Help with Irish

Shunra

Hello, I'm Shunra Hoshen (Google me), and I'm looking for someone to help me with Irish. If you can, please add me to your MSNM (mine's seto1@walla.co.il). Thank you.

Snickers Man

An Israeli wanting to learn Irish?

Not the strangest thing in the world, but close.

In his memoirs, the former president of Israel (and Irish native) Chaim Herzog recounted how he sought to rekindle his long-forgotten knowledge of Irish in advance of his state visit to the country of his birth in the 1980s.

Although he claimed to have "passed all his exams" in the subject while at school, he had lost all capability in the language but wanted to be able to open his speeches in Ireland with a cupla focal.

Finding somebody to help him proved difficult. Although Jerusalem was falling down with Irish nuns, none of them had enough proficiency in the language for his requirements. So in desperation he rang the head of UNIFIL in the Lebanon, who was an Irish officer, and asked him for help, which he duly received.

You could just imagine that phone call in Unifil headquarters.

"Sir. It's the president of Israel. He wants to ask you a special favour."
"****. What does he want? A raid on the Shi'ites? A sweep against the PLO? Tell him I'm not in."
"No sir. He says he wants to make an appeal to the our common identity as Irishmen."
"Ah Jaysus. I'm not giving either side here a dig out. More than my job's worth. Get his number and tell him I'll call him back. Then book me a week's R&R in Cyprus. Starting immediately."

Back on topic. I'd love to help but my knowledge is probably as rusty as Mr Herzog's was. is there still a UNIFIL force in Lebanon?

Irish isn't dead, you don't have to post in the history forum!

Link to Gaeilge forum

Edit: I just spotted you already posted there.

Snickers Man

Deleted User wrote:

Irish isn't dead, you don't have to post in the history forum!

Er, it's the History & Heritage forum.

No better place.