ceann agat, a Pheadair, caithfidh tú é, nó í, a cur in aithne dúinn!  Sin atá á rá againn, nach ea?”

“Bhuel, beidh mo mhac Mick ag cabhrú liom, agus is dócha go bhfuil sé in ann é féin a cur in aithne daoibh!  Cá bhfuil tú, a Mhichíl?”

“Táim anseo.  Is mise an mac is sine sa chlann.  Rugadh mé i gContae Muigheo, agus tógadh mé i mBaile Átha Cliath go dtí go raibh mé naoi mbliana d’aois, agus i gCill Chainnigh tar éis sin.  D’fhreastail mé ar scoil náisiúnta Bhráithre de la Salle, agus ar Choláiste Chiaráin. Bhí m’athair ag obair sa scoil chéanna sin. Tar éis sin, d’fhreastail mé ar an Ollscoil i mBaile Átha Cliath ag déanamh staidéir ar Eolaíocht agus ar Innealtóireacht Leictreach.  Ansin, bhí mé ag obair i mBaile Átha Cliath ar feadh cúig bliana, agus ina dhiaidh sin chuaigh mé thar tír amach go Meiriceá. Bhí mé ag obair i gCalifornia ar feadh breis agus deich mbliana fichead, nuair a d’éirigh mé as an jab trí bliana ó shin. Anois, caithim an chuid is mó den Samhradh in Éirinn, i gCill Chainnigh, agus an cuid eile den bhliain i San Diego, i gCalifornia Theas.

Tá súil ag an mbeirt againn go leanfaidh sibh ar aghaidh linn má tá tú i do léitheoir cheana féin.  Má tá tú i do léitheoir nua, céad Fáilte romhat, agus tá súil againn gur bhain tú sult as an gcolún nua seo, agus go bhfanfaidh tú linn feasta.”

Gura fad buan sibh uilig!

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Na Bairéadaigh.

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Rúin agus Guíonna Athbhliana!

New Year's Resolutions and Wishes!

by | 2017/04/04 | Personal, Opinion

New Year's Resolutions and Wishes!

"Have you made your new year's resolutions yet?" said the gentle ‘Séimí an Droichid’ to myself, down in the snug of the "Smugairle Róin", on that fateful night, New Year's Eve, as he took a nice good sip of the hard stuff from the glass he had carefully placed, on a small table, in front of him.

I realized, right away, that he wanted to give me his opinions on that same subject, and since I had nothing better to do at the time, I tried to elicit those opinions from him.

"Divil a resolution or bit of a resolution I’ve made, Séimí, but listen, have you made any resolutions yet for this new year which is racing towards us right now?"

Prayers instead of Resolutions

“Well! I have to admit to you, that I myself have given up on those same new year's resolutions, for some years now, as I paid little attention to them after they were made, but you know, I have found a new custom with it to fill that gap for me.”

"And what is that, Séimí?"

"I call them New Year's prayers, as instead of putting the burden of those resolutions on myself, I pick out a few things, which I would to see accomplished, during the new year."

"Fantastic altogether, and what prayers have you picked for this year, 2024."

"I have already chosen a donkey's load of prayers, but I don't want to lay them all before you, right now, but I will give you a few now."

"Go on, or I'd love to hear some of them."

Peace on Earth

First of all, I would like to see an end, during this year, to killing, mugging, violence, rape of all kinds, abuse, disorder and brutality of all kinds, and that people would once again return to peace, charity, and neighborliness. If such a thing were to be done, what difference would it make in the life of the common man? Yes, and really, can't it be said, wouldn't that just be a return to the laws that are embedded in our very nature?”

"Well, that prayer is not small or insignificant, Séimí, and because of that, you probably don't have any more for this year?"

