le Peadar agus Mick Barrett

.

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!

ó

Na Bairéadaigh.

.

More than twelve years ago we first listed our home on the Intervac-homeexchange.com site. My wife's sister had been using that service for a long time, and she highly recommended it. It is a home exchange service and is used by people all over the world. Once, my wife Sinéad and I went to France on our holidays with her sister Máire and her children on a house exchange. We had a great house in the middle of the country with lots of space inside and out. Having a house was much better than a hotel because we could cook our meals, wash our clothes and settle in as if we were at home.

After our positive experience we signed up with Intervac shortly thereafter. It only took a little while until we received a message from people who were looking for a house in Ireland in exchange for their apartment on the island of Hawaii. We couldn't believe it and needless to say we didn't hesitate to take that great opportunity.

Carrickshock

The man's surname is Doody and he traced his family roots back to County Waterford. So he was looking for a house in the area. Carrickshock would be suitable for him to do his research. We made the deal and shared information about our homes together. We were not in Carrickshock ourselves when Louie and his wife went over and spent three weeks there. They had a great time and Louie was able to learn a lot about his Irish ancestors.

Hawaii

Later in the year we went to the big island of Hawaii for our vacation. Louie and Dolly were waiting for us in the apartment and made us feel very welcome. Each of them had a 'lei' for us as is customary in Hawaii. It is a flower wreath given to visitors to Hawaii as a welcome.

Louie and Dolly are gentle, kind people, with interesting backgrounds. Dolly is from Cleveland, Ohio and Louie is from Boston, Massachusetts. They met as students in the sixties at the University of Hawaii. Both received a scholarship that was available at the time from the American government to study the Far East. Dolly was studying Japanese culture and Louie was studying Chinese culture. A friendship grew between them because they had a lot in common, but after graduating with a master's degree, they went their separate ways. They both had great careers. After obtaining her doctorate, Dolly got a job for the State in the culture and arts center in Honolulu (on the island of Oahu), and after a long time she moved to Hilo (on the island of Hawaii) with a new job as director of the Lyman museum from 2001 until 2013. Dolly was (and still is) a very active member of the Hawaii Democratic Party for a long time. Louie was a middle school history and French teacher, a position he held for 30 years. When he retired, he and another teacher started writing books about Native Americans and especially about the Cahuilla tribe. The book focuses on the terrible experience of the Cahuilla people under the Spanish, Mexican and American authorities in the 19th century, when the number of Cahuillas decreased, most of whom were expelled from their homeland. That book received an award from the American historical association in recognition of the work done by the authors to preserve and interpret local history. When Louie's wife – who had severe rheumatoid arthritis – died some time after they retired, Louie had to make a new start.

New start

Louie contacted Dolly and before long moved to Hilo, Hawaii. After dating for a while, they got married, and have been together for about twenty years now. Louie began writing a historical fiction novel under a pseudonym, and published a few books. Dolly edited them. They loved to travel and when they were younger, they spent a lot of time traveling to Asia. Dolly spent time in Japan, and she speaks Japanese. Louie has spent time in China and Taiwan, and speaks Mandarin as well as French and Russian. It is not surprising, then, that they decided to travel together to Asia and the European Union. Dolly already had an apartment in Hawaii, and Dolly and Louie bought a house in Hilo when they got married. When they came across the Intervac-homeexchange.com site, they were instantly convinced that they could use the apartment to do a home exchange. And that's how we met them in the first place. We were in Hawaii for a week then, in 2012, and we went back in 2018 for another week.

Back on the Big Island!

We recently wanted to go to the big island again. We have been in contact with Dolly and Louie by email from time to time, and I sent them an email on the off chance that we can rent the apartment for two weeks. I got a reply from them saying that the apartment was not being rented, but that they had another idea and it might be easier to talk together on the phone. We phoned them and they said they wanted to make another visit to Ireland next year, although they weren't sure about it yet. Anyway, we swapped houses together with the understanding that they would be able to use our house next year. We had no problem with that arrangement. We spent a good time with Dolly and Louie, telling stories and relaxing together.

I would highly recommend Intervac or a similar service, and who knows but you might just make new friends too, like we did!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.