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Anyone in Ireland that can speak Irish only?

1235

Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,126 ✭✭✭Snow Garden


    kowloon wrote: »
    Is history even a core subject at junior cert anymore? We don't value history as much as we pretend to in Ireland, just some heavily mythologised bits of it that we absolutely don't want the kids to learn with any kind of critical eye. Easier just to learn the langauge, strip all the history out of it and talk ****e about the brits.

    Not having a go at anyone, but this post reminded me of how much nationalism mixed with a language stripped of context grinds my gears.

    Sinn Fein brought down Stormont because of the Irish language. Mindless really.
    I think the Irish language is used as a segregation tool in this country too.
    Way too much money spent propping it and translating EU documents that nobody will ever read but that always changes during a recession.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,644 ✭✭✭Penfailed


    Sinn Fein brought down Stormont because of the Irish language.

    No, they didn't!

    Gigs '24 - Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball (Gomez), The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Smashing Pumpkins/Weezer, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Stendhal Festival, Forest Fest, Electric Picnic, Pixies, Ride, Therapy?, Public Service Broadcasting, IDLES(x2), And So I Watch You From Afar



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,245 ✭✭✭Gretas Gonna Get Ya!


    Go back to the early part of this thread and look for references to "culture". Nobody mentioned it until you came along. It literally isn't part of the topic at all until you start ranting about it.

    You created the culture debate out of thin air. It's a straw man argument and a total non sequitur in the context of this thread. Blaming it on Irish speakers is simply a lie, a blatant fabrication on your part alone.

    Language is a method of communication. It is a code through which messages and meanings are passed on from one person or group to another. Some parts of a culture depend on language for historical context. One such example is the lore of placenames. A tradition becomes meaningless when nobody can remember where it came from. When a language is lost, that knowledge is also lost, and therefore there is a cultural impact on the surviving community.

    That's not true actually. One of the first comments I replied to in this thread, was someone talking about how we are some sort of strange anomaly among other countries in the EU, because we don't seem to "self-identify" with the Irish language the way other countries do with their traditional national tongue - which is basically just one of many interchangeable phrases used to describe what I chose to refer to as "cultural identity"....

    And their comment was not in response to any contribution I made in this thread, and completely unprompted by me.

    Whenever you question the value or status of the Irish language in society, you are invariably always confronted with how critically important it is for the survival of our "culture" "identity" "Irish-ness"... (Choose whichever terminology you wish - they essentially all mean the same basic thing).

    But almost no-one ever really questions the validity of these claims, or asks for some sort of compelling evidence to back up these assertions.

    Even you have made a very weak attempt there, to support the idea that the language has strong cultural importance. I'm really hoping that's not your strongest effort? :rolleyes:

    It's actually quite insulting to the rest of the country, to claim that speaking Irish is vitally important to our sense of Irish-ness or cultural identity... Apart from the fact that it is clearly not true, and there is no legitimate evidence to back it up... but it's also a very arrogant premise.

    If you were to buy into these claims, then apparently only the tiny % of people who speak the language fluently on a daily basis in this country, can be truly considered to be authentic Irish people... with a strong connection to their history and culture. They are the sole gatekeepers to what it really means to be Irish!

    It's frankly nonsense.

    There are millions of people in this country who do not speak Irish fluently or at all, and yet have a very strong connection to their culture and history... or their "Irishness"... apart from a few token words here and there, the Irish language actually plays very little part in how most people "self-identify" their sense of Irishness. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
    Sinn Fein brought down Stormont because of the Irish language. Mindless really.
    I think the Irish language is used as a segregation tool in this country too.
    Way too much money spent propping it and translating EU documents that nobody will ever read but that always changes during a recession.

    You won't find me agreeing with unionists on very much tbh... many of them tend to be a hugely stubborn lot overall, who don't like to compromise very much on anything really.

    However, I find myself agreeing with their stance on the Irish language up north.

    How can you justify basically replicating many of the measures that were brought in down here, just to placate a tiny subsection of society that wants have a minority language given equal status with English - when every single one of them is fluent in English?

    Look at the state of their economy up there... even just from a financial perspective, how can you justify it?

    Speaking Irish is basically just a glorified hobby... and that is the status it should be given in society. Even in this country, 50K people actively speaking it on a daily basis does not justify spending millions of taxpayers money to prop it up and keep it alive...

    There's probably more people that go out and play a round of golf at the weekend, than go out and converse fluently in the Irish language... it's a glorified hobby. ;)

    I've no problem with those who love the language and enjoy speaking it... but there is no logical reason why it should be afforded such huge national importance/status and given such huge taxpayer funding. (or forced on people - by being compulsory in schools etc)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭Hamsterchops


    This argument has been bubbling up since Irish was introduced into our education system (as a mandatory subject) in the 1930s.

