Irish language in Galway

l.o.x.y

One of my personal goals at the moment is to re learn Irish, as I was your classic Irish student who came out with **** all knowledge of the language after 14 years studying it in school. I have pretty good German and Spanish from travelling and living around different places over the years, which is something I didn't think I was capable of achieving when I was younger.

I'm trying to get an understanding of how much Irish is actually spoken in Galway around the city in particular as I may be moving there for work. Is it a myth that the rest of the country tells themselves to make us all feel better about it? Or is it actually dead in Galway?

For example, would I ever encounter someone in public who I could speak with whether in a shop or otherwise?
People who have grown up in Galway: Are ye actually fluent speakers and just use English anyway or what?

I know now, from experience, that it's possible to learn any language you want, provided that you have regular opportunities to speak it from day one, in normal, every day scenarios. If that scenario does not exist and you have to pay to construct a scenario in which you're conversing, you haven't a hope, and you're wasting your time ever thinking you will some day be fluent.

daphil

l.o.x.y wrote: »

One of my personal goals at the moment is to re learn Irish, as I was your classic Irish student who came out with **** all knowledge of the language after 14 years studying it in school. I have pretty good German and Spanish from travelling and living around different places over the years, which is something I didn't think I was capable of achieving when I was younger.

I'm trying to get an understanding of how much Irish is actually spoken in Galway around the city in particular as I may be moving there for work. Is it a myth that the rest of the country tells themselves to make us all feel better about it? Or is it actually dead in Galway?

For example, would I ever encounter someone in public who I could speak with whether in a shop or otherwise?
People who have grown up in Galway: Are ye actually fluent speakers and just use English anyway or what?

I know now, from experience, that it's possible to learn any language you want, provided that you have regular opportunities to speak it from day one, in normal, every day scenarios. If that scenario does not exist and you have to pay to construct a scenario in which you're conversing, you haven't a hope, and you're wasting your time ever thinking you will some day be fluent.

I found that there is a good bit of Irish in Galway City, in the shops and pubs, but you got to make the effort. Even a fluent speaker will start the conversation in English.
If you get the chance go west to Carraroe. In Pubs like "An Chistin" and "Tí an Táilúra", it's pretty much all Irish among the locals, who tend to be friendly.
Because of their "canúint". i.e. accent and way of speaking, you might have to ask them to slow down even if you are a decent Irish speaker.

l.o.x.y

Ok that sounds better than what I thought it might be. What about the younger population? Are there anyone in their 20s or younger who speak it first before English?

haveabanana

There's plenty of Irish in Galway, but you'd have to dig around for it. Ãras na nGael would be a good place to start, they would have events an that kind of thing. In the last year or so a GAA team called Gaeil na Gaillimhe was started in Galway which functions totally through Irish. It was started mostly by students and former students from NUIG afaik.