An Irish School for Gaeltacht Children

Stilla Mellis

The main problem with the idea of a Gaeltacht is that it presupposes a homogenous community of people living together in an area and all speaking traditional Irish involuntarily -- because they know no other language -- and are happy to speak only traditional Irish.

Almost those criteria are well and truly watered down in any Gaeltacht today: the "community" is comprised of long-time residents who know Irish and newcomers who have bought their way in and know no Irish. Worse still they may have bid up the price of houses using money earned abroad or in the city in order to outbid the young Gaeltacht families who would love to live in their local area but instead are forced out by rich English-speaking incomers and by the County Council who offer them social housing in the nearby English-speaking town. Planning and development is left to the avaricious speculators who have so soiled our town maps with their Westminster Lawns and Cedar Parks. While the current recession is a disaster for us all I must admit to some schadenfreude at the prospect of the authors of such foreign inappropriate estate names finding themselves being called upon to repay the huge amounts they borrowed from the banks. If they had been less avaricious and more caring of local culture they might have fared better.

There should be a handicap imposed on bidders from outside the Gaeltacht if a local family want to buy a property there. Even if there is €100,000 in the difference the local people should have first call. It shouldn't be possible for outsiders to force out the locals with their money and destroy the Irish-speaking community. At least when Máire Mhac an tSaoi's family built a house in Dún Caoin they wanted to learn the Irish and Máire's beautiful poetry will be read for generations to come. Their presence encouraged the community. The others just brush them aside on their way to the pier to sail their yachts.

conchubhar1

pog it wrote: »

How do you think you can stop someone from living in an area- even a Gaeltacht

it is a gaeltacht - speaking irish should be a neccessity, if not move a few miles north, south or east or west in some cases

not too much to ask

AlexderFranke

People unwilling to learn Irish could be stopped from settling in the Gaeltacht effectively if employers do not employ people without knowledge of Irish. Decided Irish speakers could even boycott shops and pubs where they are not serviced through Irish. And, as stated above, by not accepting English-only speakers in local clubs.
Is gá a léiriú chuig strainséirí go bhfuil siad freagrach do thoghchaí na Ghaeilge chomh maith. Ní gá aon thuiscint a thaispeáint do dhaoine atá diúltach in aghaidh na Gaeilge! Taobh eile de, tabhaireann go leor Gaeilgeoirí fáilte roimh chách, eachtrannaí san áireamh, lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht!

Beir bua, Alex

TnaGael

Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta have condemned the decision by the Minister for Education, Batt O’ Keeffe TD, to scrap the Education Centre for Irish planned for Baile Bhúirne, and the same fate seems planned now for COGG (Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta).

There’s absolutely no sense to the Minister’s decision. We’re 10 years and longer waiting for the Government and the Department of Education to providing an Education Centre for Irish but to date we’ve only received promises and excuses.

These proposals contravene the agreement with Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne to provide an all-Irish Education in the Gaeltacht by extinguishing the source that develops teaching resources and specialised training for Gaeltacht teachers. Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta ask the Minister not to implement this proposals.

conchubhar1

ff are pri**s - what do people expect (looks like that word isnt in the language block - edited it so i dont get banned)

Nanaki

Cad a tharla leis an cas sna cuirte?

[apologies, keyboard won't allow fadas]

Stilla Mellis

ding (a wedge)

Socraíodh go bhfaigheadh na Béarlóirí méid áirithe teagaisc trí Bhéarla go dtí go mbeadh siad in ann glacadh le teagasc trí Ghaeilge .i. go Lá Philib an Chleite.

Beidh an teagasc trí Ghaeilge ag brath ar dhíograis agus cumas na múinteoirí. Os rud é nach mbeidh an Stát sásta acraí teagaisc trí Ghaeilge a chur a chur ar fáil beidh sé deacair dóibhsean snámh in aghaidh easa. Ah, well! Sure they all have English.

byhookorbycrook

Táim díreach tar éis teacht abhaile ón Daingean , this ,like the issue of the name of the town has created deep wounds in the area and issues like this live long i gcuimhne na ndaoine.

conchubhar1

i would hope that it will last long in their minds

Stilla Mellis

These issues crop up occasionally on the edge of the Gaeltacht. Does anyone remember the Sraith Salach (Recess), Co na Gaillimhe case where an enthusiastic Irish speaker from outside the area was employed to teach in the local [amalgamated?] National School. Being in the Gaeltacht she proceeded to teach through Irish. Local people knew that their particular part of the Gaeltacht was only a sham and mounted a boycott of the teacher to get rid of her. They failed. She faced them down and turned up for class every day for a year or more until the school was closed. No pupils. No school. The teacher was promptly recruited to teach in a fíor-Ghaeltacht school in Cois Fharraige and continued her teaching career teaching through the medium of Irish.