    "Irish will now be our 1st official language" the new fledgling state proclaimed, this despite the fact that even by then, the old language had been dying out & replaced by English for at least 100 years . . . .

    English was by then the language of commerce, the language of business and trade in Ireland, it was the language of the educated and the masses, Irish was not our native tongue by the 1930s, and yet somehow the new State decided that we'd all somehow start speaking Irish again, which has caused much hurt & debate ever since.

    The modern climate for teaching Irish (post the 1970s) is much healthier than the fascist mindset that went before.Beating Irish into our kids was never going to work, neither was it going to give us a love for the old language.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch



    It's actually quite insulting to the rest of the country, to claim that speaking Irish is vitally important to our sense of Irish-ness or cultural identity... Apart from the fact that it is clearly not true, and there is no legitimate evidence to back it up... but it's also a very arrogant premise.

    Look at the state of their economy up there... even just from a financial perspective, how can you justify it?

    There's probably more people that go out and play a round of golf at the weekend, than go out and converse fluently in the Irish language... it's a glorified hobby. ;)

    Just editing down your post to your key arguments which all have a utilitarian basis. If you want to raid cultural discussions of their substance and come up with facile comparisons or financial metrics that's your right. All three arguments could be applied to any conservation movement, because they are not driven by utilitarian arguments and yet most of us believe that diversity is a good thing, whether that's in the environmental or cultural sphere.
    there is no logical reason why it should be afforded such huge national importance/status

    There is no utilitarian or economic argument perhaps, but that does not mean there is no logical or valid reason. Preserving the language creates fierce debate here on boards and regularly appears on media, why is that? I mentioned previously that the language is bound up with culture, not that it's the only filter of irish culture, but it is intimately connected with it.

    Only yesterday, Imelda May, a part of present day Irish musical and cultural scene, was grieving the language and vowed to improve her ability in it. When was the last time you heard a 'golf widow' grieving? Of course, the state should facilitate this. The Irish question boils down to a conservation and indeed a justice issue, most Irish people are not willing to put a 'price' on that.

    Have a read:

    Imelda May sparked the conversation by opening up about a sense of grief she felt while watching the Fleadh Cheoil on television....

    The singer told how she burst out in tears during a performance from a brother and sister Séamus Ó Flatharta and Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta, as they performed a duet of the sean-nós song ‘Eileanóir na Rún’ because she didn’t understand what they were saying.

    Speaking to Kathryn Thomas, filling in for Ray D’Arcy on RTE Radio One, she said: “I listened to it... please go and listen to it. It floored me, it was so beautiful, this brother and sister.


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    That's not true actually. One of the first comments I replied to in this thread, was someone talking about how we are some sort of strange anomaly among other countries in the EU, because we don't seem to "self-identify" with the Irish language the way other countries do with their traditional national tongue - which is basically just one of many interchangeable phrases used to describe what I chose to refer to as "cultural identity"....

    Right, let's examine this claim first. This was one of your first contributions to this thread:

    If they learned Irish first, and speak it with their family, then it is their first language. I'm not sure what way you would define first language.

    I could invent my own private language, and use it to speak with just my family members or closest friends... still doesn't make it your first language on this island as English is the only language spoken fluently by everyone.

    English is by far the most important language to learn and understand if you want to live in this country, so on that basis it is your first language.

    Mistake Number 1. You made up your own definition of "first language". A fallacy of false equivocation.

    In the face of this stark reality, most Irish speakers or enthusiasts are left with far less compelling arguments for promoting the language. There's a lot of talk about it's "cultural" significance... etc


    Mistake Number 2. You introduced the argument about "culture" despite the fact that neither Duffy nor anybody else had used the word beforehand in this thread.
    People who think our culture, or a large part of it, hangs on the survival of our dying native tongue... are really quite naive and deluded. But not just that, there is also an inherent arrogance among many of these people too. Those few "elite" who speak it fluently, like to believe that it has greater significance than it actually does...

    Mistake Number 3. You made insulting comments about other people. Both an ad hominem attack and a hasty generalisation.

    which is basically just one of many interchangeable phrases used to describe what I chose to refer to as "cultural identity"....

    Mistake Number 4. You made up your own definition of cultural identity. Another fallacy of false equivocation.
    Whenever you question the value or status of the Irish language in society, you are invariably always confronted with how critically important it is for the survival of our "culture" "identity" "Irish-ness"... (Choose whichever terminology you wish - they essentially all mean the same basic thing).

    But almost no-one ever really questions the validity of these claims, or asks for some sort of compelling evidence to back up these assertions.

    As we proved above, nobody made these claims. You introduced them in response to a very different claim.

    Therefore, Mistake Number 5. The classic Straw Man argument.
    If you were to buy into these claims, then apparently only the tiny % of people who speak the language fluently on a daily basis in this country, can be truly considered to be authentic Irish people... with a strong connection to their history and culture.

