Why can nobody speak Irish?

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Let me tell you a little something about myself. I was quite a good student in school, I did my homework, got good grades and got on with the teachers. Except for one subject, Irish. I hated the language in school and resented learning it. Not only that we had a smarmy arrogant pr*ck for an Irish teacher who would smugly greet me i ngeailge no matter how many times I made it clear to him in I was not interested in initiating a conversation in Irish by replying to him in English.

Anyway needless to say with Mr. Smarmy pants gaeilgeoir as my teacher for 5 out of 6 years I never learned anything and cursed the likes of Foras na Gaeilge and the Gaelic League for forcing this sh*t on me. Given my attitude towards the language it is no surprise (to my shame) I failed ordinary level Irish in my mocks. Now I genuinely wouldn't have cared except that I wanted to get into UCD so what did I do? I hired an Irish tutor and worked my arse off and over the next few months turned that fail into a B1. Still ordinary level but I was proud of myself nonetheless. I got my place in UCD and 3 years later I'm getting ready to go into my fourth.

All very well you may think but now I look back and think who the feck did UCD think they were to compel me to learn Irish? What if I hadn't passed, how could I imagine having to resit the leaving cert again and study a language I had no interest in just to please a bunch of crusty old men in suits over in the NUI?

I appreciate what you are saying. It's hard to learn something that you hate. I hated maths, not that I didn't like the subject. The teacher had been jilted the year before and was so bitter.

Aineoil wrote: »

I appreciate what you are saying. It's hard to learn something that you hate. I hated maths, not that I didn't like the subject. The teacher had been jilted the year before and was so bitter.

Exactly and a bad teacher only magnifies the pupil's distaste for the subject.

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

where does one go (besides back to primary school ) to learn irish? any good materials you recommend?

I hated irish in school with a passion but it would be nice to learn in my own time without pressure and without focus on passing exams.

I live in the middle of nowhere so there are no classes near me but I did find this website very useful.

http://www.isfeidirliom.ie/

Aineoil wrote: »

All well and dandy but the purpose and duty of the state is to manage and strengthen our economy and competitiveness.

The duty of the state is to create rounded citizens not work drones.

I don't agree, the definition of "well rounded" varies from person and is no business of the state. The powers and influence of the state should as much as possible be consigned to specific areas in this case managing and promoting the economy.

RedSeven7 wrote: »

We're getting there though - far more young people can speak Irish today compared to 50 years ago!

Can you back that up?

An Coilean wrote: »

I would suggest that UCD is probably one of the best places in the country to engage with the language. They have the largest Cumann Gaelach of any university in the country and they organise events year round.

You never know, being surrounded by Cailiní Gaelach might just see a passion for Irelands first language rub off on you.

The Cumann Gaelach would be so intimidating though for a beginner like me.

lol I'm sick to the back teeth of caliní that's the last thing that will persuade me atm.

An Coilean wrote: »

Why that comes accross as downright socialist.

This along with your recent claims to be learning Irish leaves me with just one question.
What have you done with the real Iwasfrozen?

lol don't worry he's right here, hasn't gone anywhere.

RedSeven7 wrote: »

http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/

That's the best I could find!

I didn't think that the Irish language was growing so much, but when I was in the Gaeltacht this summer a speaker came in and gave us a really inspirational speech about Gaeilge and how it's growing and improving an t-am ar fad
According to him, there are 2,000,000 people in Ireland le Gaeilge, although I'm not sure how true that is!

Still, I think it's great that so many people are doing their best to keep ár dteanga beo!!

Two million speakers? I'm sorry to tell you but that orator was ag caint amach as a thóin*.

Here is an image that shows the degradation of category A gaeltachts (the only areas were Irish is the majority language) over the past eighty years.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SfRvdl9NIMg/Sx-SGo1iOLI/AAAAAAAAAA0/AVjpxzhLM3I/s400/An+Gaeltacht+-+maps.bmp

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/sukirishculture/cli/gaeltacht

Still think the language is growing?

I think the lads from Lurgan have done wonders for in energising the language - at least in the short term. Currently standing at 1.4 million views and rising fast, it creates a sense of fun around the language for which for me anyway never really existed before.

I think a totally new approach should be taken with the Irish language, this is what I would do anyway if I was Minister for Education tomorrow morning;

1. National School should be based almost totally on talking the language with the basics of the written language taught, maybe a breakdown of 70% of time dedicated to children being able to hold a decent conversation (for their level) and understanding what they are saying.

