Gaeltachts

catrice wrote: »

colaiste acla is not well known but is one of the best irish colleges going.
staff are nice and ya get to do loads of sports. very friendly atmosphere.:D

The problem is you don't speak any Irish there whatsoever.

It's Gaeltachtaí, not Gaeltachts. :rolleyes:

[/pedantry]

Hey all,
www.spleodar.com,
that site will sort everything out for you!!!
I've gone to three independent courses and they were grand,fun and we learned abit of irish.
But spleodar coures are unreal fun and you will learn loads of irish!!
I'l admit they are strict on irish but to be fair,thats what is needed.
After 2 days you will be speaking irish without even noticing,that's incredible. The classes aswell are really good,even now i use the notes i took in my normal irish class.
I've gone to 4 and they really are unreal good,
Any questions and just PM me,
-John

Bain triail as na coláistí seo i mbliana. Tá muintir na háite go hálainn agus cloisfidh tú Gaeilge rí-dheas. (rí-dheas? an-deas! an-bhlasta!)

If your son enjoys watersports you should consider Coláiste UISCE, Cuan Oilí, Béal an Mhuirtheada, Béal an Átha, Co Mhaigh Eo.

Alternatively try Coláiste Riocard Bairéad, c/o Gael-Linn, ??? , Baile Átha Cliath.

Going to the Gaeltacht requires a bit of preparation if a student is to learn any Irish at all. All this talk of "going for the craic" and "having a ball" is OK but it would be nice to learn some Irish as well. To do that the student needs to know there is someone waiting at home to see what he has learnt and be willing to learn from him. ;)Why not prepare a list of 20, or 30, or 40 phrases in English for which he does not know the Irish and get him to ask Bean an Tí for their local versions. If he collects even 10 such sentences off his own bat during the three weeks he will never forget them and he will want to go back again and again.

Then the Céilí in Eachléim hall has to be the high point of the day - every evening? :DWow!

By the way, don't let the locals speak English to you. :(They will find it easier to make themselves understood in English since you don't know much Irish yet but if they try a bit harder, speak a bit slower, and make the effort to help you they will get more students next year and you will learn more Irish.

Another thing, don't you go around speaking English to all the other students. :mad:They don't want that. They don't expect it. They want to learn Irish. If you are all speaking English among yourselves without a phrase or a sentence in Irish you have failed to take full value from the opportunity presented to you.

I wish I were young again. Ba bhreá liom a bheith [what's the missing word?] arís.

The meaning of the word "Gaeltacht" is "a place where Irish is spoken" -- there used to be "the fíor-Ghaeltacht" where people knew no other language but Irish, then there was "the breac-Ghaeltacht" where some villages were like that, speaking Irish only, and others had "gone all Anglo" and spoke only English. Now there are just "Gaeltacht" and "iar-Ghaeltacht" i.e. once a Gaeltacht long ago but not any more since the houses were all bought be eachtrannaigh who couldn't be bothered to learn the language and the locals, being polite, had to avoid giving the impression that they were talking about these in-comers nor would they embarrass them by asking for Mass in Irish or anything that might upset the new neighbours.

Some Gaeltacht areas are like a building in the dark. You hear nothing but English until someone finds the switch, the electric light comes on and now all is bright. You speak a few words of Irish, enough to let people know you are fluent and want to speak it and Hey! Presto! everyone starts speaking Irish to you and now it is like a cathedral illuminated with son et lumiere. It is all around you. You hear Irish everywhere. Don't be surprised. You're in the Gaeltacht. If you speak only English in the Gaeltacht you'll hear nothing else. You'll come home saying "There's no Irish there." You're wrong.

By the way, the younger you go to the Gaeltacht the better. First Year and Fifth Year are ideal. Second, Third and Sixth Years are good too. Best of all go when you are finished with formal education and exams are no more then you can really enjoy improving your Irish. Go during the winter. Get to know the old people. Invite them up to your home. Record them. Reward them. Be amazed at the richness and colour of their speech and imagery, the extent of their vocabulary, the electrifying sounds of their pronunciation. The closer you get in friendship the better your own command of Irish will be. Give it time. A life-time should be just about right.

bowie12 wrote: »

anyone gone to Colaiste O'Doireann on Aran Islands

Yes, about 14 years ago. The Fear an tí let us stay up 'til 4am to watch the Tyson - Holyfield fight on his (clearly not quite legit satellite receiving) telly. I can just remember my cinnere saying to the múinteoir picking us up the next day "D'ith sé a chluas".*

The school is tiny (I cycled through it about 2 months ago), but it's a great laugh and when it's sunny Inishmór's charms really come out... in winter it's a barren desolate place.

To be honest it's not that different from other gaeltachts around the galway area. A little more encapsulated, smaller (than Coláiste Lurgan for example) and not so strict perhaps. Though the strictness may have changed since I went.


*You probably don't remember but Tyson bit half of Holyfield's ear off in that fight.

You can't go wrong with any Coláiste na Bhfiann course. They may be verging on the IRA with their flag salutes and insistance on singing the national anthem 3 times a day, but it's definitely the place where you'll learn the most Irish. Beware of "rang aiffrean" though. :mad:
Other than that, it's fun enough, although it does get repetitive. Still, if you want to improve your Irish, go there.