    Mistake Number 6. Setting up your position as a riposte to a "No True Scotsman" argument that had never been posited in the first place.
    Look at the state of their economy up there... even just from a financial perspective, how can you justify it?

    Mistake Number 7. A red herring. Arguing from the point of view of one potential consequence (in this case a financial one) is simply not sufficient.
    Speaking Irish is basically just a glorified hobby... and that is the status it should be given in society. Even in this country, 50K people actively speaking it on a daily basis does not justify spending millions of taxpayers money to prop it up and keep it alive...

    There's probably more people that go out and play a round of golf at the weekend, than go out and converse fluently in the Irish language... it's a glorified hobby. ;)
    The Irish language should be an interesting hobby that people take up, like stamp collecting or bird watching...

    Mistake Number 8. Argumentum ad nauseam. Repetition is an effective way to make people give up, but needling one's interlocutors to the point of frustration is not the same as winning an argument.


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    And then of course there's this.
    This is a thread about the Irish language, and I have been giving my opinions in reply to various comments within this thread. Which I am perfectly entitled to do.

    You don't like my opinions... tough sh!t.
    I gave very valid opposing views, to comments posted in this thread. Which I am entitled to do.

    If you're insulted by my opinions, that is unfortunate... but there was nothing overtly insulting about my remarks. They are just simply different views to your own on the subject.

    Show me the rule, that says every comment in this thread is required to be in favour of the Irish language? Because that is what some of you are choosing to be butthurt about...
    I am entitled to reply to comments in this thread, and give my opinions... you are choosing to interpret that as a direct attack on YOU... which it most definitely is NOT. That is how you are choosing to interpret my remarks - but your interpretation is incorrect.

    My comments are general observations about different aspects of the language - I have not "accosted" any individual choosing to speak the language.
    I do consider it a dead/dying language... that's my opinion, and I am entitled to it.

    The difference between me, and some of you guys... is that some of you guys are obsessed with language... where as I feel more passionately about communication.

    And there can be quite a bit of difference between those two things. :)

    There is a grotesque irony in claims of "arrogance" from one who insists so much on their own sense of entitlement.

    Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but they also have a responsibility to consider the flaws in it when presented with logical alternatives.
    My comments are general observations about different aspects of the language - I have not "accosted" any individual choosing to speak the language.

    This is technically true, but only in the sense that you insulted everyone who speaks the language with terms like "tough sh!t", "butthurt", "arrogant", "naive", "obsessed", and "deluded". That's an impressive amount of insults for one man in one thread.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,644 ✭✭✭Penfailed


    .

    Bravo! *applause*

    Gigs '24 - Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball (Gomez), The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Smashing Pumpkins/Weezer, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Stendhal Festival, Forest Fest, Electric Picnic, Pixies, Ride, Therapy?, Public Service Broadcasting, IDLES(x2), And So I Watch You From Afar



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,285 ✭✭✭paul71


    Another issue with his tone is the deliberate and repeated claim that people "choose" to learn Irish, this is egregious.

    The Irish speaking community have Irish as their first language and "choose" to learn English.

    There may be a point in the future were they choose a second language more relevant to our society in the next generation such as German or Spainish, instead of English.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,245 ✭✭✭Gretas Gonna Get Ya!


    Just editing down your post to your key arguments which all have a utilitarian basis. If you want to raid cultural discussions of their substance and come up with facile comparisons or financial metrics that's your right. All three arguments could be applied to any conservation movement, because they are not driven by utilitarian arguments and yet most of us believe that diversity is a good thing, whether that's in the environmental or cultural sphere.

    There is no utilitarian or economic argument perhaps, but that does not mean there is no logical or valid reason. Preserving the language creates fierce debate here on boards and regularly appears on media, why is that? I mentioned previously that the language is bound up with culture, not that it's the only filter of irish culture, but it is intimately connected with it.

    Only yesterday, Imelda May, a part of present day Irish musical and cultural scene, was grieving the language and vowed to improve her ability in it. When was the last time you heard a 'golf widow' grieving? Of course, the state should facilitate this. The Irish question boils down to a conservation and indeed a justice issue, most Irish people are not willing to put a 'price' on that.

    Have a read:

    Imelda May sparked the conversation by opening up about a sense of grief she felt while watching the Fleadh Cheoil on television....

    The singer told how she burst out in tears during a performance from a brother and sister Séamus Ó Flatharta and Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta, as they performed a duet of the sean-nós song ‘Eileanóir na Rún’ because she didn’t understand what they were saying.

    Speaking to Kathryn Thomas, filling in for Ray D’Arcy on RTE Radio One, she said: “I listened to it... please go and listen to it. It floored me, it was so beautiful, this brother and sister.

    But the overwhelming reason for maintaining a language, is for it's utilitarian purpose.

    Where is the cultural merit in plowing obscene amounts of money into the Irish language?

