GAEILGE 2016 Léargas ar theanga bheo IRISH 2016 An insight into a living language Réamhrá • Introduction Ferdie Mac an Fhailigh Féiniúlacht bain3 indibhidiúlacht (An foclóir beag 1991) Tá tuiscintí éagsúla ann ar cad is féiniúlacht ann agus mar a thuigeann muid é. Cuireann daoine áirithe síos air mar an tuiscint atá ag duine ar an ghaol aici/aige leis an domhan, mar atá an gaol sin tógtha mar a thuigeann an duine iad féin agus na deiseanna acu don todhchaí. Creideann daoine eile gurb é teanga agus oidhreacht an duine mar an chuid is tábhachtaí d’ár bhféiniúlacht. Is ann a chruthaítear an dearcadh againn orainn féin áit a múnlaítear ár ndearcadh orainn féin agus ar an domhan. Is é an lionsa fríd a ndearcann muid orainn féin agus ar an domhan. Is é a deir cé muid agus cad as dúinn. Identity: e set of characteristics by which a person or thing is deWnitively recognizable or known (e free Dictionary) ere are various views on what “identity” means and how we under- stand it. Some explain it as as a person's understanding of his/her relationship to the world, how this relationship is constructed, how the person understands themselves and their possibilities for the future. Others view language alongside heritage as the deWning factor in our identity. It is essentially the place where our sense of ourselves, our subjectivity, is constructed. It is the lens through which we view ourselves and the world. It is essentially what makes us who and what we are. Sraith colún atá san iris seo a choimisiúnaigh Foras na Gaeilge chun léargas a thabhairt ar thuairimí i leith na Gaeilge agus ar ról na féiniúlachta sa bhliain 2016. Foilsíodh na colúin uile a chéad uair i bhfoilseacháin náisiúnta in Éirinn GAEILGE 2016 agus atá curtha le chéile anseo faoi choimirce Fhoras na Gaeilge. Léargas ar theanga bheo IRISH 2016 An insight into a living language This magazine is a series of columns commissioned by Foras na Gaeilge go give an insight into attitudes to the Irish language and the role of identity in 2016. All of the columns were published for the first time in national publications in Ireland and are gathered together here under the auspices of Foras na Gaeilge. Be rnard Dunne 4 Páidí Ó Lionáird 7 Máire Mhic Ghiolla Íosa 10 Dónall Ó Braonáin 16 Joe McHugh 19 Jen Ní Mhathúna 22 Linda Ervine 25 Our language, our jou rney –An insight into a living language Be rnard Dunne o when I lived in Los Angeles in the good aul US of A back in 2001, I noticed something quite alarming about myself. LA was and is S full of many different nationalities, much like Ireland is today, and when these people from different nations met with someone from their own country they immediately conversed in their mother tongue. ‘Náire’ or shame in English came upon me when I realised that I could not speak any of my own language. Gaeilge is a funny thing. It’s our country’s national tongue and we start learning it from the age of 5 and continue learning it throughout our next 13 years in school. Most, including myself, end up leaving school with little or no comprehension of the language. We would have a puzzled look on our face if someone spoke to us on the street with our own language. We use excuses like it is too hard to learn, it’s not taught well, it’s rammed down our throats and that it is no good to you later on in life for getting a job. is last one is probably the most problematic for the language to thrive. When faced with the choice of learning the language of our ancestors for an increased sense of pride and belonging, or learning a language which will help one gain employment, it’s clear which choice people are making. Pride, identity or a feeling of belonging is something we only start 4 It’s all of these thing to feel when we get older. It was in LA when equally that make me I got this feeling or sense of lacking identity. proud to be Irish. Our What was it that made me proud to be an Irish man? language though is as Was it that sense of community in our important as anything neighbourhoods, our humour, the fact that else to me and my we have many famous poets/scholars, our identity as an Irish lovely countryside, the way we punch above person. It’s as much a our weight on a sporting level around the world or the fact that we are a resilient part of our country as