Some of the Roman Catholic clergy did not distinguish themselves at that time in that parish. Their "chapel of ease" in Bun na gCnoc used have Mass in Irish. Then for the "ease" of the clergy it was switched to English and finally back to Irish again.

I attended one Sunday when a priest from some other parish had been brought in to say the Mass. He began in English and after a little while he realised he was facing a wall of silence. "Oh. You can respond in ... Irish (I'm not sure if he said Gaelic.)," he said, urging the congregation to participate in the Mass. They still remained silent. Then to everyone's surprise he began to say parts of the Mass in Irish in order to get a response. I don't remember how it ended but he would have done better to have made more of an effort to prepare the Mass in Irish and show some respect for the Gaeltacht community he was supposed to serve.

But then he was probably influenced by the English side of the parish represented by my landlady who said "Ara. Who speaks it anyway only a few auld batchelors up on that hill!" No respect there either. In a way she was right. No children. No future. No language. It's the Irish-speaking Mamies, beannacht Dé orthu, who will pass on the language, not the teachers, not the Department of Education. Labhair Gaeilge le do leanbh! Cois an chliabháin. Cois teallaigh. Ar an mbealach go dtí an siopa. In gach ao' bhall.

AlexderFranke

Ní aontaím leat in aon phointe, a Stilla Mellis. Ar ndóigh, ba cheart Gaeilge a labhairt leis na leanaí. Gan cheist. Is fiú é do cheantair neamh-Ghaeltachta freisin. Ach níl cailleadh na teanga agus na Gaeltachta atá i gceist mura bhfoghlaimíonn gach leanbh Gaeilge ó na tuismitheoirí má tá sí á foghlaim sa naíonra nó ar scoil go héifeachtach. Mura bhfuil an Ghaeilge caillte go hiomlán mar ghnáth-theanga an phobail, is féidir go mbainfidh na leanaí úsáid as a nGaeilge níos déanaí. Mar sin tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil sé mar aidhm ag an oideachas sna Gaeltachtaí dea-chumas Gaeilge a bheith ag gach scoláire tar éis roinnt blianta. Ach beidh canúint na háite caillte i rith an ama. Agus is gá go mbrúnn Gaeilgeoirí diongbháilte daoine eile Gaeilge a labhairt.
Dar liom, is socrú mícheart a dhearna an chúirt i mBaile Átha Cliath. Ba chóir do leanaí agus déagóirí gan a ndóthain Gaeilge go mbíonn an dualgas curtha orthu a fhreastal ar dhianchúrsaí Gaeilge. Agus ba chóir a gcumas Gaeilge a scrúdú roimh go bhfuil an cead tugtha do na scóláirí a fhreastal ar scoil. Ar an mbealach sin, beidh a dhóthain brú ar scoiláirí Gaeilge a fhoghaim.
Beir bua, Alex

Stilla Mellis

Tuigim, a Alex. Ach is dream sona sochma sinne Éireannaigh agus ní mian linn stró a chur ar éinne. Cinnte níor mhaith linn go gcuirfí brú orainn féin.

Más féidir an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh do pháistí ar an mbealach nádúrtha is amhlaidh ab fhearr liomsa é. Gnó na máthar is an athar é sin.

Sa sochaí dhá-theangach ní mór do thuismitheoirí díriú ar an teanga is laige i dtosach agus í sin a cheangal leis na rudaí deasa teolaí go léir i saol an linbh: cúram na máthar agus an teaghlaigh; spraoi; an lúcháir a ghabhann le héachtaí an linbh na constaicí fáis agus forbartha a shárú; caradas na ngaolta is na gcomharsan; grá agus sábháltacht srl. Bíodh an Ghaeilge ceangailte leosan go léir.

Luath go leor a bheidh an saol mór ag cúr stró agus brú agus buairt ar an leanbh. Ó thaobh síceolaíocht na dteangacha de ba dheas dá gceanglófaí na mothúcháin imníocha a ghinfidh siadsan leis an teanga nua uilechomhachtach domhanda seachas leis an nGaeilge, teanga an bhaile.

