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Visting the Gaeltachts

YupLimerick

I've always wanted to travel to the Gaeltachta in this country. I have a good(not perfect) level of Irish. I'm studying it in UL and now I really want to improve it. Which Gaeltachts have the most widely spoken Irish? I was in Dingle on holidays last year for a week and heard no Irish. Also, which ones have ye had the best experiences in? It's awful not having a Gaeltacht in Limerick.
Thanks for any suggestions given.
Luimneach abú.

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Edgarfrndly

It depends on what dialect you speak first. There are some strong gaeltachtaí and some weak ones. Gaoth Dobhair/The Rosses are really strong up in Donegal. Galway Gaeltacht is also strong - Ceathrú Rua/Leitir Mór or head out to the Aran Islands. I've over spent a day in the Cork Gaeltacht, so I can't speak much on it. I'm from Waterford, and have visited An Rinn loads. While I wouldn't say it's the strongest gaeltacht, Irish is definitely spoken there. Sometimes people will speak English to you, but if you switch it to Irish they'll speak back.

Graces7

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

I definite just heard Irish a few years ago in Dingle, but there are dozens of languages spoken in Dingle in any one day.

Try Sunday Mass in Ballydavid in DIngle... and afterwards... I spent a while woth young families, little ones being raised bi-lingual.

Here the ferryman is totally bi-lingual but would not dream of speaking Iirsh around someone who did not.I was on the ferry once with an official from the Islands council and pure Irish echoed...

West Mayo; offshore island... last week when I was out I met someone who wanted to hear Irish spoken ... directed him here. pm me of you need details...

benneca1

Dave0301 wrote: »

It is the same, except it has a fada over the a.

Tàim ag wànk...

Ag wankáil

whisky_galore

They only speak it to get the free money and grants.

pickarooney

Ag glacaireacht if you're interested.

Graces7

whisky_galore wrote: »

They only speak it to get the free money and grants.

actually the reverse is true. that is why many rural irish speak engiish

Reati

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

I can never fully understand how Hungary succeeded where Ireland failed.
It must be because of population size?
Or is it historical factors like how Irish was viewed as backward?
One of my Great-Grandfathers had no English!
It is kind of sad how a language can be systematically attacked, first by foreign powers then attacked by societal pressure.

It requires a stronger will than partial classical language education and learning of poems. For example if all schools were thought 50 50 through Irish and English, if RTÉ had more either Irish language shows with English subs or vice versa. This is something Iceland has and many of them speak fluent English, with an American twang.

Immersion is the lacking factor. Irish could be a daily spoken language within 2 decades by a majority of the younger population if the right will and weight was thrown behind it. It's again not a priority for the government and attempts to push its priority up is met with mindless aggressive commentary about dead languages and a waste. Its almost like the brits embedded the concept that its a language of the poor and peasant class deep in the Irish psyche.

[Deleted User]

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Perhaps I'll crack one off in Irish.

Oh wait. I dont know what **** is in irish.

Dave0301 wrote: »

It is the same, except it has a fada over the a.

Tàim ag wànk...

benneca1 wrote: »

Ag wankáil

Pure ignorance.

There's no 'W' in Irish. It's 'bhank'.

Mr. CooL ICE

Hector Bellend wrote: »

I have no problem with anyone else learning a dead language that nobody speaks in public and hasnt done in any meaningful way in my lifetime.

Mod: That's nice. So how about you let everyone who wants to discuss the topic at hand do so without your moaning?

Don't post in this thread again.

biko

OP, Connemara is probably your best bet.
I see you also posted in Teach na nGealt.
Probably best as the usual anti-Irish crowd cannot read what goes on there, win-win.

Edgware

elefant wrote: »

Pure ignorance.

There's no 'W' in Irish. It's 'bhank'.

Ag fail taitneamh as me fein

topper75

benneca1 wrote: »

Ag wankáil

Good stuff - you were clearly listening in school that day.

That other lad there was typing Scots Gaelic or something.

People referred to dialects. Not relevant. We who learned Irish in school as monoglot English speakers learned school Irish, a fake made up 'standard' that wasn't spoken anywhere any more than Esperanto was. That is why you don't always get the TG4/RnaG people when they are off at 100mph.
Therefore, with regard to engaging with a real spoken version of the language - pick any dialect or Gaeltacht that you like.