    If a group of tourists travel to the west of Ireland, and they want to learn more about Irish culture, history and traditions... what language are you going to use to converse with those people? Are you going to refuse to speak English to them?

    So even in that cultural context, when you are attempting to give someone a deeper understanding of our history and traditions... English is still the most important language that you need to get those things across to people. Not Irish!

    You may throw in a few token Irish words/phrase... but that's it. It's just tokenism... The very same as almost everyone else that uses some Irish outside of daily use in the Gaeltacht... Tokenism. Wrapped up in misguided ideals of patriotism/national pride.

    Learning a language on it's own doesn't give you a greater appreciation of that culture. Which is why I argue that speaking Irish doesn't make you any more Irish, or give you a deeper understanding of your "Irishness"... Language is a tool for communication - through that communication is how you gain an appreciation for a particular culture.

    So for example, if I wanted to immerse myself in say French culture... it would make logical sense for me to learn some French. Because it's the most widely spoken language across France, and many French people would actually refuse to speak English to me... so I might struggle to get a true authentic experience of France or deep understanding of French culture without learning to communicate in French!

    But learning the French language in and of itself, is not what makes me more culturally aware or connected to that country... it's the ability to effectively communicate with more people!

    The same argument cannot really be made for something like Irish, because 96% of our country speaks English as their preferred language of daily communication... and even the remaining 4% that prefer Irish as their 1st language, are all completely fluent in English and do not refuse to speak English when tourists travel into their region!

    I have travelled all over this country, including the gaeltacht areas... I have completely immersed myself in those regions and soaked up lots of knowledge... but I never required Irish in order to gain any of that understanding. Everyone I encountered was perfectly happy to speak English with me!

    If Irish was essential to my ability to connect with my country and its culture, history and traditions... how did I manage to to accomplish this without learning any Irish?

    paul71 wrote: »
    Another issue with his tone is the deliberate and repeated claim that people "choose" to learn Irish, this is egregious.

    The Irish speaking community have Irish as their first language and "choose" to learn English.

    There may be a point in the future were they choose a second language more relevant to our society in the next generation such as German or Spainish, instead of English.

    Yes, but you did choose to learn English didn't you! ;)

    Because despite your emotional attachment to Irish, you do still have a logical and rational part to your brain... you know it would be foolish from a practical point of view, to not learn a language spoken by 96% of the nation as their preferred language of daily communication.

    That is part of the problem when attempting to have a logical and rational discussion about the Irish language in this country... too many of you guys do not argue using logic or sound reasoning... it's mostly just emotional arguments.

    According to many Irish language enthusiasts, Irish is just as important as English... despite English being spoken by a far greater number of people on this Island and everywhere else... but that criteria doesn't give it greater importance, right?

    And yet, when considering what language you might choose to learn instead of English as a 2nd language... you unconsciously picked German and Spanish... two languages spoken by tens of millions of people! (In the case of Spanish, maybe even hundreds of millions) ;)

    Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think there are roughly 24 officially recognised languages in the European Union... ?

    So you guys believe in the idea of multilingualism, right? But a no one language is more important than another based on how many people speak that language or how many regions of the world it's spoken in, right?

    So let's say my goal is to become multilingual... what languages would you advise me to learn? And what would be your criteria for choosing those particular languages?

    Why learn say, German/Spanish/French/Italian and Portuguese.... when I could learn Latvian/Hungarian/Finnish/Estonian and Maltese ??

    Irish is just as important as English, right? So Latvian or Estonian is just as important as German or Spanish, right? :rolleyes:

    I am simply applying the flawed logic used by people promoting and defending the Irish language... And when applied in a wider context, you can clearly see how ridiculous those claims are.

    You cannot make an argument for learning Irish as a tool for mass communication... or even regional communication, as every Irish person is fluent in English - and quite happy to speak it with anyone who arrives on our shores.

    You could actually make an argument for some of those other regional languages, because some of those countries actually do have widespread use of their mother tongue... and their English isn't always fluent.

    And as I've already explained, Irish is not essential for anyone wishing to fully immerse themselves in our culture or learn about our history and traditions... You only need a decent fluency in English to achieve that objective.

    Suggesting that all languages have equal importance, is frankly nonsensical... and if you really believed this, and believed in multilingualism... then why stop at learning 5 languages? If all languages have equal importance, why not learn all 24 official languages of the European Union?

    When I suggested a very practical idea of one universal language... many of you laughed at me.

    Yet if we take your multilingualism ideals to their extreme - and give equal value and importance to every unique language... as is suggested with the Irish language... then all Europeans should aim to master 24 languages?

    And there is no reason for say a French person, for example, to master English before they master Irish... because Irish is just as important as English, right? :p

    See this is what happens when you are emotionally attached to a language... you don't think logically...

    I'm not emotionally attached to English... it's just a useful tool for mass communication. And for that very same reason, I have no motivation to learn Irish... as it serves no useful purpose for any reason that I would need a language.