AlexderFranke

Anois déanaim imní go mbeidh droch-thionchar ar an nGaeilge ón ghéarchéim amach anseo i dtreo go dtiocfaidh go leor fíor-Ghaeilgeoirí ar imirce. Ansin smaoinfidh níos mó tuismitheoirí arís :"Cén mhaith atá ag baint leis an nGaeilge?" Is droch an scéal é go bhfuil an Éirinn anois idir na tîortha buailte is crua ag an ngéarchéim tar éis dul an-fheabhas ar an ngeilleagar Éireannach le déanaí. Is leor an dochar a tháinig ar an Éirinn agus ar an nGaeilge ó shin. Déarfaimid sinn "Scheiße" (=cac) as Gearmáinis dó!
Beannacht, Alex

Stilla Mellis

Tá an ceart agat. Sin a deir a lán tuismitheoirí, "Cén mhaith an Ghaeilge."

An ghéarchéim? Rinne an tAontas Eoraip, an Bhreatainn agus Meiriceá amadáin dinn. Thug siad a lán airgid dúinn chun ár mbonneagar a fheabhsú agus chun síocháin a thabhairt i réim sa Tuaisceart. Thógamar é agus thugamar eachtrannaigh isteach chun an obair a dhéanamh. Anois? Tá an t-airgead caite caillte agus na heachtrannaigh anseo fós. Íocfaimidne go daor as ar tharla. Táid ag gáiri fúinn. Tíogar Ceilteach mo thóin. Cuireadh dallamullóg orainn.

xxlazydogxx

i went to the gaeltacht in galway and surprizingly only half the workers in the shop could speak irish i thought it was an absoult disgrace!:mad:
i know another gaeltacht area in cork and during the summer months they will only emply people who can speak the lanugage it give does not make any sense and is bugging me ever since

Stilla Mellis

The workers in the shop who couldn't speak Irish probably couldn't speak English either. We're a great little country.

I think it is a great idea to actually employ people who can speak Irish. That would attract other Irish speakers in to the area. As it is there is no point if you go to visit the Gaeltacht and when you speak Irish you are met only with sullen incomprehension.

Wake up Gaeltacht.

Dúisígí, a chairde, agus tuigigí go mbíonn fonn ar fhoghlaimeoirí an teanga a chloisteáil. Má dhiúltaíonn tú an méid sin dóibh ní thiocfaidh siad ar ais agus tá dochar déanta agat d'eacnamaíocht na háite.

Dá dhonacht an leabhar PEIG chuir na glúnta foghlaimeoirí eolas ar "An Daingean" agus an "Holy Stone" gan trácht ar "Bhóthar an Chlasaigh siar" agus "an tOileán."

If An Daingean goes English and forgets its heritage of Irish see how many tourists bother to travel west. It will become as lively as Belmullet or Gaoth Sáile. Peig established Dingle and every schoolchild for fifty years learnt the geography, folklore, and language of that area.

Of course money talks and if there are visitors there will be people willing to attend to them and relieve them of their euros. Money earned in London or Manchester would go a long way in Dingle and might even allow the investor to open a guest house. If that investor employs Irish-speakers well and good but allowing the Béarlóirí to take over completely will kill the Golden Goose.

Má tá cónaí ort sa Ghaeltacht labhair Gaeilge le gach strainséir i dtosach go bhfeice tú cén teanga a labhróidh sé/sí leat. Ná bíodh de dhualgas ar an strainséir Gaeilge a mhúineadh don áitritheoir Gaeltachta. Is leor go mbeidis ag íoc as a gcuid cánach chun slí bheatha a choinneáil sna ceantair sin. Ba deas dá bhfaighidis toradh muna mbeadh ann ach an cúpla focal a chloisteáil dá dtabharfaidis cuairt ar an áit.

