Fis a bh\u00ed f\u00edse\u00e1n marga\u00edochta \u00e1 dh\u00e9anamh aige don MA Scr\u00edobh & Cumars\u00e1id na Gaeilge iUCD \u2013 c\u00farsa at\u00e1 d\u00edrithe ar shainscileanna teanga a shol\u00e1thar do Mhic L\u00e9inn chun tabhairt faoi phostanna le Gaeilge, cos\u00fail le haistri\u00fach\u00e1in, eagarth\u00f3ireacht, scr\u00edbhneoireacht chruthaitheach, iriseoireacht, agus na me\u00e1in \u2013 th\u00e1inig an Dr Cathal Billings, Ollamh C\u00fanta i Scoil na Gaeilge, an L\u00e9inn Cheiltigh agus an Bh\u00e9aloidis UCD, ar smaoineamh do thionscnamh pobalbhunaithe chun rannph\u00e1irt\u00edocht i dteanga na Gaeilge a choth\u00fa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cD\u2019iarramar ar dhaoine an focal Gaeilge is fearr leo a lua. Bh\u00ed na freagra\u00ed tugtha chomh suimi\u00fail, pearsanta, agus greannmhar sin go rabhamar ag iarraidh iad roinnt leis an bpobal. Mar sin, chuimhn\u00edomar ar \u2018Fave Focal Wall UCD<\/em>\u2019 a dh\u00e9anamh in \u00c1ras Newman UCD. Chuireamar f\u00e1ilte roimh dhaoine \u2013 cuir i gc\u00e1s mic l\u00e9inn, baill foirne, alumnas \u2013 an focal Gaeilge is fearr leo a scr\u00edobh ar chl\u00e1r b\u00e1n. Ba choincheap s\u00e1ch simpl\u00ed \u00e9, ach spreag s\u00e9 caidreamh dearfach leis an nGaeilge.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBh\u00ed cuid de na focail roghnaithe ag daoine bunaithe ar an taith\u00ed a bh\u00ed acu leis an nGaeilge agus iad ar scoil. Scr\u00edobh duine amh\u00e1in \u2018leadr\u00e1nach\u2019, agus scr\u00edobh duine eile \u2018an bhfuil cead agam dul go dt\u00ed an leithreas\u2019. Freisin, rinne duine tagairt do Chluastuiscint na hArdteiste nuair a scr\u00edobh siad \u201cL\u00e9igh anois go c\u00faramach, ar do scr\u00fadph\u00e1ip\u00e9ar, na ceisteanna agus na treoracha a ghabhann le cuid A \u2026 b\u00ed\u00ed\u00ed\u00edp\u201d. Bh\u00ed baint ag cuid de na focail roghanithe le col\u00e1ist\u00ed samhraidh sna Gaeltachta\u00ed; mar shampla, luaigh duine \u2018Balla\u00ed Luimn\u00ed\u2019 \u2013 ainm damhsa ag c\u00e9ilithe. Bh\u00ed baint ag c\u00fapla focal eile le f\u00e9ini\u00falacht phearsanta n\u00f3 f\u00e9ini\u00falacht \u00e1iti\u00fala, mar shampla: \u2018br\u00f3d, \u2018br\u00f3d\u00fail\u2019, agus \u2018aerach\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cT\u00e1 an-chuid d\u00e1r stair le feice\u00e1il i logainmneacha na t\u00edre\u201d arsa an Dr Bilings. \u201cMar shampla, scr\u00edobhadh \u2018T\u00edr Chonaill\u2019 agus \u2018D\u00fan na nGall\u2019 ar an gcl\u00e1r b\u00e1n, ainmneacha difri\u00fala ar an gceantar c\u00e9anna. Tagra\u00edonn \u2018T\u00edr Chonaill\u2019 do ch\u00f3ras ceannais d\u00fachasach agus l\u00e9ir\u00edonn \u2018D\u00fan na nGall\u2019 (\u2018Fort of the Foreigners\u2019) conas a th\u00e1inig athr\u00fa ar strucht\u00far poilit\u00edochta na t\u00edre seo. Go minic, n\u00ed bh\u00edonn sna logainmneacha B\u00e9arla ach fuaimeanna, ach b\u00edonn ciall leo sa Ghaeilge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Is alumnas de chuid UCD \u00e9 Manch\u00e1n Magan (BA Gaeilge & Stair 1991), a raibh leabhar s\u00e1rdh\u00edola i 2020 aige, dar teideal 32 Words for Field<\/em>, a phl\u00e9ann an nasc idir focail Ghaeilge at\u00e1 fr\u00e9amhaithe sa t\u00edrdhreach agus d\u00e1r stair choiteann. Tarraing\u00edonn Manch\u00e1n