    The only way you can convince anyone outside of the gaeltacht regions to learn Irish, is to appeal to a misguided sense of patriotism/national pride... that speaking Irish will make them feel "more Irish"... which is a lie, but a small % of people will swallow that particular lie....

    Most people will not however... hence why there is so much apathy towards the language. It's not hatred towards our culture or history... just simple pragmatism and common sense. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch


    But the overwhelming reason for maintaining a language, is for it's utilitarian purpose.

    No, it's not. The reason why things (including languages) become endangered and in need of support is because of utilitarian purposes.

    You skipped the points in my post regarding conservation, diversity and justice entirely so I refer you to it again!
    Learning a language on it's own doesn't give you a greater appreciation of that culture. Which is why I argue that speaking Irish doesn't make you any more Irish, or give you a deeper understanding of your "Irishness"... Language is a tool for communication - through that communication is how you gain an appreciation for a particular culture.

    So for example, if I wanted to immerse myself in say French culture... it would make logical sense for me to learn some French...

    But learning the French language in and of itself, is not what makes me more culturally aware or connected to that country... it's the ability to effectively communicate with more people!

    If Irish was essential to my ability to connect with my country and its culture, history and traditions... how did I manage to to accomplish this without learning any Irish?

    You admit that if you want to immerse yourself in French culture you would learn French. There is a corollary here. If you wanted to immerse yourself fully in Irish culture you would need to learn *both* Irish and English.

    Regarding your trip around Ireland, I think you have missed out the full experience. Try going to the Oireachtas sometime if you want a taster of what else is out there.

    I also refer to my Imelda May example in my previous post that you skipped over.


    Regarding your other points about "obscene" amounts of money etc... you enjoy building the straw man don't you!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭Hamsterchops


    Peig Sayers.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,285 ✭✭✭paul71


    So you admit not speaking and claim that Irish is dead and not spoken, when you could not tell the difference between Irish, Polish, Czech, or Slovakian. I am in my late 40s, in my first 25 hearing Irish was a rarity around Dublin and its suburbs, it is now fairly common, I hear it in Maynooth, Blanchardstown, City Center, Leixlip, Trim, Navan. Pretty much everywhere every couple of days.

    Due largely to change that has occurred in Primary schools with 160 Irish speaking Primary schools and 11,000 current pupils with an intake now of 2,500 per year and growing. There are about 100,000 have have passed through these schools in the last 25 years. They cost the same as an English speaking school.

    You have stated you have an opinion are entitled to it, you don't have an opinion you have a prejudice that flies in the face of facts. Irish is on the increase and that is a fact in spite of your prejudice.


  • Registered Users Posts: 72 ✭✭StefanFal


    I cannot speak a single word of English.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    "One of the best things about speaking Irish with fellow native speakers is being able to relax, have the banter, and converse in my native tongue without having the conversation dominated by the topic of the language itself, or how this beautiful language gets mixed up with the awful type of small-minded nationalism you tend to find with the Neo Gaeilgeoir types. Think beard, glasses, leather patches on their corduroy jacket, corduroy pants; no sense of humour, a fetish for Pearse, and the personality of a fúcking rock."

    Beautiful. Couldn't have put it better myself.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,644 ✭✭✭Penfailed


    .

    There's not very much of what you typed that stands up to much scrutiny. Although much it was somewhat repetitive, it was so long, with so many holes in the argument, that it's actually difficult to construct a cogent response. I'm going to pass. I really can't be bothered. You've got a mindset that isn't going to change either way.

    Gigs '24 - Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball (Gomez), The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Smashing Pumpkins/Weezer, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Stendhal Festival, Forest Fest, Electric Picnic, Pixies, Ride, Therapy?, Public Service Broadcasting, IDLES(x2), And So I Watch You From Afar



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Another question:

    Who was the last bilingual person who was born and lived a normal lifespan in Ireland, never elsewhere, and who spoke no English? Im not talking about some child born here to Polish or Brazilian parents who was taken back to the old country at age two.

    Here is my candidate:

    "Long" Annie Teskey (1765-1880) of Rathkeale was a member of the Palatine community. I would take the 1765 birth date with a small grain of salt. It would make her 115 at death. People weren't very good on their birth dates at that time.
    She was the last Limerick Palatine speaker of German and also spoke fluent Irish. I have read that she spoke no English


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,402 ✭✭✭McGinniesta


    How are they going to answer this thread?


  • Registered Users Posts: 295 ✭✭gourcuff


    Is there a better example of complete cultural obliteration than what the english did in Ireland?

    you have to hand it to them, if you wanted to completely eradicate a culture, language, placenames, people, - could you have done a better job
    ??


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    Peig Sayers.