people ,who, having faced many challenges our music, or love of we still manage to raise ourselves up and Gaelic games, art and smile. our geography. It took It’s all of these thing equally that make for me, to travel the me proud to be Irish. Our language though world to realise this. is as important as anything else to me and my identity as an Irish person. It’s as much a part of our country as our music, or love of Gaelic games, art and our geography. It took for me, to travel the world to realise this. Young children in school should be immersed in & taught in the language of Irish. I’m talking about kids as young as 5-12 going through primary school with Irish. After that they can decide what they want to do but they will be Xuent so the studying of it in secondary school could nearly become a specialist sort of study. is complete immersion in the language will help give young people a sense of pride in their language, culture and their country. 3 years ago I did a show called Bród Club . It was a national campaign aimed at trying to encourage others who like myself had little or no Irish but were wanting to improve their vocabulary even on just a basic level. To this day I still get people, albeit mainly the older generation, coming up and trying to talk with me with whatever Irish that they have. And the big theme from most of these conversations is that they wished they worked more on their Gaeilge. Des Bishop did fantastic work with the language when he made the programme In the Name of the Fada . Moving to a Gaeltacht for 1 year he demonstrated that even a man who did not have to study Irish in school could learn the language. Sometimes I think our hang ups about the language are more drawn from the past and stories that kids grow up hearing. I believe that we have to look to the future with not just our language but also our identity. ere are now many new ethnic groups in Ireland and many 5 languages spoken by these new Irish citizens. Irish identity is changing and maybe so too is our relationship with our language. We need to try to encourage the language to move along with this change. Our young people need to be giving more chances to use their language rather than just a 40 min class a day or every 2nd day isn’t enough to encourage young people to speak it. ey need inspiration from social events where the language can be used. Language can help people identify more with the cultures of this country. But they need to be exposed to the language in a fun and engaging way. I understand there are those who feel the language is not needed as part of our schools, our lives or our identity. Its different strokes for different folks I suppose, as I feel our language is hugely important to us as a nation. I take pride in the fact that both my children will grow up Xuent in our national language and I believe that it is a gift that will keep on giving to them in their lives. It’s not about just trying to keep the language alive. It’s about preserving our culture, our history, and our identity. I for one feel that I am doing something, however little, to try and help this. First published in e Herald 6 Ár dTeanga, Ár nOidhreacht – Léargas ar theanga bheo Páidí Ó Lionáird airnéalach. Sin an focal ar theip orm smaoineamh air nuair a bhí an crú ar an tairne. Bhíos 11 nó 12 b’fhéidir agus mé i rang 5 nó M 6 i Scoil Naomh Abán, Baile Mhic Íre, i bparóiste Bhaile Mhúirne. Ábhar náire a bhí ann. Ní domsa, áfach, ach don bPríomhoide, an Máistir Mac an Mhaoir. Bhí an cigire, Séamus Mac Gearailt i láthair — é ag Wosrú cumas nó easpa cumais Gaeilge na scoile. Níorbh ábhar náire domsa é nach raibh focal agam ar dhuine a bheadh ag caitheamh a shaoil ar muir; domsa, níor bhain sé le gnáthrithim an tsaoil. Tá Baile Bhúirne le cois scór míle ón bhfarraige — an Neidín, siar ó dheas, an áit is gaire dúinn. Dá bharr sin, ní raibh an fharraige ná slite beatha na ndaoine uirthi lárnach ná Wú imeallach i mo shaolsa. Bhí isteach is amach le seacht mbliana caite ar scoil agam faoin tráth seo agus Wos maith agam go raibh rud éigin difriúil fúm. B’fhéidir gur chóir go mbeadh m’fhoclóir níos forbartha, níos leithne agus níos doimhne ná mar a bhí — ní raibh agus sin mar a bhí — ach ní raibh aon Bhéarla in aon chor agam nuair a chuas ar scoil an chéad lá riamh.