AlexderFranke

Measaim go bhfuil faitíos ar neart mhuintir na Gaeltachta Gaeilge a labhairt le strainséirí. Deireadh liom san Éirinn go bhfuil seanamanna fós faoi láthair go háirithe i measc muintire na Gaeltachta nuair a tháinig laghdú ar íomhá na Gaeilge mar thoradh as sin ar tharla san 18ú agus 19ú aois. Mar sin is fearr le cuid mhaith acu a chaint as Gaeilge nuair a thugtar faoi déara go bhfuil Gaeilge ar an strainséir. Sin ceist na féin-mhuiníne. I gceantair ina bhfuil go leor féin-mhuiníne ar chainteoirí na miontheanga, labhairtear as an teanga i gcónaí toisc go bhfuiltear ag súil le gach dhuine ar dtús go bhfuil an teanga aige. Déanaim iontas nár éirigh le Conradh na Gaeilge na sean-smaointí sin a scaipeadh go hiomlán chomh maith idir mhuintir na Gaeltachta. D´éirigh leo íomhá na Gaeilge a árdu sna caithreacha.
Mar a dúirt Stilla Mellis is seans mór do cheantair Ghaeltachta agus chaithreacha ag dícheall na nGaeltachtaí (An Ghaillimh, Trá Lí, Leitir Cheanainn...) atá sa Ghaeilge agus sa thurasóireacht chultúrtha!
Ba chóir dóibh a bheith ag súil le gach dhuine atá ina chónaí laistigh na Gaeltachta Gaeilge a bheith aige. Pointe.
An bhfuil, taobh eile de, páistí de dhaoine eachtrainnaigh ann sna Gaeltachta a bhfuil Gaeilge agus an teanga a dtúismitheoirí níos fearr acu ná an Béarla?

Slán go fóill, Alex

pog it

AlexderFranke wrote: »

Measaim go bhfuil faitíos ar neart mhuintir na Gaeltachta Gaeilge a labhairt le strainséirí. Deireadh liom san Éirinn go bhfuil seanamanna fós faoi láthair go háirithe i measc muintire na Gaeltachta nuair a tháinig laghdú ar íomhá na Gaeilge mar thoradh as sin ar tharla san 18ú agus 19ú aois. Mar sin is fearr le cuid mhaith acu a chaint as Gaeilge nuair a thugtar faoi déara go bhfuil Gaeilge ar an strainséir. Sin ceist na féin-mhuiníne. I gceantair ina bhfuil go leor féin-mhuiníne ar chainteoirí na miontheanga, labhairtear as an teanga i gcónaí toisc go bhfuiltear ag súil le gach dhuine ar dtús go bhfuil an teanga aige. Déanaim iontas nár éirigh le Conradh na Gaeilge na sean-smaointí sin a scaipeadh go hiomlán chomh maith idir mhuintir na Gaeltachta. D´éirigh leo íomhá na Gaeilge a árdu sna caithreacha.
Mar a dúirt Stilla Mellis is seans mór do cheantair Ghaeltachta agus chaithreacha ag dícheall na nGaeltachtaí (An Ghaillimh, Trá Lí, Leitir Cheanainn...) atá sa Ghaeilge agus sa thurasóireacht chultúrtha!
Ba chóir dóibh a bheith ag súil le gach dhuine atá ina chónaí laistigh na Gaeltachta Gaeilge a bheith aige. Pointe.
An bhfuil, taobh eile de, páistí de dhaoine eachtrainnaigh ann sna Gaeltachta a bhfuil Gaeilge agus an teanga a dtúismitheoirí níos fearr acu ná an Béarla?

Slán go fóill, Alex

Maidir leis do phointe deiridh seans go bhfuil ach i mo thuairim féin beidh go leor Béarla acu freisin mar tá an Béarla le feiceáil agus le cloisteáil i chuile áit so is dócha go bhfuil an méid céanna idir Ghaeilge agus Bhéarla acub.
Go deimhin is deas go bhfuil siad ag cuir suim sa Ghaeilge agus seans maith go bhfuil Gaeilge na bpáistí siúd níos fearr ná an méid Gaeilge atá ag an gnách-Éireannach -ach ar an drochuair ní bheidh todhchaí ann don Ghaeilge mar teanga laethúil mura bhfuil suim ag an Éireannach ar fud na tíre.

Education for all

Well now that Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne has posted its worst ever Leaving Cert results I guess you are all happy that kids are devastated.One solitary student achieved an A in Honours Irish.Many childrens dreams have been dashed because of the all-Irish education in Senior Cycle.The Principal was always to the fore when results were good but he seems to be in hiding this year.Shame on him ,the Board of Management,Kerry VEC,Christian Brothers and Presentation Sisters Representatives and our politicians and Civil Servants.