    I'm 4 chapters into her book this week. It's nowhere near as awful as everyone makes it out to be!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,215 ✭✭✭khalessi


    I'm 4 chapters into her book this week. It's nowhere near as awful as everyone makes it out to be!

    I think Peig's story is amazing for the culture and history, what a hard life, but I always thought it should be have been on the 1st year university syllabus. Grammatically it was too difficult for secondary school.


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,914 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    khalessi wrote: »
    I think Peig's story is amazing for the culture and history, what a hard life, but I always thought it should be have been on the 1st year university syllabus. Grammatically it was too difficult for secondary school.

    Yeah, there's a lot of use of the synthetic verb forms. Some localised spelling differences are odd as well compared to the Caighdeán, like "mísleáin" for sweets instead of "milseáin".


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭Hamsterchops


    khalessi wrote: »
    I think Peig's story is amazing for the culture and history, what a hard life, but I always thought it should be have been on the 1st year university syllabus. Grammatically it was too difficult for secondary school.

    ...but back in the 70s it was boring as hell, like really boring for secondary school kids, in the colourful world of glam rock & Raleigh Choppers nobody had any interest in an old woman on an island speaking in Irish ... add to that the threat of corporal punishment if you couldn't translate, and it all adds up to a depressing memory :(

    Not the best way to ingratiate the old language to the younger generation.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,807 ✭✭✭ShatterAlan


    Since English is a compulsory subject in school then I doubt it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,067 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    ...but back in the 70s it was boring as hell, like really boring for secondary school kids, in the colourful world of glam rock & Raleigh Choppers nobody had any interest in an old woman on an island speaking in Irish ... add to that the threat of corporal punishment if you couldn't translate, and it all adds up to a depressing memory :(

    Not the best way to ingratiate the old language to the younger generation.

    maybe if they re-wrote it and spiced it up a bit, have Peig go off to Santa Barbara and become a star in the adult entertainment industry or something similar


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    gourcuff wrote: »
    Is there a better example of complete cultural obliteration than what the english did in Ireland?

    you have to hand it to them, if you wanted to completely eradicate a culture, language, placenames, people, - could you have done a better job
    ??

    At post 218 I tried to take this thread back to what OP intended it for, but it seems hopeless.
    I believe OP would have been better advised to open the thread in Gaeilge or History and Heritage.
    Why? Because these threads always attract trolls and arseholes who have clearly been damaged by their school experience of Irish (my word, how obviously damaged!) and who don't have the manners or the decency to pursue therapy by opening a relevant thread elsewhere. We have had at least one here. And those who want to whine about 800 years' oppression of the language are simply attracting the gob****es from the other side, feeding the trolls..
    I have made reports about this thread which have simply been ignored, for what reason I don't know, and without the courtesy of a response or a reason offered. Why? Surely not because the trolling is well thought of? Even the Chief Justice has prejudices, but leaves them outside the door when he enters the courtroom.
    I know one thing. If I went into a golf thread or a UFO thread to tell the folks their stuff was crap I would get very, very short shrift, and rightly so.
    Please stay on topic.
    Thank you.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 10,418 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jim2007


    I also told them to just ignore whatever their teacher says about the “rules” and pronunciation and all that rubbish and just talk to each other. They’re never going to learn how to speak if they’re learning grammar!
    “Ní” means “no” which stigmatises girls.

    Your second post explains how wrong your first one is!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,260 ✭✭✭Kaybaykwah


    mike_ie wrote: »
    Fadó fadó, I worked tarring the roads on the Aran Islands when I was a teenager (mid 90's), and a few of the local council labourers there could speak Irish, but not a lick of English. It surprised me too because up until then, any Irish speaker I'd met could also speak English. Chatting to them about it while we were working, they told me they never had the need to learn - older generation (possibly early 60's at the time), furthest they'd go would be to the local pub and back home, never really had any need to go to the mainland. Good chance what is left of that generation has died out now though.


    Yes, I was on Inishmore in 1981, and went to a chapel in Kilronan where the missals were all in Irish, no English translation. The most striking thing about the islanders was their tip of the head to salute was so infinitesimal as to be nonexistent, like I had dreamed it. Very funny, and memorable.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,202 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    If you wanted to immerse yourself fully in Irish culture you would need to learn *both* Irish and English.

    !


    You've got it. We don't want to immerse ourselves in every part of Irish culture. There are some parts of Irish culture we don't like.

    I am not talking about ....me specifically but as a nation in general.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    You've got it. We don't want to immerse ourselves in every part of Irish culture. There are some parts of Irish culture we don't like.

    I am not talking about ....me specifically but as a nation in general.

    Ok. We get that, thanks.

    Have you anything to say about the subject matter of the thread?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,202 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    feargale wrote: »
    Ok. We get that, thanks.

    Have you anything to say about the subject matter of the thread?
    I have in previous posts in the thread. :)

    I would be rehashing i think at this stage.

    One interesting thing.