I have encountered similar disappointment in the Kerry Gaeltachts OP. A place that never let me down is Carna in Connemara. Bíonn sí á labhairt ansin fós gach lá den bliain.

benneca1

elefant wrote: »

Pure ignorance.

There's no 'W' in Irish. It's 'bhank'.

Joke Ha Ha correcting the grammar in a make up word and you thought it was a serious grammar lesson

[Deleted User]

benneca1 wrote: »

Joke Ha Ha correcting the grammar in a make up word and you thought it was a serious grammar lesson

Sadly, whatever about jokingly correcting Irish grammar on the topic of masturbation, I don't know where to start with your English.

Sycamore Tree

I think Connemara is your best bet. Most people are happy to speak it but watch out for the snobby Gaelgoirs that will sneer at your attempts.

You will see Gaelteacht signs around places like Claregalway and Moycullen but it's a scam; there are very few Irish speakers around those places - you need to go to Spiddal and west of Spiddal to find the real native speakers. Inveran, Carna, Rosmuc, Lettermore, Costelloe would be good.

I personally have no issue with people wanting to learn Irish but I do see a huge amount of money wasted to keep the language anyway relevant.
.

Hector Bellend

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

I think Connemara is your best bet. Most people are happy to speak it but watch out for the snobby Gaelgoirs that will sneer at your attempts.

You will see Gaelteacht signs around places like Claregalway and Moycullen but it's a scam; there are very few Irish speakers around those places - you need to go to Spiddal and west of Spiddal to find the real native speakers.

I personally have no issue with people wanting to learn Irish but I do see a huge amount of money wasted to keep the language anyway relevant.

Money that could be spent on teaching kids subjects relevant to 21st century living.

Hector Bellend

Dole Scrounging Vegan Crossfitter wrote: »

Mod: That's nice. So how about you let everyone who wants to discuss the topic at hand do so without your moaning?

Don't post in this thread again.

Perhaps you'll discuss it in Irish. Oh wait.

whisky_galore

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

You will see Gaelteacht signs around places like Claregalway and Moycullen but it's a scam; there are very few Irish speakers around those places - you need to go to Spiddal and west of Spiddal to find the real native speakers. Inveran, Carna, Rosmuc, Lettermore, Costelloe would be good.

.

The removal of bilingual signs and installation of Irish-only ones was money p*ssed down the drain for no good reason.

Sycamore Tree

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Money that could be spent on teaching kids subjects relevant to 21st century living.

Totally agree, there are so many subjects that should be ahead of Irish and especially Religion for young people. They are really suffering in the modern world for lack of guidance and information. Subjects like;

Mental Health and Depression
Drugs and Impacts
Sex Education
Social Media - threats and impacts
Physical Education and Nutrition
Bullying (schools improving here)
IT skills
Career Guidance

The schools pay lip service to above while prioritizing useless stuff.

Sycamore Tree

whisky_galore wrote: »

The removal of bilingual signs and installation of Irish-only ones was money p*ssed down the drain for no good reason.

Correct I saw that all over Galway. They removed perfect good bilingual signs to replace them with Irish only equivalents.

For example, I used to pass a relatively new road sign saying;

Barna
Bearna

which was replaced with a brand new one saying just;

Bearna

Utterly stupid, completely wasteful, arrogant.

The Irish lobby is powerful though.

ancapailldorcha

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Perhaps you'll discuss it in Irish. Oh wait.

Banned.

MilfordBud

Reati wrote: »

It requires a stronger will than partial classical language education and learning of poems. For example if all schools were thought 50 50 through Irish and English, if RTÉ had more either Irish language shows with English subs or vice versa. This is something Iceland has and many of them speak fluent English, with an American twang.

Immersion is the lacking factor. Irish could be a daily spoken language within 2 decades by a majority of the younger population if the right will and weight was thrown behind it. It's again not a priority for the government and attempts to push its priority up is met with mindless aggressive commentary about dead languages and a waste. Its almost like the brits embedded the concept that its a language of the poor and peasant class deep in the Irish psyche.