Stilla Mellis

Why rush to judgement? "I guess you" were one of the parents who fomented such opposition to the teaching medium in the school that teachers and pupils were put under extraordinary distress by having to go to court to secure the right to use the language of the Gaeltacht as a medium of instruction in the school. Who created the problem?

How can you talk of "the worst results ever"? Ever? This is a newly created school. Unlike the situation which existed previously where the "brothers" took the best of the academically gifted boys and the "nuns" took the pick of the girls leaving the less-academic (but wonderfully enthusiastic at practical subjects) to the VEC, this is a community school where all are welcome whatever their ability or their status.

How do you know what results were obtained by individual students? What are your criteria for success? The number of As, Bs, Cs, Ds, Es at higher level in various subjects? How many at Ordinary Level? At Foundation Level?

"Kids" are devasted. Obviously you know of one at least. What of the others? How many are "devasted"? How many were happy with their results? How many achieved higher grades than anticipated. How many moderately slow learners spent happy years in Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne with no intention of ever taking part in your "Leaving Cert Points Race". Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne is not a grindschool. Many so-called "successful" schools in the wealthy suburbs of our cities have their everyday teaching supplemented by expensive grinds. Yet they allude to "our results". Whose results?

Why blame your results -- or your child's results -- on " the all-Irish education in Senior Cycle". Did your child not receive extra tuition paid for by the tax-payer as a result of the court case? Would you be willing to allow the teachers to publish their side of story showing the amount of effort put in by your devasted child? Would you be willing to publish the earlier results from mock exams, year-end tests, Junior Cert, etc. How academically able is this "kid"? How often did the child attend school? There are many variables.

It is a fact of the human condition that people speak different languages. They cannot speak two simultaneously. One has to yield. There is generally an administrative border between the areas where each of two languages may be used. French / German; Russian / Latvian; Polish / Hungarian etc. You live -- or have chosen to live -- where Irish is the administrative language. It is obviously not your language. Why?

Don't attempt to blacken the reputation of an excellent school and a brave scholarly Principal because you disagree with the school being in the Gaeltacht. I say shame on you.

Economically, socially and culturally the Gaeltacht is very important for most of the people in the area and valued throughout the country. You may even benefit yourself. There are "world heritage sites" based on less.

I, for one, am proud of the stand made by the Principal and the school authorities and I congratulate them on having come through the most atrocious provocation suffered by any school in recent history.

Fuinseog

apparently English was the language spoken in Cill Ronan on Inis Mor in the seventies. the shopkeepers refused to parley as Gaeilge even with islanders. things changed when they started getting grants.

Fuinseog

If An Daingean goes English and forgets its heritage of Irish see how many tourists bother to travel west. It will become as lively as Belmullet or Gaoth Sáile. Peig established Dingle and every schoolchild for fifty years learnt the geography, folklore, and language of that area.

Of course money talks and if there are visitors there will be people willing to attend to them and relieve them of their euros. Money earned in London or Manchester would go a long way in Dingle and might even allow the investor to open a guest house. If that investor employs Irish-speakers well and good but allowing the Béarlóirí to take over completely will kill the Golden Goose.

nobody cares about Irish in An Daingean (they smeared dirt over the Gaeilge roadsigns for years. they care about making a living and tourists are content to see Irish signs and intellectual pharses such as pog mo thoin.

I have been down there about thirty times in the last two years and not once did I ever hear Gaeilge been spoken. a lot of teenagers there just give you a blank look if you speak it.
it markets itself on a lot of other things other than Gaelic.

Má tá cónaí ort sa Ghaeltacht labhair Gaeilge le gach strainséir i dtosach go bhfeice tú cén teanga a labhróidh sé/sí leat. Ná bíodh de dhualgas ar an strainséir Gaeilge a mhúineadh don áitritheoir Gaeltachta. Is leor go mbeidis ag íoc as a gcuid cánach chun slí bheatha a choinneáil sna ceantair sin. Ba deas dá bhfaighidis toradh muna mbeadh ann ach an cúpla focal a chloisteáil dá dtabharfaidis cuairt ar an áit.[/QUOTE]

Fuinseog

AlexderFranke wrote: »

People unwilling to learn Irish could be stopped from settling in the Gaeltacht effectively if employers do not employ people without knowledge of Irish. Decided Irish speakers could even boycott shops and pubs where they are not serviced through Irish. And, as stated above, by not accepting English-only speakers in local clubs.
Is gá a léiriú chuig strainséirí go bhfuil siad freagrach do thoghchaí na Ghaeilge chomh maith. Ní gá aon thuiscint a thaispeáint do dhaoine atá diúltach in aghaidh na Gaeilge! Taobh eile de, tabhaireann go leor Gaeilgeoirí fáilte roimh chách, eachtrannaí san áireamh, lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht!