aird ar an gcaoi a chuirtear ar \u00e1r suaimhneas muid nuair a mheabhra\u00edtear d\u00fainn nach bhfuil ionann ach l\u00fab sa slabhra i gc\u00falt\u00far a th\u00e9ann siar na m\u00edlte bliain. Braitear an suaimhneas seo go h\u00e1irithe nuair at\u00e1 an oiread sin daoine ann ar domhan a bhfuil imn\u00ed orthu faoin todhcha\u00ed. \u201cT\u00e1 neart d\u00fainn sa t\u00f3ir ar nasc n\u00edos doimhne le ruda\u00ed t\u00e1bhachtacha na laethanta seo \u2013 an t\u00edr, \u00e1r sinsir, n\u00f3 an cult\u00far agus an oidhreacht \u00f3na dtagaimid. Bh\u00ed nasc l\u00e1idir ag \u00e1r sinsir leis an t\u00edr, na s\u00e9as\u00fair, agus an t-alltar dra\u00edocht\u00fail a cheapamar go raibh m\u00f3rthimpeall orainn tr\u00e1th.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bh\u00ed baint ag neart de na focail Gaeilge scr\u00edofa ar an gcl\u00e1r b\u00e1n don \u2018Fave Focal Wall UCD<\/em>\u2019 le hainmhithe agus leis an d\u00falra. Is cos\u00fail go raibh siad roghnaithe ag daoine mar gheall ar shanasa\u00edocht na bhfocal, n\u00f3 cad as a dt\u00e1inig siad. Bh\u00ed \u2018smugairle r\u00f3in\u2019 (\u2018jellyfish<\/em>\u2019) luaite go minic, mar shampla. Nuair a aistr\u00edtear an t\u00e9arma seo go B\u00e9arla focal ar fhocal, ciala\u00edonn s\u00e9 \u201cSpit (smugairle) from a Seal (r\u00f3in<\/em>)\u2019. Freisin, bh\u00ed \u2018B\u00f3\u00edn D\u00e9\u2019 (\u2018ladybird\u2019) luaite; t\u00e9arma a chila\u00edonn \u201cLittle Cow (b\u00f3\u00edn<\/em>) of God (D\u00e9) sa bhr\u00ed liti\u00fail. M\u00e1 bh\u00edonn tuiscint againn ar shanasa\u00edocht focail, d\u2019fh\u00e9adfadh s\u00e9 cuidi\u00fa linn feasacht \u00e9iceola\u00edochta a choth\u00fa, freisin\u201d, a d\u00fairt an Dr Billings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs ioma\u00ed focal Gaeilge a bhfuil baint aici leis an n\u00e1d\u00far. Mar shampla, murach na focail \u2018fraoch<\/em>\u2019 (heather<\/em>) agus \u2018luachra<\/em>\u2019 (rush<\/em>), n\u00ed bheadh \u2018cearc fraoigh\u2019 (the hen of the heather) againn ar grousse n\u00e1 \u2018earc luachra<\/em>\u2019 (lizard of the rush<\/em>) ar newt. I gcompar\u00e1id le teangacha eile, t\u00e1 bua ar leith ag an nGaeilge maidir le t\u00e9arma\u00edocht a bhfuil baint aici leis an d\u00falra, c\u00farsa\u00ed talmha\u00edochta, iascaireacht, an t\u00edrdhreach, n\u00e1 an aimsir. L\u00e9ir\u00edonn s\u00e9 seo an dl\u00fathnasc at\u00e1 ann idir an cine daonna, an t\u00edr, agus an domhan m\u00f3rthimpeall orainn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ag deireadh an 19\u00fa haois, theip ar Athbheochan na Gaeilge an fh\u00eds a bh\u00ed ann chun an Ghaeilge bheith mar theanga an phobail a bhaint amach. Sin r\u00e1ite, \u00e1fach, th\u00e1inig athr\u00fa ar mheon na ndaoine maidir leis an nGaeilge; bh\u00ed r\u00f3l l\u00e1rnach tugtha don Gaeilge i strucht\u00fair an st\u00e1it nua \u00f3 1922 ar aghaidh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBh\u00ed drochthaith\u00ed ag an-chuid daoine leis na nGaeilge agus iad ar scoil. Chuir s\u00e9 le meon di\u00faltach a bh\u00ed ann don teanga, d\u00e1 bharr\u201d, a d\u00fairt an Dr Billings, a bhain amach BA, MA, agus PhD i UCD. \u201cCreidim go bhfuil meon dearfach i leith na Gaeilge ag daoine go f\u00f3ill \u2013 Mar shampla, t\u00e1 m\u00e9ad\u00fa tagtha ar an \u00e9ileamh don oideachas tr\u00ed mhe\u00e1n na Gaeilge sna Gaelscoileanna. Freisin, t\u00e1 sp\u00e9is ag n\u00edos m\u00f3 daoine an Ghaeilge a fhoglaim tar \u00e9is d\u00f3ibh an t-oideachas foirmi\u00fail a chur i gcr\u00edch.