Irish after the LC

Ck1989

I don't think I'll ever want to speak Irish again, incompetent teachers during my 14 years of education has left me a little more than disenchanted with the language. Don't feel it should be compulsory either, pure torture and a waste of school time that could've been better spent on other subjects! Maybe if it was taught differently - I know more French now after 6 years of learning it than twice as long with Irish.

MrsSDelonge

I HATE it....Dyle if you're in this thread>>>>BOREFEST 2008:p

lovechem

I'm deffo gonna keep speaking it. Its really handy when your on hols when you wanna talk about other people without them knowing :pac::pac: that and you know the whole tír gan teanga tír gan anam shizzzzzzzzz.

thomasjad

This time Tuesday I'll be so hyper,I've waited so long for the day I never have to speak it again!:D

steve_bhoy

ill definately keep it up...im in an all irish school so the exam isnt too bad but i love being able to speak our native tongue and would hate to leave it!
you have to admit its pretty cool being able to speak a language that so few can speak...its a privilege:D

quoteunquote

Twee. wrote: »

Also it's pretty much a secret language i foreign countries

I agree. Anyone else guilty of saying "an bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas" a lot when trying to sound fluent in a foreign country?

1huge1

estebancambias wrote: »

I did ordinary level a year ago, and now can nearly(a bit yet) speak it fluently.

Des Bishop is that you?

As for me Ive been terrible at it my whole life, I guess I just resented the fact that it was forced on you, and me and my rebelious self (ahem) just didn't do anything for it because of that.
Dropped down to pass in 2nd year, havent done any work in it since my junior cert and I deffo wont be using it for points in my leaving.

Caoimhe89

Okay, it's probably cos I've been completely schooled through Irish, but I can't imagine that I'll stop speaking Irish after the LC. I was even thinking of applying for the Irish rooms in Trinity (until my parents told me they wouldn't give me a cent to move about five miles into the centre of the city when I can get the luas in every morning). Also, I had the most fascinating Irish teacher who tried, for the most part, to really try and make us love the language. Irish, for the most part, was so different from other classes; we spent class after class discussing films, books, reports in Foinse through Irish. Though we were lucky cos the poems only took one class to do, and Scothscealta took about three weeks to finish.

I HATE the Irish course, but more just cos the poetry is shallow and stupid, the prose even more so (except for Lig Sinn i gCathu, a classic story) and Scothscealta is a despair-fest. I like Stair na Gaeilge (but I love history, so I'm completely biased).

And it makes me sad to think that for most people, Irish is just something you learn off for one exam and then never think about again. It's a really really beautiful language, and, despite what some might say, a really strong part of our culture that we should try and protect.

PurpleFistMixer

1huge1 wrote: »

As for me Ive been terrible at it my whole life, I guess I just resented the fact that it was forced on you, and me and my rebelious self (ahem) just didn't do anything for it because of that.

I'm assuming you did nothing for maths and english as well, then? Sure why not just drop out of school because you're forced to go...

Caoimhe89 wrote: »

I was even thinking of applying for the Irish rooms in Trinity (until my parents told me they wouldn't give me a cent to move about five miles into the centre of the city when I can get the luas in every morning).

I live a 30 minute bus trip from TCD, but I applied for the rooms anyway, they emailed me the other week to tell me I'm on the waiting list, so who knows...

Caoimhe89 wrote: »

Irish, for the most part, was so different from other classes; we spent class after class discussing films, books, reports in Foinse through Irish. Though we were lucky cos the poems only took one class to do, and Scothscealta took about three weeks to finish.

The advantage of going to a gaelscoil! In my Irish class we spent about a week on each poem, and A Thig Ná Tit Orm, despite the fact that we did the shortened version, took the majority of sixth year... I would have loved to have classes where we could just chat about things in Irish, but we didn't have any time.

LayLay

No. Irish by far is my worst and least favourite subject.

KnifeWRENCH

A year after the LC I have never needed Irish so I haven't spoken it or read it. And it is kind of a pity because I was quite good at it.
The syllabus isn't great tbh, there should be more emphasis on grammar (I made a lot of grammatical errors because we were never taught it properly), on oral Irish and on modern Irish literature/culture.