Remember those on the edge

"I will lay before you only one more prayer, and that is that special attention be paid to those who are on the edge. What I mean here is those people who came to this country in search of work, or asylum - that they should be given space and heard during this year, in such a way that we can accept the majority of them as members of our community, instead of looking at them as foreigners who have no right to come among us. They are human beings and they are neighbors that we have yet to really get to know. I would also like to include a few others here and they are the travelers, the majority of whom we have marginalized for many years, and those who sleep outside, on the side of our streets, or on the side of our roads.

I would say now that I have said enough, for this round, but rest assured that I will have more to say on this subject, during the year 2024!”

Food for Thought

After my lovely Séimi had said "God bless you" with the bottom of his glass, he put it back on that table, bade me farewell, and went out the door himself. I have to say that it left me with food for thought and I have to say that I hope that Séimí's prayers will come true during the year, even partially!

My own reflections

Séimí speaks out with neither fear nor timidity, and I respect him for that. My new year's resolution is to express my opinions more directly, especially in my writings. That's very important today, with all kinds of rumors going around on the internet and social media. We have seen and still see the negative impact of falsehood on our society, as it is used by extremists and hostile countries, whose aim is to destabilize our government. My prayer for this year is that we all do our best to get rid of falsehood this year, and also not to spread it. I will have more to say on this subject before long!

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Na Meáin Sóisialta mar uirlisí troda!

Social Media as tools of war!

by | 2017/04/04 | Current Affairs

Social Media as tools of war!

Nearly all of us were complacent and were convinced that the chances of the alt-right or the likes emerging here were slim. Then, after a horrific stabbing outside Coláiste Mhuire Gaelscoil in East Parnell Square in the center of the capital, that shameful riot happened. Right-wing extremists drove the posting of many provocative messages on social media – including on X (Twitter), Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. Some posts incorrectly referred to the attacker as an "illegal immigrant". It was reported on Facebook that it was a Romanian who stabbed the four in East Parnell Square. Some accounts were encouraging people to go to the city center and attack guards, immigrants and politicians. One voice note was widely shared on WhatsApp and Facebook encouraging people to kill any foreigner they encountered.

It is clear from what has happened that a small group of extremists is able to use social media as fighting tools to greatly influence the emotions of certain people. The alt-right had been spreading a lot of hateful messages, full of misogyny and harm, on social media for quite some time before the riot, and waves of them just before. It was clear that there would be trouble that night in the city, but no one in the security forces was monitoring those activities, or if they were, they didn't pay much attention to them. But, that riot was an eye-opener for the government, and there will be no excuse to ignore social media like that in the future. They are an early warning system that our government should use to keep us safe from harm.

Political influence is being exerted on us

The internet is a global technology, regardless of international borders. Therefore, people abroad can have all kinds of influences on us. In my opinion, political influence is the worst kind. It's not that the others aren't bad enough, because they are. For example, thieves can hack into computer systems and steal personal data, or organizations can restrict their access to their own sites and then blackmail them. But in comparison, look at what happened with the 2016 presidential election in the United States. It is now clear that the Russians were exerting political influence on that election. A company called 'Fancy Bear' carried out a phishing attack on the Democrats and especially on Hilary Clinton's team. 'Fancy Bear' had the support of the Russian government, and after they hacked into Clinton's email servers, the Russians had a powerful fighting tool. Third-party companies (Guccifer 2.0, WikiLeaks and DCLeaks) released more than 150,000 emails, which were stolen from a handful of Democratic representatives, including Hilary Clinton. As Hilary Clinton told an audience at a recent speech at Stanford University: "Even if Russian meddling had made only a small difference, that election would have been won by the smallest margin in the Electoral College." In my opinion, Trump did not win that election, let alone the 2020 election! And Trump's presidency has had disastrous consequences.

Another powerful fighting tool often used online is the widespread dissemination of inaccurate information on social media. Do you remember that decentralized political movement – QAnon, which is rooted in a baseless conspiracy theory that the world is controlled by the “Deep State,” a gang of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. Former President Donald Trump is the only person capable of defeating the forces of evil! Do you also remember that many who believed in that rumor were involved in the uprising at the Capitol in Washington DC, on January 6, 2021!