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Treis\u00edonn an leas\u00fa \u00f3 2021 ar Acht na dTeangacha st\u00e1das na Gaeilge mar phr\u00edomhtheanga an St\u00e1it agus crutha\u00edonn s\u00e9 deiseanna fosta\u00edochta ar fud na hearn\u00e1la poibl\u00ed. Feictear agus cloistear tionchar an Achta gach l\u00e1 sna me\u00e1in chl\u00f3ite agus sna me\u00e1in chraolta, agus braitear anois go bhfuil r\u00f3l t\u00e1bhachtach ag an nGaeilge sa l\u00e1 at\u00e1 inniu ann. Mar shampla, bh\u00ed An Cail\u00edn Ci\u00fain ar an gc\u00e9ad fadscann\u00e1n a bhain \u00e1it amach ar an ngearrliosta do na hainmni\u00fach\u00e1in don Ghradam Oscar don Fhadscann\u00e1n Idirn\u00e1isi\u00fanta is Fearr. T\u00e1 amhr\u00e1n ag Hozier dar teideal \u2018Uiscefhuaraithe\u2019 \u2013 t\u00e9arma nach f\u00e9idir a aistri\u00fa go B\u00e9arla go gonta ach a chiala\u00edonn \u2018rud at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta fuar ag uisce\u2019. Freisin, t\u00e1 leagan ioml\u00e1n Gaeilge den amhr\u00e1n \u2018Heroes or Ghosts\u2019, dar teideal \u2018Taibhs\u00ed n\u00f3 Laochra\u2019 ag an mbanna ceoil The Corona\u2019s. T\u00e1 neart amhr\u00e1in Gaeilge cumtha ag an tr\u00edr\u00e9ad hip-hop, Kneecap, le d\u00e9ana\u00ed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thug an dearth\u00f3ir faisin, R\u00f3is\u00edn Pierce, \u2018Mn\u00e1 i Bhl\u00e1th\u2019 agus \u2018Bl\u00e1thanna Fi\u00e1in\u2019 ar a baili\u00fach\u00e1n m\u00f3r le r\u00e1. Bh\u00ed aistri\u00fach\u00e1n Gaeilge curtha san \u00e1ireamh ag Se\u00e1n McGirr, sti\u00farth\u00f3ir cruthaitheach an lip\u00e9id Alexander McQueen, nuair a bh\u00ed a ch\u00e9ad bhaili\u00fach\u00e1n faisin don ard\u00e1n taispe\u00e1na \u00e1 sheoladh aige. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFeictear go bhfuil n\u00edos m\u00f3 deiseanna n\u00e1 riamh ann d\u00f3ibh si\u00fad a bhfuil caighde\u00e1n ard bainte amach acu sa Ghaeilge. 20 bliain \u00f3 shin, nuair a thosaigh m\u00e9 mo ch\u00e9im, bh\u00ed an chuma ar an sc\u00e9al gurbh \u00ed an mh\u00fainteoireacht an t-aon rogha a bh\u00ed ann \u00f3 thaobh gairme de. Anois, \u00e1fach, t\u00e1 neart cairde, comhscol\u00e1ir\u00ed, agus iar mhic l\u00e9inn de mo chuid, tar \u00e9is gairmeacha r\u00e1th\u00fala bheith acu mar aistritheoir\u00ed, dl\u00edtheangeolaithe, scr\u00edbhneoir\u00ed, eagarth\u00f3ir\u00ed, taighdeoir\u00ed, l\u00e9acht\u00f3ir\u00ed, agus st\u00e1tseirbh\u00edsigh,\u201d a d\u00fairt an Dr Billings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tagann an-chuid Gaeilgeoir\u00ed \u00f3 ch\u00falra\u00ed \u00e9ags\u00fala, n\u00ed hamh\u00e1in in \u00c9irinn ach thar lear chomh maith. Taca\u00edonn siad leis an nGaeilge. Is sampla maith \u00e9 an Dr Fangzhe Qiu, Ollamh Comhlach i Scoil na Gaeilge, an L\u00e9inn Cheiltigh agus an Bh\u00e9aloidis UCD. N\u00ed cainteoir d\u00fachais \u00e9 an Dr Qiu, ach t\u00e1 an-d\u00e1mh aige don Ghaeilge agus t\u00e1 dearcadh ar leith aige uirthi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs teanga neamhghn\u00e1ch \u00ed an Ghaeilge \u00f3 thaobh strucht\u00fair de, a bhfuil traidisi\u00fan liteartha l\u00e1idir aici a th\u00e9ann siar 1,300 bliain.