Gaelchultúr

I was scarcely back in America after spending a wonderful summer in Ireland before looking for a new opportunity to practice and improve my Irish. I intended to find a new class online, (one) which I hadn't already done. While browsing, I came across an interesting site that looked good. It is Gaelchultúr.com, and after reading a passage about Gaelchultúr, my interest was piqued. Here's a taste of what it was like.

"Coláiste na hÉireann/Gaelchultúr, established in 2004, is the largest provider of Irish language courses in the world and the first third-level institution entirely in Irish. Gaelchultúr is based in Dublin and serves language learners all over the world.

Gaelchultúr offers Irish language courses and learning resources of the highest quality, aimed at adults around the world who are interested in the language. Our goal is to offer excellent services to learners and fluent speakers to encourage them to improve and enrich their Irish. Gaelchultúr runs Irish language courses around the world, with talented teachers."

By God, I said to myself, they promised us the sun, moon and stars. But would they be as good as their word? That's the question! There was only one way to find the truth, and that was to try it. When I first started attending online courses, it wasn't too difficult for me to find a class that suited me, in terms of standards. But over time, as I did class after class, it became more and more difficult to find a suitable class. Although there was a large selection of classes at primary and intermediate level, there was a lack of classes at advanced level. There were two classes at the advanced level at Gaelchultúr, and I thought that was a good sign. So, I signed up for the class at upper level 2 with excitement. There were ten classes – each class two hours long.

The Class

The day of the first class finally arrived and eight of us started attending the class using the Zoom app. We had a teacher called Maitiú Ó'Coimín. He lives in Inveran in County Galway. He is a very capable man – Maitiú is an actor, journalist, writer, presenter, editor, adventurer and teacher and, of course, a great native Irish speaker!

He had an informal style and in that way maintained a relaxed atmosphere in the class, something I think is very important. We were all comfortable together, so we were able to speak easily and freely in Irish. We are all Irish by birth, from all over – six living in Ireland, one man living in Germany, and myself in America. Everyone was fluent in Irish, and all types of dialect to be heard from us. We got to know each other in the first class and I have to say that I really liked everyone in the class, including Maitiú.

The teaching material for all the course was made available to us in advance, and that was very useful in terms of preparation and study. Although the classes had the same structure, each class had a different content. There was also a nice balance, with an emphasis on spoken Irish, as is right in a class like this. Every week, we had a different topic. For example, here are a few weekly topics we had: Art and the Arts, educational matters, politics and Irish history. At the beginning of the class, after we went through the answers to our homework, we used to have vocabulary to learn, focused on the topic of the week.

Maitiú used rooms in Zoom effectively, to break us up into small groups of two or three. We were able to practice our spoken Irish well that way, and everyone had a chance to talk. Matiú came in and out of the rooms, listening and giving us advice and help. We used to have an agenda, and questions about the topic of the week to discuss. After each session in the rooms, we would gather back in the great room and share summaries and comments together. We had at least three sessions in the small rooms every week. At the end of each class, when we all gathered together again, there was a bit of grammar to learn, and then we would get homework for the next class.

Conclusion

I would recommend this class without hesitation to anyone who is reasonably fluent in Irish, and who is keen to develop and expand it. If you get Maitiú as a teacher, that would be an added advantage!

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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 nGleann Cholm Cille 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

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:

Glencolmcille

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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