Beir bua, Alex

kann man das machen?
people unwilling to speak German in Geramny should be stopped from settling in germany, whether they come from Ireland or Turkey. an bhfuil a leitheid so dheanta i ndairire?

Education for all

Well I guess there is no point in arguing with people that are so narrow minded .Its not everybody that has a cosy number with the county council Stilla.Both of the previous schools also never had as bad results as the current results in the Pobalscoil and I know.Because there are no jobs in the Gaeltachts our people are leaving in their droves anyway.Why hinder them with an all irish education that will be of no use anyway.They should be emphasis on the spoken Irish only.You ask people from Gaeltachts that went to America and England in the sixties and they will tell you sharpy how beneficial the language was to them.
Sure you will point out to Tg4,Radio na Gaeltachta and the handful of jobs in Brussels translating documents that nobody ever reads.Hardly something that most students can aspire to.Of course there is also your job Stilla.The country is in a bad place at the moment wait until things get worse and all the funding is finally pulled from the multitude of "voluntary " Irish language organisations.We will see then how long people will stay on the flavour of the month Irish language hobby horse.

Krusader

Cé hé an pleota seo?

Fuinseog

Education for all wrote: »

Well I guess there is no point in arguing with people that are so narrow minded .Its not everybody that has a cosy number with the county council Stilla.Both of the previous schools also never had as bad results as the current results in the Pobalscoil and I know.Because there are no jobs in the Gaeltachts our people are leaving in their droves anyway.Why hinder them with an all irish education that will be of no use anyway.They should be emphasis on the spoken Irish only.You ask people from Gaeltachts that went to America and England in the sixties and they will tell you sharpy how beneficial the language was to them.
Sure you will point out to Tg4,Radio na Gaeltachta and the handful of jobs in Brussels translating documents that nobody ever reads.Hardly something that most students can aspire to.Of course there is also your job Stilla.The country is in a bad place at the moment wait until things get worse and all the funding is finally pulled from the multitude of "voluntary " Irish language organisations.We will see then how long people will stay on the flavour of the month Irish language hobby horse.

you appear to be more narrow minded that anyone else here.

BTW zou believe the emphasis should be on spoken Irish only aka dumbing down the syllabus. You choose to ignore that Gaelic has one of the oldest wriiten literatures in Europe.

Fuinseog

xxlazydogxx wrote: »

i went to the gaeltacht in galway and surprizingly only half the workers in the shop could speak irish i thought it was an absoult disgrace!:mad:
i know another gaeltacht area in cork and during the summer months they will only emply people who can speak the lanugage it give does not make any sense and is bugging me ever since

a dhaoine uaisle,

on the reservation, sorry Gaeltachtai folks do not always behave as we expect them to. they do not wear Aran sweaters or listen to fiddle music all day either. ver y disappointing
a lot of people I know only ever speak Irish when visiting such reservations and even then its sound patronising.


Tá fearg ort cinnte ach tuige nach scríobhann tú chugainn i nGaeilge?

Rebelheart

conchubhar1 wrote: »

what do we expect aslong as fianna fáil are in power - and fine gael would be worse imo

it is a damn shame - we dont even have a newspaper anymore

Fine Gael, with Fergus O Dowd as its education spokesperson, should be a very, very different politician in terms of the gaeltacht than that first class Brutonite arsehole Brian Hayes.

O Dowd is one of the Ó Dubhda family of Ard na Caithne (He's a brother of Níall O Dowd, the Irish-American guy.). I learnt my Irish with a cousin of his. Decent people of the fíor-ghaeltachta. No tourist bollocks, just a deep love for their native language such as listening to Mícheál Ó Sé on www.rnag.ie for the simple reason that he, a neighbour, uses so many of the words used by my friend's mother which she rarely hears any more.

deise go deo

what do we expect aslong as fianna fáil are in power - and fine gael would be worse imo

it is a damn shame - we dont even have a newspaper anymore

That post is a year old, Just to clarify, there are Two Irish language newspapers now. Foinse and Gaelsceal.:)