    I lived in spain for a while. And in catalonia ....you would find people who didn't speak spanish ..it was rare but in a language where 10 million speakers ...6 million of which live in catalonia itself ..it happens. But it was unknown to find a catalan who didn't speak another language besides catalan ..they might speak french etc rather than spanish.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,306 ✭✭✭bobbyy gee


    does Latin count instead of english


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,202 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    bobbyy gee wrote: »
    does Latin count instead of english
    Of course. :)

    In fact it was the case that a lot of Irish speakers could speak latin ..but not english at one point ..some far distant point in history tho ..i think anyway..


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    A high-ranking armada fugitive from Sligo was astonished that the chieftain McGuire could converse with him in Latin and greek.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Sorry to flood the thread but I think this is very interesting.


    From the data, second language (L2) speakers can be calculated by looking at the difference between native and total speakers, as a proportion of the total. For example, 66% of English speakers learned it as a second language.

    Swahili surprisingly has the highest ratio of L2 speakers to total speakers—although it only has 16 million native speakers, this shoots up to 98 million total speakers. Overall, 82% of Swahili speakers know it as a second language.

    Swahili is listed as a national or official language in several African countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s likely that the movement of people from rural areas into big cities in search of better economic opportunities, is what’s boosting the adoption of Swahili as a second language.

    Indonesian is another similar example. With a 78% proportion of L2 speakers compared to total speakers, this variation on the Malay language has been used as the lingua franca across the islands for a long time. In contrast, only 17% of Mandarin speakers know it as a second language, perhaps because it is one of the most challenging languages to learn.


    Now, I wonder what the corresponding figures are for Irish. I'm talking about people who can genuinely speak the language, not the cůpla focal cohort.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,285 ✭✭✭paul71


    feargale wrote: »
    A high-ranking armada fugitive from Sligo was astonished that the chieftain McGuire could converse with him in Latin and greek.

    Grainne Mhaols meeting with Elizebeth 1 was conducted in Latin.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,215 ✭✭✭khalessi


    paul71 wrote: »
    Grainne Mhaols meeting with Elizebeth 1 was conducted in Latin.

    Apparently Elizabeth I also knew some Irish, even though the heathens were a thorn in her side.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,285 ✭✭✭paul71


    khalessi wrote: »
    Apparently Elizabeth I also knew some Irish, even though the heathens were a thorn in her side.

    It was the second language of her Kingdom and her Heirs Kingdom until 1850 so only appropriate.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,202 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Well the 2016 census indicates that 73000 people speak irish daily out of the total irish population.

    111,000 roughly who speak it weekly.
    A total of 63,664 persons (aged 3 or over) or 66.3 per cent of persons in the Gaeltacht areas said that they could speak Irish in 2016. That is 66% of the gaeltacht


    I don't count people outside of the gaeltacht who say they speak it less than weekly ...simply they don't REALLY speak it regularly enough.

    In reality that makes it 2% of the population. I think a lot of Irish speakers might be older or not be fluent enough to use an ATM in Irish. So ..i will double the 1%.


    Also .... https://www.thejournal.ie/irish-language-bank-3570505-Aug2017/

    When Irish was an Option for Atms ...less than 1% of customers used it.

    Obv not all people particularly older people would use ATMS as ....well they just are not used to them.

    So 2% ..might be about right.

    37s5g.jpg


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,482 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Having to press Irish or English every time was so fcuking annoying. If they want a language option it should be encoded on the card.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Having to press Irish or English every time was so fcuking annoying. If they want a language option it should be encoded on the card.
    Jaypers that's a chore alright. But if you think that's bad, when I was your age, to change the TV channel I had to walk all the way from the sofa over to the TV set, wheel the knob and walk all the way back again.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Well the 2016 census indicates that 73000 people speak irish daily out of the total irish population.

    111,000 roughly who speak it weekly.

    If you were intending to respond to post 236 you are missing the point in quoting 2%.

    My question relates to this, as posted: "From the data, second language (L2) speakers can be calculated by looking at the difference between native and total speakers, as a proportion of the total. For example, 66% of English speakers learned it as a second language."

    The question is not what percentage of the total population speaks Irish as L2, but what percentage of all Irish speakers are L2 speakers. All those who are every day speakers are not necessarily L1 speakers. I appreciate that it may be very difficult if not impossible to divine this information but maybe it is capable of an educated guess.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,482 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    feargale wrote: »
    Jaypers that's a chore alright. But if you think that's bad, when I was your age, to change the TV channel I had to walk all the way from the sofa over to the TV set, wheel the knob and walk all the way back again.

    :rolleyes:

    The usual bullsh!t instead of engaging with the question asked, but that's the Irish language lobby all over.

    So why can't they encode language preference in the card?

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,285 ✭✭✭paul71


    :rolleyes:

    The usual bullsh!t instead of engaging with the question asked, but that's the Irish language lobby all over.

