AS GAEILGE

Caveman1

After watching the All Ireland Hurling final today the Kilkenny captain gave his speech as gaelige and also in english, this got me thinking, how many Irish people can actually fluently speak in Irish ??

If a mod wants to add a poll I would appreciate it as im not sure how to do it

Insect Overlord

An chéad duine anseo! :pac:

First.

Captain_Generic

Seven

gets popcorn

py2006

I'm Irish, so I don't speak Irish!

The King of Moo

I've a fairly high level of school Irish. Not fluent but advanced.

I've never had any nationalistic or patriotic reasons for being able to speak it, I was just good at it in school.

I don't speak it much at all in my everyday life, but I'm glad I have it, just for the sake of being able to speak a language.

Liam Byrne

Caveman1 wrote: »

If a mod wants to add a pole I would appreciate it as im not sure how to do it

Don't know if the Polish can speak Irish ?

But obviously the number of people who are fluent in English is a little lower than the census would suggest.

KittyeeTrix

Substitute poll for pole OP or you are gonna get hit by the grammar nazis pretty fast:D

edit: too late......

mattjack

Caveman1 wrote: »

After watching the All Ireland Hurling final today the Kilkenny captain gave his speech as gaelige and also in english, this got me thinking, how many Irish people can actually fluently speak in Irish ??

If a mod wants to add a pole I would appreciate it as im not sure how to do it

what type of pole ?

jive

GO WAY WITH THAT PHUCKING IRISH IT'S NO USE FOR ANYONE IN THE REAL WORLD

followed by

LOTS OF COUNTRIES SPEAK THEIR OWN LANGUAGE WITHOUT OTHER COUNTRIES SPEAKING IT TOO, JUST LOOK AT SCANDINAVIA

to answer your question OP, not many outside the ghaeltacht. Add up populations of the ghaeltacht areas + a couple of thousand = your answer

KittyeeTrix

Considering how long I studied the language at school I would have very limited capacity in actually speaking it:(

Caveman1

fluffyorganic1 wrote: »

Substitute poll for pole OP or you are gonna get hit by the grammar nazis pretty fast:D

edit: too late......

Fixed;)

John Doe1

not irish but apparently because im from eat donegal i can speak fluent ulster scots...now thats a useless langauge

Eve_Dublin

I was very good at Irish at school but left over 10 years ago now. I would've been encouarged by my parents to put an effort into it and it seemed important to me at the time so I did. Plus on a purely cultural basis, I think it's a beautiful langauge and I'd love to relearn it someday. I'm in no major rush though...

Saaron

I speak fluent Irish. Corca Dhuibhne Irish to be precise

Novella

Every year that speech is given in Irish by the captain of the team. I doubt he can actually speak Irish fluently and more than likely, had that written down word for word or learned it off by heart.

I can't speak Irish fluently myself. I can speak it well enough to hold a basic conversation, at very best.

im invisible

tá an-áthas orm, an corn seo a ghlacadh

pickarooney

"As gaelige"?

Cá bhfuil na Gardaí na gramadach?

nicechick!

Tá Gaelige agam ba ceart to mbeach poll agat!

laoch na mona

mise agus a lan duine i mo cheantar ach nil siad anseo ar boards

Scealta_saol

I've fluent Irish. Went to all-Irish schools and then did a degree in Irish. There's even a forum on boards that caters to the Irish speakers:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=904

They say there are about 1 million fluent speakers in Ireland but very few of them use it on a day to day basis.

Personally, I don't like how everyone is taught it for about 14 years in school and most people just don't have a better grasp of it. I know Polish people who learn English for 6 years in school and are excellent English speakers...

Pherekydes

pickarooney wrote: »

"As gaelige"?

Cá bhfuil na Gardaí na gramadach?

Na Gardaí litriú?

fedor.2.

Scealta_saol wrote: »

I've fluent Irish. Went to all-Irish schools and then did a degree in Irish. There's even a forum on boards that caters to the Irish speakers:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=904

They say there are about 1 million fluent speakers in Ireland but very few of them use it on a day to day basis.

Personally, I don't like how everyone is taught it for about 14 years in school and most people just don't have a better grasp of it. I know Polish people who learn English for 6 years in school and are excellent English speakers...

Id love if that were true, but i doubt there's that many

ShamoBuc

Pherekydes wrote: »

Na Gardaí litriú?

Spelling or grammar - both are out there.

There's not a million fluent irish speakers out there - cinnte - more is the pity, but I do believe Gaeilge is on the rise, long may it continue.

laoch na mona

fedor.2. wrote: »

Id love if that were true, but i doubt there's that many

a million speakers easy maybe not all fluent but confident speakers yes:p

nicechick!

Scealta_saol wrote: »

I've fluent Irish. Went to all-Irish schools and then did a degree in Irish. There's even a forum on boards that caters to the Irish speakers:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=904

They say there are about 1 million fluent speakers in Ireland but very few of them use it on a day to day basis.

Personally, I don't like how everyone is taught it for about 14 years in school and most people just don't have a better grasp of it. I know Polish people who learn English for 6 years in school and are excellent English speakers...