Caoimhe89

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

The advantage of going to a gaelscoil! In my Irish class we spent about a week on each poem, and A Thig Ná Tit Orm, despite the fact that we did the shortened version, took the majority of sixth year... I would have loved to have classes where we could just chat about things in Irish, but we didn't have any time.

Ah, the advantages of a gaelscoil! That and the LC Aural! But maybe that's what they should do, just shorten the course so people can actually learn the language instead of tons of poems/novels/prose etc.

Dr. Baltar

Irish is a beutiful language and I would love to see the day when it becomes fluently spoken throughout the country.
I have to agree with everyone here though, Irish is taught absolutely horrendously.
The main purpose of the course is to revive our dying language, but I've basically spent the last 3 years learning off quotes on how a young woman commited suicide.

The course desperately needs to be more Oral-Orientated so that you and me can walk down the street and casually speak our native language. I can't see myself discussing "An Trial" over a pint. That would be depressing.

JC 2K3

Oíche Nollag na mBan & Scothscéalta = win.
Rest of Irish course = fail.

A year on from the LC I've been too busy/disorganised to participate in the Cumman Gaelach in college, but I still go to an Conradh the odd time.

PurpleFistMixer

Ah now, Stair na Gaeilge is pretty interesting. Except for those bleedin' poet biographies.
More folklore would be a good idea. I know we've An Cearrbhach Mac Cába, and we learn about An Fhiannaíocht and An Ruraíocht abstractly, but spending more time on the stories and the invidividual heroes could be pretty interesting. Everyone loves mythology, right?

JC 2K3

Stair na Gaeilge was a load of shíte. An easy 30 marks, but still a load of shíte.

PurpleFistMixer

Maybe it's because all the history I do is Art, but I think it's pretty interesting. And stuff about the language, like what makes it a celtic language is pretty cool.

KnifeWRENCH

JC 2K3 wrote: »

Stair na Gaeilge was a load of shíte. An easy 30 marks, but still a load of shíte.

Agreed. Although last year's wasn't easy for me because nothing we studied came up! :mad:

Jayeire

Is aoibhinn liom Gaeilge thar aon abhár eile, tá muinteoir sármhaith againn
I'll def join an Irish soc in college.
Up to 3rd year I had no interest whatsoever... yet from fourth yr onwards it's been my passion and all because I changed teacher.
Mairead Betts co-author of "cogar i gcluas" has to be one of the best teachers out there.
Go raibh maith agat miss! Tá sí den chéad scoth

karkar

thomasjad wrote: »

I myself went to an Irish primary school,but since I got to secondary school the whole way in which it was thought turned me off completely.I think the people who force Irish on students are being hypocritical as they complain about how the english language was forced onto us.I think the only way to keep the language alive is to change the course immediately or even make it optional for leaving cert

I'm the same. I always liked the language up to junior cert, and was really starting to love it until I discovered the LC course. I think it is partially due to my teacher, who is absolutely useless. I think if it was made optional, no one would take it, but I think there should be two courses, as in one for literature for more fluent speakers, and one more like how foreign languages are examined. There should also be more emphasis on speaking it, but that is harder to put into practice I suppose.
My vocabulary hasn't moved beyond what I knew at 6th class, and yet we are expected to analyse poetry... The basics aren't really taught all that well, loads of my friends who were schooled through english can't change tense easily, let alone spell in irish.

Fast_Mover

This time three years ago I thought I was finished with Irish for the rest of my life (and German for that matter!)..who knew I'd get the points for primary teaching in Mary I and do German as my B.A. Graduated there May just gone so I'll do my best to enstill a love and appreciation of the language into them! Hopefully when they sit their LC Irish exams they'll all have positive things to say on this board!:D

Blitz17

thomasjad wrote: »

We should all be learning Polish

Exactly what i said in the test today

I was sitting the aural today, not having a clue what the tape was on about, yet if it was polish, i'd probably have some chance

And i have no interest in the language, after tomorrow it will be forgotten