My friend's 4 year old son does two days schooling through French and two through Occitan in the south of France. 5th day given to sport and cultural activities. This continues until they are 9. It's a new enough policy and neither of the parents speak Occitan nor would they be too pushed about it either way. It probably helps that Occitan, like Catalan is a lot more similar to French/Spanish than Irish to English.

Reati

MilfordBud wrote: »

My friend's 4 year old son does two days schooling through French and two through Occitan in the south of France. 5th day given to sport and cultural activities. This continues until they are 9. It's a new enough policy and neither of the parents speak Occitan nor would they be too pushed about it either way. It probably helps that Occitan, like Catalan is a lot more similar to French/Spanish than Irish to English.

Don't say that to a Catalan person. They don't like that! :P

Anyway, agree. Similarity helps but immersion is the key.

My family lived in Spain. We never had a lesson or word of Spanish. Within a year we could all hold conversation on everyday things with no problem. Everyone is back here now years and not one can remember a word of it! We don't speak it anymore and "forgot" it. Though, it'd come back fast i'm sure.

Same with a guy in work. He spoke 6 languages at one point but after years living here working in a job that doesn't require him to speak 6 he is only says he is only fluent in his native one and English but again I'd see it coming back fast if he had too. It's actually being around people who speak more languages that I have fingers on one hand that made me realise how disgraceful it is we can't speak our own language. You'd not see the comments we have here from peopel in Barcelona about Catalan.

The thread does show some of the attitudes Irish has to overcome. This isn't a dig at people, it's a fact of how people view it. The waste of money is a classic argument. There is massive waste throughout public spending and vastly larger and worse ones than can be attributed to activities related to Irish yet it's easy to pick on due to it's low usage. That's not to say there isn't waste and the removal of bilingual signs are a valid point that I, even as a passionate Irish speaker, do not agree with.

Anyway, don't worry, given the current trends Irish will not be spoken outside the academic setting in 30 years. When everyone is getting all nostalgic about why didn't someone do something we can look back on these threads and remember the good times!

[Deleted User]

To go back to the original question:

If you are studying in UL, then you probably are best to go for a Gaeltacht where Munster Irish is spoken.

While Dingle is a Gaeltacht, you are far better off going much further west of Dingle and deep into Corca Dhuibhne, where Irish is very much the everyday language of the local people, particularly in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, Baile na nGall and Feothanach. The Irish can naturally be diluted by the number of tourists in the area, but they speak a beautifully natural Irish there.

I stayed in Feothanach last summer for two weeks in a house where they speak nothing but Irish and my Irish came on more in that time than it did in a year studying it before then. There is nothing like being immersed in a language to learn it and love it.

I was in Ring, Co. Waterford a few weeks ago on a course, and while it is a lovely spot, the amount of Irish spoken there is pretty negligible.

I have no experience of the Muskerry Gaeltacht in Cork so am not qualified to comment on it.

Go n-éirí leat.

Squeeonline

I'd hear irish spoken daily in NUIG. A little less often but still frequently around the city. Diverse demographics speaking too in terms of age, old and young.

badtoro

Hector Bellend wrote: »

I have no problem with anyone else learning a dead language that nobody speaks in public and hasnt done in any meaningful way in my lifetime.

That's a whole truck load of ignorance.

uch

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Perhaps I'll crack one off in Irish.

Oh wait. I dont know what **** is in irish.

Bualadh Bod

boardise

Ag bean an Ard-Mhéara anois
Bhí brillín có mór le Sliabh Mis;
Ag an Méara ,an boc,
Bhí bod mar chnoc
-Téann an bheirt acu a' dreapadh gan chis.

chupacabra

In my experience the most interesting of the Gaeltacht areas are the Aran Islands. They have a unique dialect and its used heavily as a working language there. People on the islands are a very curious sort who are more than happy to converse away to you as Gaelige. Having grown up in the west of Kerry I have say the language there is definitely disappearing. Still going strong in areas to the north west on the peninsula and Baile an Fheirtéaraigh though.

mr chips

uch wrote: »

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Perhaps I'll crack one off in Irish.

Oh wait. I dont know what **** is in irish.

Bualadh Bod

Ag bualadh feola = **** ("beating meat")
Buailteoir feola = wanker ("beater of meat")