\u201d Dar leis an Dr Qiu, is \u00e9 an bealach is fearr chun daoine a mhealladh a gcuid Gaeilge a \u00fas\u00e1id ar bhonn laeth\u00fail n\u00e1 a chinnti\u00fa go bhfuil s\u00ed \u201c\u00e1bhartha agus luachmhar\u201d sa chomhth\u00e9acs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCos\u00fail le gach teanga eile, is ioma\u00ed rud gur f\u00e9idir a l\u00e9iri\u00fa go cruinn sa teanga dh\u00fachais amh\u00e1in. Mar shampla, n\u00ed hionann \u2018B\u00edodh an rath ort\u2019 n\u00e1 \u2018sl\u00ed na f\u00edrinne\u2019 agus a leith\u00e9id\u00ed sa Bh\u00e9arla.\u201d T\u00e1 t\u00e9arma\u00ed ann sa Ghaeilge nach bhfuil g\u00e1 le haistri\u00fa. Feictear an n\u00f3s seo ar fud na cruinne. Mar shampla, baineann na Moslamaigh leas as phr\u00e1sa\u00ed as Araibis, agus bhain mo sheanmh\u00e1thair leas as an Malaeise chun a hoidis a mh\u00faineadh d\u00fainn. Sa ch\u00e1s sin, n\u00ed f\u00e9idir \u2018sambal\u2019 n\u00e1 \u2018kuey teow\u2019 a r\u00e1 ar bhealach difri\u00fail.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuigtear don Dr Qiu go mbeidh todhcha\u00ed na Gaeilge ag brath ar fhoghlaimeoir\u00ed \u00f3 th\u00edortha eile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBa cheart go mbeadh an Ghaeilge neamhsple\u00e1ch \u00f3n n\u00e1isi\u00fanachas agus ba cheart go mbeadh s\u00ed ar f\u00e1il d\u2019foghlaimeoir\u00ed ar fud na cruinne. Mar shampla, t\u00e1 l\u00edon na ndaoine at\u00e1 foghlaim Gaeilge ar DuoLingo n\u00edos airde n\u00e1 l\u00edon na nGaeilgeoir\u00ed ar domhan.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n M\u00e1s rud \u00e9 go bhfuil sp\u00e9is ag duine feabhas a chur ar a chuid Gaeilge, luann an Dr Billings go bhfuil n\u00edos m\u00f3 deiseanna agus beala\u00ed ann chun \u00ed a fhoghlaim n\u00e1 riamh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00c9ist le podchraoladh (is alumnae de chuid UCD iad na l\u00e1ithreoir\u00ed ar na podchraolta\u00ed iontacha (\u2018How to Gael<\/em>\u2019 agus \u2018Beo ar \u00c9igin<\/em>\u2019). B\u00edodh Gaeilgeoir\u00ed dh\u00edograiseacha \u00e1 lean\u00faint agat ar na me\u00e1in sh\u00f3isialta, n\u00f3 f\u00e9ach ar na deiseanna foghlama at\u00e1 ar f\u00e1il i UCD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fi\u00fa mura bhfuil ach c\u00fapla focal agat, is amhlaidh is saibhre a bheith do shaol d\u00e1 bharr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rise of the C\u00fapla Focal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When Dr Cathal Billings, Assistant Professor at the School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore, was creating a marketing video for the MA Scr\u00edobh agus Cumars\u00e1id (Writing and Communications) programme at UCD, aimed at providing students with the advanced language skills required for jobs in Irish, including translation, editing, creative writing, journalism and media, he stumbled across an idea for a community-based initiative to encourage engagement with the Irish language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe asked contributors to name their favourite word in Irish. The answers were so interesting, personal and funny, we wanted to make use of the material, so we created the Fave Focal wall in the Arts\/Newman building at UCD, with all passers-by \u2013 students, staff, alumni \u2013 encouraged to write their favourite Irish word on the wall. It was a really simple, but positive interaction with Irish.