What does this have to do with me?

We cannot throw caution to the wind but we all need to be more vigilant, but especially our own government, regarding the use of social media as tools to fight against us. I mentioned just a few examples of what happens when social media is ignored. This is a global phenomenon, and no country is safe from this threat. I hope we have learned that now in Ireland.

The United States has warned the Irish Government that there is a high possibility that Russia will try to interfere with our upcoming elections. The warning says Russia is misusing social media, espionage and hybrid methods to interfere with and discredit elections in democratic countries. Ireland has come out strongly for Ukraine since 2022, so Ireland is definitely on Putin's "naughty list"! The government must address this issue immediately!

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Dírbheathaisnéis 6: An Ghaeltacht!

Autobiography 6: The Gaeltacht!

by | 2017/04/04 | Autobiography

Generative Artificial Intelligence

When I was still attending primary school, and I was only nine years old, I had the opportunity to go to the Gaeltacht for three months under a scheme that Gael Linn had at that time. I agreed, without thinking, and then a new adventure began for me. I had no fear – I think I had a love of adventure, which I never lost! This was the first time I left my family and my home. It is not surprising, then, that I remember that time well, even though it happened almost sixty years ago. Rosmuc I traveled to Rosmuc with another boy of the same age as me, a gentle, well-behaved boy. We took one train to Dublin, and the next day, another train to Galway. A Gael Linn representative was waiting for us in Dublin, and he guided us both to accommodation for the night. The next morning, after breakfast, we proceeded to Heuston Station with the representative. He helped us get our train, and we arrived in Galway around lunchtime. Another representative was there to help us get a bus to Rosmuc – our destination. A car was waiting for us in Rosmuc, and another representative was there to drive us to our homes. My house was in Kilbrickan, in Rosmuc. Kilbrickan The lady of the house Máire Bean Uí Ghriallais gave me a warm welcome, and my Gaeltacht adventure began immediately. Bean Uí Ghriallais first gave me a bowl of soup but unfortunately it was so hot that I burned my palate badly with it. It was very painful for a week or so! It was difficult to explain in Irish what happened to me!

After the long journey, I had to go to the toilet. Máire led me out of the house to the ‘donkey's house’ (toilet), but it was pitch black outside. Because of that, I hit my knee against a wall and I was injured again! Although I had a bad start, things got better after that - and I didn't injure myself again either.

This house was not like my house at home. The facilities were very basic. There was no electricity, or central heating or even a telephone. The small toilet was in a hut near the house. There was no bathroom at all. But those things are insignificant compared to the language. I didn't speak much Irish, and when Bean Uí Ghriallais first spoke to me, I didn't even understand a single word she was saying. After a while, my Irish improved, because I had no choice - only Irish was spoken in that area at that time. After a while, I got used to things and also to the way of life, and I was quite happy.

School and Friends

There was no school bus and I had to walk to and from school every day. The school was three miles away from home, and although it was difficult at first, that walk became easy after a while. Although it was difficult to understand the teacher and the students at first, after a month or so I had no problem, and I was as comfortable using Irish as I was with English. In fact, I don't remember much about my school days, because nothing significant happened there.

There were a few other families in the area with kids my age. Whenever I had a chance, I got permission from Bean Uí Ghriallais to go out and play with them. I also spent a lot of time in their homes. It was too quiet for me in my own house, with only Bean Uí Ghriallais herself there.

Music

There were musical instruments in the other houses, and I was fascinated by them. There was a music box (concertina or button accordion) in one house, and a tin whistle in another. The men of the house used to play music from time to time, especially when neighbors visited. I learned a lot of songs by watching and listening to them. It was traditional music, and I was like a sponge, absorbing the language and culture of the country - almost without knowing it!

Time to go home!!

I was so happy in the Gaeltacht that I almost forgot my own family! My period passed quickly, and it was difficult for me to return home. But I had no problem with Irish at school after that, and I had a lasting love for our language and our culture from then on, thanks to my father and Gael Linn.

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