Neither do I!

I was so saddened to hear while speaking to a colleague who originally comes from South Africa mentions by his own children's lack of passion/interest in learning Irish. He felt culture/society drives the negative attitude his children display towards Irish it frustrated him that his children would mimic other children saying ''its to hard'' etc and also felt the teaching or lack of in there primary education didn't help. He as a parent has taken lessons so that he could encourage his children to speak and learn Irish and pointed out that the negative attitude from talking to other parents was also shocking - SAD and embarrassing

raxor

Scealta_saol wrote: »

They say there are about 1 million fluent speakers in Ireland but very few of them use it on a day to day basis.

A million people fluent?!

Ha, ha ha h.....sorry "há, há há há há"!

k4kate

In 2005 Cork won the All-Ireland Hurling Final. Seán Óg Ó hAilpín was captain. He gave his speech completely through Irish and he did not set foot in this country till he was 10 years old.

You ashamed of yourselves?????

ShamoBuc

k4kate wrote: »

In 2005 Cork won the All-Ireland Hurling Final. Seán Óg Ó hAilpín was captain. He gave his speech completely through Irish and he did not set foot in this country till he was 10 years old.

You ashamed of yourselves?????

NO!

Proud of Seán Óg though;)

Sound Bite

I got an A1 in honours Irish in the Leaving. I can understand spoken Irish and read written Irish perfectly but I cannot hold a conversation at all! Says alot about the way it is taught in schools. Apart from the basics, I'm just to slow speaking it to hold a proper conversation. Shame really cos it's a lovely language.

retalivity

im fluent but unfortunately im not in ireland.
ach labharann mise gaeilge dun na ngall, so níl a fhios ag duine ar bith eile amach as an cheantar caidé a bhfuil me ag ráit.....

k4kate

ShamoBuc wrote: »

NO!

Proud of Seán Óg though;)

Great attitude ShamBuc. Is maith liom é

randylonghorn

Caveman1 wrote: »

After watching the All Ireland Hurling final today the Kilkenny captain gave his speech as gaelige and also in english, this got me thinking, how many Irish people can actually fluently speak in Irish ??

You would be surprised how many people around Kilkenny speak quite decent Irish.

Or, more accurately, I suppose, it surprised me ...

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Don't know if the Polish can speak Irish ?

Funnily enough, I know a few eastern europeans who speak at least a smattering of Irish ... not fluent by any means, as they don't have the need, but they have picked up bits from their kids who are learning it in school.

pickarooney wrote: »

"As gaelige"?

Cá bhfuil na Gardaí na gramadach?

The ironing ...

Scealta_saol wrote: »

They say there are about 1 million fluent speakers in Ireland but very few of them use it on a day to day basis.

I'd be a bit suspicious of the definition of "fluent" on which that statistic is based tbh.

Scealta_saol

BTW peeps I said "They say". I didn't say there are... Shame really... I'd love it if there were 1 million speakers....

fuerte1976

The King of Moo wrote: »

I've a fairly high level of school Irish. Not fluent but advanced.

I've never had any nationalistic or patriotic reasons for being able to speak it, I was just good at it in school.

I don't speak it much at all in my everyday life, but I'm glad I have it, just for the sake of being able to speak a language.

Agus mise.

Wibbs

raxor wrote: »

A million people fluent?!

Ha, ha ha h.....sorry "há, há há há há"!

I'd remove the gloating ha ha's but a million fluent speakers is an utterly daft pie in the sky number. Typical of the dreamland that some Gaelgoiri live in. And a disservice to the language to boot. One chap tried this "stat" out http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jan/05/ireland.features Didn't really work out for him, though he saw hope with the resurgence of Gaelscoils. You can ignore the census figures as self reported bullshít. It's about as useful a statistic as the all men online have 9 inch mickeys one. Riding the vast majority of the latter will leave you dissapointed as will trying a full on convo as Gaelige with the majority of Irish people.

k4kate wrote: »

In 2005 Cork won the All-Ireland Hurling Final. Seán Óg Ó hAilpín was captain. He gave his speech completely through Irish and he did not set foot in this country till he was 10 years old.

You ashamed of yourselves?????

No. My family have lived in Dublin for many many generations and haven't spoken the language in the same many generations. Many people around this nation of ours would be similar in their distance from it. It's a long long time since this nation were all of one voice in the words on our tongues. Are you ashamed you can't speak or read the highly sophisticated Bardic or Old Irish? Cos I'll bet a large lump of airgead you can't.

If you are fluent and drenched in the language I say fair play and keep it alive and grow it in the mouths of your children. I'll support you in that, but do not take the piss out of the rest of us, because we walk a different linguistic road going in the same direction.

Quite frankly how dare you remotely apportion shame to the rest of us. Many of our non Irish speaking ancestors fought and died for this nation, while many of our Irish speakers hid behind their mothers skirts safe in the hinterland. How dare you relegate us as lesser because we don't belong to a narrow "up for the match" parish pump definition of what you think it is to be Irish.

k4kate

Wibbs wrote: »

If you are fluent and drenched in the language I say fair play and keep it alive and grow it in the mouths of your children. I'll support you in that, but do not take the piss out of the rest of us, because we walk a different linguistic road going in the same direction.

