Is Irish actually spoken in the Gealtachts?

enfant terrible · 06-11-2011 12:01PM

General Michael Collins wrote: »

To speak for Rath Cairn, the people there (obviously) speak both English and Irish, but Irish is certainly the language of choice. They truly make trojan efforts to promote the language, being a tiny island of Irish in a sea of English. And they don't seemingly deserve a place on yon map. I once had the pleasure of doing door to door salesman (of sorts) in the area, and was told off, in Irish, for attempting to address them in English. To be fair to me, my Irish was very weak at the time, but I muddled through the rest of the houses as Gaeilge and felt the response the better for it.

They sound very rude.

P. Breathnach · 06-11-2011 03:44PM

enfant terrible wrote: »

They sound very rude.

It could equally be suggested that calling to the homes of Irish speakers and attempting to engage with them in English is rude.

Jackobyte · 06-11-2011 04:00PM

I know when I was in Irish College in Carna, the local children used Irish as their first language. The Iníon an Tí, maybe 10 or so, spoke in Irish on the phone to her school friends, even when we weren't meant to be around.

enfant terrible · 06-11-2011 04:05PM

P. Breathnach wrote: »

It could equally be suggested that calling to the homes of Irish speakers and attempting to engage with them in English is rude.

Would you be rude to someone speaking a different language?

I wouldn't, especially if I spoke that language.

General Michael Collins · 06-11-2011 04:42PM

P. Breathnach wrote: »

It could equally be suggested that calling to the homes of Irish speakers and attempting to engage with them in English is rude.

Must entirely agree with this. The language weakened because Irish speaking people spoke English to each other. Regardless of how weakly we may begin, Irish speaking people must speak Irish to each other.

mikemac · 06-11-2011 04:45PM

Shared a house in Galway with a girl from Carraroe and she and her family always spoke Irish to each other on the phone or if they called around.

She also said there were a lot more insults and nasty comments on Ros na Rún that the subtitles didn't show :P

deise go deo · 06-11-2011 06:06PM

enfant terrible wrote: »

They sound very rude.

If your buying something they speak your language, if your selling something you speak their language, thats the way its always been.

enfant terrible · 06-11-2011 06:12PM

deise go deo wrote: »

If your buying something they speak your language, if your selling something you speak their language, thats the way its always been.

So you would be rude to someone because they tried to speak to you in English, even though you understand them fully and they may not be able to speak Irish, like most of the Irish population.

onemorechance · 06-11-2011 06:32PM

Trigger88 wrote: »

Both my parents are from 'deep' within the Connemara Gaeltacht. At their homeplaces everyone speaks english. Unless a certain old person comes into the house things may switch the Irish but apart from that. I currently like in a Gaeltacht and no one speaks half a word of it

B(e)arna! :pac:

byhookorbycrook · 06-11-2011 06:40PM

mikemac wrote: »

She also said there were a lot more insults and nasty comments on Ros na Rún that the subtitles didn't show :P

Especially when Séamus is speaking,some rather errr...salty...comments become thing like "bad luck to you"

Trigger88 · 06-11-2011 07:38PM

onemorechance wrote: »

B(e)arna! :pac:

No but you're close

Trigger88 · 06-11-2011 07:39PM

Rhedyn wrote: »

Ah come on are you saying you went to school in Ireland and didn't learn that simple a question?

I was born in uk and was exempt. and have never picked up a word even though I live in gaeltacht

DeBrugha · 06-11-2011 10:34PM

Trigger88 wrote: »

No but you're close

Na Forbacha?

Trigger88 · 06-11-2011 10:43PM

DeBrugha wrote: »

Na Forbacha?

Stop trying to stalk me and no!

Rhedyn · 06-11-2011 11:21PM

Trigger88 wrote: »

I was born in uk and was exempt. and have never picked up a word even though I live in gaeltacht

You can't have tried very hard.

Trigger88 · 07-11-2011 01:52AM

Rhedyn wrote: »

You can't have tried very hard.

Never said I did judger. But if it was spoken around with two fluent speaking parents I would be bound to pick up a bit. None of my friends locally speak any Irish, went to all irish speaking national school

An gal gréine · 07-11-2011 04:03PM

onemorechance wrote: »

B(e)arna! :pac:

They may be speaking English on your behalf. Also, I would'nt call close to Bearna "deep" Conamara!

DeBrugha · 07-11-2011 11:08PM

Bearna isn't even in Connemara

DeBrugha · 08-11-2011 01:26PM

I was born in uk and was exempt. and have never picked up a word even though I live in gaeltacht

Thats no excuse really

I was born in England to an English mother and Irish father and currently living in England, I was exempt for Irish spelling etc when I was very young for tests when I was in school but now I am a fluent speaker of Irish, infact people think I am from Connemara.