    So why can't they encode language preference in the card?

    Ok engage with the issue. Press 1 button. How is that difficult?

    Usual anti Irish language rubbish, search for an issue where there is none.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,012 ✭✭✭uch


    I find it very funny that people feel there is an Irish language Lobby, but fail to see that there are Irish language speakers who couldn't give a Feic

    21/25



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,482 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    paul71 wrote: »
    Ok engage with the issue. Press 1 button. How is that difficult?

    Usual anti Irish language rubbish, search for an issue where there is none.

    Press an extra button causing delay at an ATM where people may be fearful of mugging, because less than 1% of users need to impose that choice upon everyone else.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    Press an extra button causing delay at an ATM where people may be fearful of mugging, because less than 1% of users need to impose that choice upon everyone else.

    There you have it, folks. You Gaeilgeoiri have blood on your hands :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,721 ✭✭✭StupidLikeAFox


    uch wrote: »
    I find it very funny that people feel there is an Irish language Lobby, but fail to see that there are Irish language speakers who couldn't give a Feic

    Sorry but I was with you up until that last word, are you polish or what?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,245 ✭✭✭Gretas Gonna Get Ya!


    feargale wrote: »
    If you were intending to respond to post 236 you are missing the point in quoting 2%.

    My question relates to this, as posted: "From the data, second language (L2) speakers can be calculated by looking at the difference between native and total speakers, as a proportion of the total. For example, 66% of English speakers learned it as a second language."

    The question is not what percentage of the total population speaks Irish as L2, but what percentage of all Irish speakers are L2 speakers. All those who are every day speakers are not necessarily L1 speakers. I appreciate that it may be very difficult if not impossible to divine this information but maybe it is capable of an educated guess.

    4% of our tiny population speaks the language as their daily method of communication.

    This is why I quite often argue, that the Irish language is not actually particularly important either as a tool for mass communication or as a tool for promoting Irish culture/heritage.

    Because so few people can/do speak the language on a daily basis, if you wanted to allocate funds for promoting Irish culture/history/heritage (call it what you will)... it actually doesn't make much sense to produce these things in the Irish language.

    English is actually the most practical and sensible language to use when promoting Irish culture, as it gives you the best possible chance of reaching the largest audience - particularly with tourism etc. And yet the fanatical gaeilgeoir types ignore this logic when attempting to promote Irish culture.

    You could pick many examples, but let's take comedy as one example... (it is classified under the art and culture sector btw)

    Let's say you produced Father Ted as an Irish language show, instead of English.... Which is not a particularly crazy idea, as the show was written and produced by two Irish writers and set on a fictional Island off the west coast... so would have been ideal as an Irish language show.

    That show has millions of fans around the world, including people like Steven Spielberg, Jim Carrey, Steve Martin... (Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees was even buried with a DVD box set of the show!) :pac:

    But if you produced that show in Irish, you would have denied millions of these people the chance to enjoy a great example of Irish humour. And yet, producing the show in English doesn't stop any Irish language enthusiasts from enjoying it... because, as we all know, they're all fluent in English!

    The argument behind pouring money into art or cultural projects produced in the Irish language, with the principal aim of promoting Irish culture/heritage/history etc, just doesn't make much logical sense... your target audience for the Irish language is always going to be tiny.

    English is the best language to use, when promoting Irish culture... but this simple logic is lost on fanatical gaeilgeoir types, who are blinded by their emotional attachment to their ancient language. And it's pretty much pointless trying to have a common sense discussion, with anyone who forms their arguments based on emotion rather than logic! ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch



    English is actually the most practical and sensible language to use when promoting Irish culture, as it gives you the best possible chance of reaching the largest audience - particularly with tourism etc. And yet the fanatical gaeilgeoir types ignore this logic when attempting to promote Irish culture.

    English is the best language to use, when promoting Irish culture... but this simple logic is lost on fanatical gaeilgeoir types, who are blinded by their emotional attachment to their ancient language. And it's pretty much pointless trying to have a common sense discussion, with anyone who forms their arguments based on emotion rather than logic! ;)

    You speak as if translating Irishness into English hasnt been tried before.... despite the facts that any translator will tell you..... There are no direct translations between languages. Why do you think there are hundreds of differing translations of the world's most famous book, the Bible?

    Let's focus on your logical reasons and one that's right in front of your nose. Look out the window, whereever you are in Ireland. Find the irish name for location. It's almost certain to be more logical and informative than the English version.

    If you go the mountains like I do, it's a lot more helpful for me when I can pickout Céim na mBulóg (pass of the bullocks) or Bruach na Binne (verge of the peak) instead of the mumbo jumbo English names of these beautiful summits in our landscape.... Camenabologue & Broaghnabinnia.

    Knowing Irish grounds you.... to our land and to our traditions and it is beautiful.


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