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some words chosen reflected experiences people had of Irish at school, he says: \u201cOne wrote \u2018leadr\u00e1nach\u2019, another \u2018an bhfuil cead agam dul go dt\u00ed an leithreas\u2019, and another referenced the Leaving Cert aural exams with \u2018L\u00e9igh anois go c\u00faramach na ceisteanna agus na treoracha a ghabhann le cuid A\u2026 b\u00ed\u00ed\u00ed\u00edp\u2019. Some entries referred to the impact of Gaeltacht summers on students (the \u2018Balla\u00ed Luimn\u00ed\u2019 dance at nightly C\u00e9ilithe included). Others related to personal or local identity, with words such as \u2018br\u00f3d\u2019 (pride), \u2018br\u00f3d\u00fail\u2019 (proud) and \u2018aerach\u2019 (gay). <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo much of our history can be read in our placenames,\u201d says Dr Billings, \u201cFor example, both \u2018T\u00edr Chonaill<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018D\u00fan na nGall<\/em>\u2019 were written on the wall, both referencing Donegal. One \u2013 T\u00edr Chonaill \u2013 reflects the native ruling system and the other \u2013 D\u00fan na nGall\/Fort of the Foreigners<\/em> \u2013 shows how the political structure of our country changed in time. Our placenames in English are often just sounds, but in Irish they have meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n UCD alumnus Manch\u00e1n Magan (BA Irish and History 1991), whose 2020 international bestseller, 32 Words for Field<\/em>, explored how the rich rooted-in-landscape nature of Irish words gives us clues to our collective past, points out that in an increasingly globalised world, where so many of us can feel uncertain about the future, it can be reassuring to acknowledge that we are the current iteration of a culture that goes back many thousands of years. \u201cSo many of us are seeking a deeper connection with something meaningful these days \u2013 the land, our ancestors, or the culture and heritage from which we arise. Our ancestors were deeply rooted to the land, the seasons, and the magical Otherworld that we once believed was all around us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the words on UCD\u2019s Fave Focal wall related to animals and the natural world, and their etymology, or underlying meaning, is probably what made them stick with the people who chose them. \u2018Smugairle r\u00f3in<\/em>\u2019, meaning jellyfish, featured a lot, for example. It means literally \u2018seal spit<\/em>\u2019, and you can really imagine a jellyfish lying on the shore. B\u00f3\u00edn D\u00e9 featured too, which is Irish for ladybird but literally means \u2018God\u2019s Little Cow<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding the etymology of words can help with nurturing ecological awareness too, says Dr Billings: \u201c\u2018Grouse in Irish is \u2018cearc fraoigh\u2019, or hen of the heather, while a newt is \u2018earc luachra\u2019, or lizard of the reeds \u2013 without the heather or the reeds, we won\u2019t have the grouse or the newt. Irish as a language is particularly rich in terms