Use of Gaeilge in Waterford City.

katydid

Squidvicious wrote: »

There's a ciorcal comhra in the Gingerman every Thursday, I think. It's open to anybody to head along as far as I know. I think that it's a shame to see our language heading the way of the dinosaurs. However, it just feels to me quite forced and artificial to speak it. I've got a reasonable standard of Irish, but a part of me thinks why am I struggling to speak to somebody in one language when I could speak clearly to them in another. Perhaps a little lazy on my part but the real problem is that there is no longer any real need to speak Irish apart from the "hobby" element - we all speak English now.

I agree. I love Irish, but I doubt if I could hold a conversation in it. Yet I speak fluent French and German, and passable Italian. The reason my Irish is bad is that from the day I left school I haven't used it in any meaningful way.

Language is a tool of communication, and the reality is that if tools aren't use, they rust up and are useless. The language of Ireland is English. We can force ourselves to use Irish in artificial situations, but really, are we just keeping a dying language on life support?

katydid

Caoimhgh1n wrote: »

It's one of the better Gaeltachtaí.. The Gaeltachtaí in Dún na nGall (Donegal) are great too.

Not really an answer to my question...

This person had gone through primary and secondary school in Rinn, and she told me that she doesn't speak Irish at home, and that her friends and herself from school didn't speak Irish outside of school.

Caoimhgh1n

katydid wrote: »

Not really an answer to my question...

This person had gone through primary and secondary school in Rinn, and she told me that she doesn't speak Irish at home, and that her friends and herself from school didn't speak Irish outside of school.

Maybe her family didn't, you must realise not 100 percent of people speak Irish daily in the Gaeltachtaí. In An Rinn, they have one of the best population of Irish SPEAKERS, but only 50 percent use it at home, but that number I believe has slightly risen.

Caoimhgh1n

Speakers for the population that is.

MRnotlob606

I think your right, but at least they have a much better comprehension of the language.

MartyMcFly84

Maybe her family didn't, you must realise not 100 percent of people speak Irish daily in the Gaeltachtaí. In An Rinn, they have one of the best population of Irish SPEAKERS, but only 50 percent use it at home, but that number I believe has slightly risen.

How many young families live in these areas though ? I believe most young adults leave these areas to go 3rd level education/ find work and travel. I would hazard a guess most don't return to live permanently, and set up somewhere else in Ireland or the world that is non-Irish speaking.

Caoimhgh1n

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

How many young families live in these areas though ? I believe most young adults leave these areas to go 3rd level education/ find work and travel. I would hazard a guess most don't return to live permanently, and set up somewhere else in Ireland or the world that is non-Irish speaking.

Different Gaeltachtaí have different age groups.

I believe that the Gaeltacht won't be the revival of the language, but the use of it in cities is. The Gaeltachtaí are getting smaller and smaller, it's about time we set up areas in cities where people who only want to speak Irish can live and hopefully they can branch out.

It may seem crazy, but I don't think the Gaeltachtaí can last much longer, especially when their minister can't speak it himself. Disgrace.

Squidvicious

katydid wrote: »

I agree. I love Irish, but I doubt if I could hold a conversation in it. Yet I speak fluent French and German, and passable Italian. The reason my Irish is bad is that from the day I left school I haven't used it in any meaningful way.

Language is a tool of communication, and the reality is that if tools aren't use, they rust up and are useless. The language of Ireland is English. We can force ourselves to use Irish in artificial situations, but really, are we just keeping a dying language on life support?

I suspect that the battle may be lost for people like you and me:). I speak Italian myself. While I do like Irish, I just find Italian a bit more likeable. That's because it's part of a very vibrant culture while Irish language culture is much more limited, given the numbers speaking it.

However, I suppose that things might change with the Gaelscoileanna which might allow Irish to survive in some shape or form. When I was younger, I remember an ad on RTE urging people to "Caith an fainne nua". The Fainne was a gold circle that Irish speakers wore to identify themselves. I think that you had to be fairly fluent to get one. Perhaps some kind of symbol like that could be worn by people who want to speak Irish? I'd say that there are a lot of people who would like to do that. The only way that most of us will improve our Irish is by speaking and I'd say that with practise, we'd be surprised how much of our school Irish might come back. I think that Irish needs more than this to survive, but it might be one of the building blocks to help it. From little acorns etc.

Johnboy1951

Admittedly it is many decades since I was taught Irish, so my experiences might not be relevant today.

I very firmly believe that Irish as a subject for national examinations should be regarded in the same manner as any other language.

Let it remain as an exam subject for those who wish to get into the technicalities of the language.

Schools should, in both primary and secondary, have one 'class' per day, where the language spoken is Irish.

The 'subject' of the class should be anything topical and of interest to the students ...... let that be sport, politics, religion or whatever.
The aim would be to get the students involved in speaking about something that interests them ..... and if they have at times to resort to the use of English words or expressions to communicate clearly, let that happen, and have the teacher provide the Irish equivalent.

(can't you just image a free flowing conversation in Irish about the latest meeting of ManU & Pool, or W'ford & Kilkenny hurlers?)

In this way the students would learn to speak the language and not regard it solely as a subject for examination.

I believe it would generate school leavers who would be comfortable speaking Irish and who would have had a very positive experience of their time learning it ....... in a non pressurised and relaxed 'class'.

Irish as a subject for examination should be a completely separate entity.

Irish needs to be a 'living' language and not only something one studies like one might study Latin or other such.

Yes I said 'needs' ..... it is part of our heritage and culture .... a part much neglected.

stereomatic

I'm learning Irish on Duolingo

I think informal meetings would be a great idea

PTH2009

Afaik A group of Irish speakers meet in the gingeman pub in arundel square every Thursday night.

I wasn't there in a while so unsure if they still do it