Being exempt from school is no excuse, not in my case anyway.

Rhedyn · 08-11-2011 03:12PM

DeBrugha wrote: »

Thats no excuse really

I was born in England to an English mother and Irish father and currently living in England, I was exempt for Irish spelling etc when I was very young for tests when I was in school but now I am a fluent speaker of Irish, infact people think I am from Connemara.

Being exempt from school is no excuse, not in my case anyway.

Fair play to you deBrugha !

An gal gréine · 08-11-2011 03:24PM

deise go deo wrote: »

I'm gona be there:)

Its great to see that it has become so popular, I know that there are going to be around 500 students there this weekend, more than ever before.

The students were fantastic, all speaking Irish under no duress.
The whole 4 days of immersion lets you dream of the possibilities.

pog it · 08-11-2011 07:11PM

gigino wrote: »

Its not spoken , no. The only time you may hear a cupla focail is when they think you may be visiting from the department + may be going to cut off the grant...

Look in any newsagents or bookshops in the gaeltacht. Nothing that sells is in Irish.

What is with the misinformation? Have you actually lived in the Gaeltacht for any period of time? I did, recently enough, in Connemara and Irish is alive and well. Obviously not as much so as 50 years ago, but it is very much a spoken language there.

The further you go from Galway city, the stronger the Gaeltacht, so places like Carna, Ros Muc, An Ceathrú Rua as mentioned...... lots of places where you can choose to speak only in Irish!

conor.hogan.2 · 11-11-2011 03:37PM

In fairness it depends on where you were in the Gaeltacht. Besides actual student gaeltachts around belmullet for example I have never heard irish spoken and very little in Dingle outside of irish students.

But they are only two examples (and large-ish towns so it is not that suprising).

Also it depends on who you are talking to, English seems to be the default out of politeness or whatever reason.

deirdremf · 12-11-2011 01:27PM

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

In fairness it depends on where you were in the Gaeltacht. Besides actual student gaeltachts around belmullet for example I have never heard irish spoken and very little in Dingle outside of irish students.

But they are only two examples (and large-ish towns so it is not that suprising).

Also it depends on who you are talking to, English seems to be the default out of politeness or whatever reason.

There's little or no Irish in Belmullet, but there are a couple of small areas (Ceathrú Thaidhg, the Southern end of the Mullet) where Irish is alive. More so in Ceathrú Thaidhg, apparently.

There's plenty of Irish in Dingle, but a grasping English-speaking group controls the town, which is a pity because it would be such a lovely place otherwise.

Blackjack · 12-11-2011 01:33PM

deirdremf wrote: »

There's little or no Irish in Belmullet, but there are a couple of small areas (Ceathrú Thaidhg, the Southern end of the Mullet) where Irish is alive. More so in Ceathrú Thaidhg, apparently.

There's plenty of Irish in Dingle, but a grasping English-speaking group controls the town, which is a pity because it would be such a lovely place otherwise.

Ceathrú Thaidhg is not on the Mullet. Eachleam is where you are thinking of.

Ceathrú Thaidhg is actually 22 miles from Belmullet, and Irish is indeed alive and well there.

deirdremf · 12-11-2011 01:51PM

Blackjack wrote: »

Ceathrú Thaidhg is not on the Mullet. Eachleam is where you are thinking of.

I know Ceathrú Thaidhg is not on the Mullet. I didn't say it is; you must have missed the comma after "Ceathrú Thaidhg" when you were reading!
And yes, I was referring to the area around Eachléim.

HugoBradyBrown · 12-11-2011 02:27PM

Clearly the largest and most viable Gaeltacht in Ireland is in the Dublin region (look for their fáinne); it is the largest community of speakers, spread over the metropolitan region more thickly than they are in Connemara, in Donegal or in Corca Dhuibhne. The fact that there are interstitial speakers of another national language should deter a learner no more than should the presence of millions of sheep in Connemara.

Other places to try are London, New York and Springfield, Mass.

Enkidu · 12-11-2011 09:07PM

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Clearly the largest and most viable Gaeltacht in Ireland is in the Dublin region (look for their fáinne);

Yeah, but you're more likely to met speakers of high quality Irish in the traditional Gaeltachtaí right?

HugoBradyBrown · 12-11-2011 09:09PM

Enkidu wrote: »

Yeah, but you're more likely to met speakers of high quality Irish in the traditional Gaeltachtaí right?

Well, no, not necessarily. One finds that, schoolteachers apart, the grammar and enunciation among the native speakers in the West often leaves a lot to be desired. The best Irish is in fact heard today in Glenageary, in Donnybrook and in Blackrock, counterintuitively.

4zn76tysfajdxp · 12-11-2011 09:11PM

DeBrugha wrote: »

Bearna isn't even in Connemara

Yes it is.

Is Irish actually spoken in the Gealtachts?

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