Unlikely speakers of a language

feargale wrote: »

I met a Polish visitor in the Galway Gaeltacht and I reckon he had better Irish than any of the locals, and very precise Irish.
On Radio Eireann years ago I heard a woman living in the Pampas in Argentina who had never been to Buenos Aires and had never been abroad. If I hadn't known I would have said she was from Westmeath.
I met a man in Buenos Aires and when I heard his accent I told him it was not from Westmeath but further north. He said his parents were from Ardee Co. Louth.

Then there's Victor on Raidió an Gaeltachta on a morning, RnaG's Russian correspondent giving all his reports in the Irish with a lovely Russian accent.

On the following page press 'ctrl' and 'f' and type in 'Victor' to hear one of his reports: Victor Bajda


Actually RnaG is class in that it has Irish speakers giving reports from all over the world. Dutchman Alex Hijmans is another with a native-like proficiency in the Irish; he has reported and published in it for years.

And google Panu Petteri Höglund from Finland. I've seen him justify sayings and synthetic structures in Irish with native speakers of Irish by referencing their use in Irish literature at different periods of history. A thoroughly impressive man.

And check out the Czech Michal Boleslav Měchura, a man whose talent has made an enormous contribution to digitalising resources as Gaeilge online.

There are loads more people like this deeply involved in the Irish language- check out the American in Mayo, Michael Emerson, and of course the Englishman Nicholas Williams, who needs no introduction.