Quite frankly . how dare you remotely apportion shame to the rest of us.Many of our non Irish speaking ancestors fought and died for this nation, while many of our Irish speakers hid behind their mothers skirts safe in the hinterland. How dare you relegate us as lesser because we don't belong to a narrow "up for the match" parish pump definition of what you think it is to be Irish.

i did not apportion blame to anyone, i asked a question. And who said i relegated anyone as lesser? And what do you think i define irish as???

Wibbs

Maybe try reading as Bearla, I said "shame" not "blame". This;

k4kate wrote:

You ashamed of yourselves?????

Kinda gives the game away. Your vigour in hitting the "?" key also helps with my assumption. The GAA reference likely adds to your definition of "Irish". Feel free to correct.

k4kate

Also the OP asked about SPEAKING IRISH rather than BEING IRISH


They are different things.

Wibbs

k4kate wrote: »

Also the OP asked about SPEAKING IRISH rather than BEING IRISH


They are different things.

Apparently not according to you, given we who are not fluent in the ability to give a speech as Gaelige should ask the question should we be ashamed of ourselves.

k4kate

Wibbs wrote: »

Maybe try reading as Bearla, I said "shame" not "blame". This;


Kinda gives the game away. Your vigour in hitting the "?" key also helps with my assumption. The GAA reference likely adds to your definition of "Irish". Feel free to correct.

I will correct away. I apportion no blame or shame to people who cannot speak irish.

k4kate

Wibbs wrote: »

Apparently not according to you, given we who are not fluent in the ability to give a speech as Gaelige should ask the question should we be ashamed of ourselves.

No that is not true. I asked should we not feel ashamed that a man who did not speak any Irish at ten yrs of age can speak fluently now and most of us can't?

Wibbs

k4kate wrote: »

I will correct away. I apportion no blame or shame to people who cannot speak irish.

Really? Then how do explain your internal rational with this?

In 2005 Cork won the All-Ireland Hurling Final. Seán Óg Ó hAilpín was captain. He gave his speech completely through Irish and he did not set foot in this country till he was 10 years old.

You ashamed of yourselves?????

Account hijack? Multiple personality disorder? Brainfart? Because "I apportion no blame or shame to people who cannot speak irish" does not compute with "You ashamed of yourselves?????". Either way it's a tad confusing for the casual reader.

k4kate

And my problem is not that most people cannot do it but that most people are proud of the fact they can't and look on those of us who speak iorish as being "fanatical"

k4kate

Wibbs wrote: »

Really? Then how do explain your internal rational with this?


Account hijack? Multiple personality disorder? Brainfart? Because "I apportion no blame or shame to people who cannot speak irish" does not compute with "You ashamed of yourselves?????". Either way it's a tad confusing for the casual reader.

BRAINFART??? Jesus, what a great phrase, I love it. I don't apportion blame or shame to those who don't speak Irish. I will retract original message o wise one

Wibbs

k4kate wrote: »

And my problem is not that most people cannot do it but that most people are proud of the fact they can't

I hardly think that's true of the majority. It's certainly not true of me. For me it's one of the languages of our nation with a rich heritage that should be supported(with caveats). There is no pride involved. I'm happy, nay even proud that some are fluent and continue to make it a living language, but equally it's not relevant for me. And many others, who are forced to feel it should be relevant in the makeup of what it is to be "truly" Irish(tm). Those self reported census figures would also disagree. There is widespread tacit support for the language , though actually speaking it is another kettle of swimming vertebrates.

and look on those of us who speak iorish as being "fanatical"

Nope again. I would guess that the vast majority of Irish people only use the word fanatical with those who are... well, fanatical. And dismissive.

k4kate

And by swimming vertebrates do you mean "fish"


I will retract wibbs i said

Wibbs

k4kate wrote: »

BRAINFART??? Jesus, what a great phrase, I love it. I don't apportion blame or shame to those who don't speak Irish. I will retract original message o wise one

"Wise one"? Jaysus K that's about as accurate a statement as "over a million are fluent Irish speakers". and yea brainfart is a bloody brilliant word alright.

Wibbs

Feck retraction K. Stick to your guns and fair play. I've had so many brainfarts I'm suspecting at this stage that I've injected baked beans directly into my skull.

k4kate

Wibbs wrote: »

"Wise one"? Jaysus K that's about as accurate a statement as "over a million are fluent Irish speakers". and yea brainfart is a bloody brilliant word alright.

I can't stop laughing, BRAINFART, I love it. I have retracted. People should not be ashamed Seán Óg spoke in Irish and they can't but admire Seán Óg. Cos he is fluent in Irish and cos he is a ride

ShamoBuc

Wibbs wrote: »

"Wise one"? Jaysus K that's about as accurate a statement as "over a million are fluent Irish speakers".

I lol'd aswell;)