2. During an entrance exams into secondary school, an oral exam should taken with Irish teachers to decide a child's proficiency in the language... if a child is relatively poor at conversing at the language then he/she should be separated and classes should be run throughout 1st year to improve it with the written language being slowly increased before 2nd year. At the end of 3rd year the JC should be focused say 70-30% on talking the language in everyday conversation.

3. After JC, Irish should be dropped as a compulsory subject and those who do higher should be awarded with extra points as with Maths at the moment... During transition year those who choose Irish as a LC subject should be brought for a period of time to the Gaeltacht (say 2 weeks)... not for the language to be bate into them but for them to be immersed into it in everyday talk, activities with the locals and most importantly to have fun with their friends and peers.

4. The leaving should be used to perfect the language in terms of speaking and writing the language with the written language taking precedence in terms of study again say 70-30%... students should be allowed to come up with new innovative ways to show exactly what they can do with the language (along with the set state oral and written exams) ... such as what lurgan did with Avicci's Wake Me Up (combing music or other subjects with the language) , maybe turning great English pieces of literature into Irish... etc... the possibilities are endless and say 15% of final marks should be put aside for students to do what they want with the language.

5. All teachers (Primary/Secondary) teaching the Irish language should as part of college be sent to the Gaeltacht for a year long study in the language, these graduates could also be used for the various activities open to the transition year students visiting.

We need to decide what we want to do. let the language die or re-energise it among the young to ensure it will continue for generations... I think something like above would ensure that it would re-enter the Irish psyche and actually become something that young people would enjoy.

irishfeen wrote: »

I think the lads from Lurgan have done wonders for in energising the language - at least in the short term. Currently standing at 1.4 million views and rising fast, it creates a sense of fun around the language for which for me anyway never really existed before.

I think a totally new approach should be taken with the Irish language, this is what I would do anyway if I was Minister for Education tomorrow morning;

1. National School should be based almost totally on talking the language with the basics of the written language taught, maybe a breakdown of 70% of time dedicated to children being able to hold a decent conversation (for their level) and understanding what they are saying.

2. During an entrance exams into secondary school, an oral exam should taken with Irish teachers to decide a child's proficiency in the language... if a child is relatively poor at conversing at the language then he/she should be separated and classes should be run throughout 1st year to improve it with the written language being slowly increased before 2nd year. At the end of 3rd year the JC should be focused say 70-30% on talking the language in everyday conversation.

3. After JC, Irish should be dropped as a compulsory subject and those who do higher should be awarded with extra points as with Maths at the moment... During transition year those who choose Irish as a LC subject should be brought for a period of time to the Gaeltacht (say 2 weeks)... not for the language to be bate into them but for them to be immersed into it in everyday talk, activities with the locals and most importantly to have fun with their friends and peers.

4. The leaving should be used to perfect the language in terms of speaking and writing the language with the written language taking precedence in terms of study again say 70-30%... students should be allowed to come up with new innovative ways to show exactly what they can do with the language (along with the set state oral and written exams) ... such as what lurgan did with Avicci's Wake Me Up (combing music or other subjects with the language) , maybe turning great English pieces of literature into Irish... etc... the possibilities are endless and say 15% of final marks should be put aside for students to do what they want with the language.

5. All teachers (Primary/Secondary) teaching the Irish language should as part of college be sent to the Gaeltacht for a year long study in the language, these graduates could also be used for the various activities open to the transition year students visiting.

We need to decide what we want to do. let the language die or re-energise it among the young to ensure it will continue for generations... I think something like above would ensure that it would re-enter the Irish psyche and actually become something that young people would enjoy.

Sending secondary school teachers to the Gaeltacht seems pointless. You don't need Irish to teach maths and is unfair when you consider foreign teachers coming over. Get rid of the crappy stories and history from the Irish course. If you want to teach History there is a course for that. Irish seems to be there for the culture and not the language. I can learn the Irish language without learning about the history of the country or the effect of the RC on it. While both are important topics we don't learn about German unification in German class. We learn about German in German class and so it should be in Irish.

You are spot on about Lurgan. I agree before JC the focus should be on speaking it and doing activities with Irish. Written can be saved for the LC and those who want to dedicate themselves to it. I am not certain about extra points for it but you have some good ideas there.