Presidential Election 2025

In my opinion 3 awful candidates and I will be certainly not wasting my time going to vote..

Its keeping the Russians back so far.

You're missing the point. How many billions have been provided to Palestine? They cannot even get any aid into the country…

Nah,she loves Russia,it's all NATOs fault according to her.

Although the chances of Connolly's actually being distributed look pretty negiligible…

I will repeat what I said the last time you asked this (rhetorical) question. The Ruzzians aren't in Kyiv, they aren't even in Kharkyiv which is relatively near the border.They are crawling forward taking casualties that are not sustainable indefinitely while seeing their oil industry reduced more every week. Ukraine is surviving. What it's long term strategy will be remains a question for the government, but there is no evidence that surrendering to the invader is a popular policy. If you want more detailed information, then I suggest you peruse the thread dedicated to Putin's invasion, a thread you never have visited, oddly enough, for one so curious.

It’s going to be President Catherine Connolly

Gavin with the shy FF vote will come second

Catherine certainly has the momentum and whilst the Dáil employee thing is concerning,it’s not a big issue except for the mud throwers really at this stage,she won’t be doing it again

It depends on the teachers. I was actually taught a great level Irish at Primary.
Went backwards or static at secondary. Learnt most of my Irish now from speaking it in pubs, listening to better Irish speakers and watching TG4 listening to RnaG.

I often think if cheaper pints were sold in Pop up Gaeltacht’s, Ciorcal Comhra etc. might encourage more people to try it.

Irish is trendy among the youth now. Another plus for the Connolly vote.

Not sure many outside the Connolly vote that give much of a damn which is kind of sad.

I can only speak to my experience RE Irish; this goes to explaining why i am better with French (6 years) and German (3 junior cert). than i am with Irish.

When it came to learning French/German, in the first year of secondary, the classes began as though i were a beginner. Which I was. It started at basic level, covered the various rules, verbs, gendered words - then it progressed to convesational French/German. Step by Step, learning the languages and putting them to use in class, and in discussions with fluent speakers. I started off quite weak, but managed to hold my own. Learning a foreign language is difficult, but if you put the effort in (as i tried to) you can get somewhere. Im neither fluent at German nor French, but i manage with what i have, and make progress in chats with natives of both language.

Irish was entirely different. Primary level was harsh, and many of us frequently got into trouble for not engaging with it. I had a native Irish Speaker in 4th-6th class primary; but his method was to simply have the class speak for an hour a day, conversationally. Those who were good kept up, and learned from it. Those like me, who were behind, well, we just sat there.

Fastforward to Secondary, and i was added to the honors tutor group, but in Irish class, i struggled. The teacher seemed to assume that we all had a certain level, and frequently insisted on giving instructions in Irish. For someone like me, it was difficult to keep up, and though i received assistence with this from class mates; i didnt learn anything. I felt left behind if i am honest, and when it came to the Junior and Leaving certs - it was a no brainer for me to select Pass level Irish. Which i just about scraped in both exams. Compared to Hons French and German (only JC) the difference was shocking.

Years later i engaged with it as best i can, my daughter is in an Irish School, so i naturally wanted to progress myself. I debated the topic with an Irish Teacher, as to why the language was taught in such a different way. Would it not, i argued, be better to provide a class, structured in the same way as those classes for foreign languages.

The response was quite bullish; Its not a foreign language, its OUR language. The discussion turned quite argumentative, as i argued that, teaching me Irish Poetry for LC, was pointless. Would it not have been better to get me up to a conversational standard, but again. The response was quite antagonistic. Its our national language, it should be taught ON EQUAL TERMS with English, or else what is the point.

I think there is a lack of acceptance in this country, around the language. I think the attitudes to it are quite charged. If i grew up in a house with someone fluent, i would no doubt, be great at Irish. But for those of us who dont access it outside class, we need to be guided, gently, as you would with anyone new to a language. Bullish attitudes of it needing to be treated ON PAR with English. They sound wonderful, and i couldnt agree more in terms of our laws, our government, our constitution. But for everyday students - be kind. I tried, and failed, and it wasnt a lack of patriotic zeal that ruined it. I fell behind, and was left behind.

FYI, mid forties, Dublin - im sure its better now, but im glad my daughter went to an irish school

In this country keeping your money under your bed is probably the safest place to keep it…

hehe!