relating to the natural world, agriculture, fishing, landscape, the weather, for example, which reflects our close connection as a people to the land and the elements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The revival of Irish in the late 19th century failed in its mission to make Irish the vernacular of the Irish people, but it did change people\u2019s attitude to the language. This change in attitude resulted in Irish being given a central role in the structures of the new state from 1922 on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe way Irish was taught in the intervening years \u2013 often with the stick rather than the carrot \u2013 resulted in many people taking a negative stance towards the language,\u201d says Dr Billings, who did his BA, MA and PhD at UCD. \u201cBut I think a positive attitude towards Irish persists, reflected in the increased demand for immersive Irish education in Gaelscoileanna, for example, and in the amount of people taking an interest in learning Irish after completing their formal education.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2021 amendment to the Official Languages Act underpins the status of Irish as the first official language of the state and creates job opportunities across the public sector. The impact of the Act can be seen and heard every day, in print and broadcast media, and contributes to the idea that Irish is an important part of modern life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Colm Bair\u00e9ad\u2019s An Cail\u00edn Ci\u00fain<\/em> became the first Irish-language film to be shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category. Hozier\u2019s \u2018Uiscefhuaraithe<\/em>\u2019 is inspired by the untranslatable meaning of its title: \u2018something that has been made cold by water<\/em>\u2019. The Coronas\u2019 Taibhs\u00ed n\u00f3 Laochra (a translation of their song \u2018Heroes or Ghosts<\/em>\u2019) is written entirely in Irish, as are many recent hits from Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap. Fashion designer R\u00f3is\u00edn Pierce named her acclaimed collections Mn\u00e1 i Bhl\u00e1th and Bl\u00e1thanna Fi\u00e1in, and Creative Director of Alexander McQueen, Se\u00e1n McGirr included Irish translations in the introduction for the livestream of his debut runway collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor those who bring their Irish to a high level,\u201d says Dr Billings, \u201cthere are more employment opportunities than ever before. When I started my degree 20 years ago it seemed teaching was the only career path for graduates of Irish, but since then friends, classmates and students of mine have made successful careers as translators, lawyer-linguists, writers, journalists, editors, researchers, lecturers and civil servants.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Irish as a language is particularly rich in terms relating to the natural world, agriculture, fishing, landscape, the weather \u2026”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n There is also a very diverse Irishspeaking cohort in Ireland and abroad, advocating for the Irish language. Dr Fangzhe Qiu, also an Associate Professor at the School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore, and an alumnus of UCD, is a good example. As a non-native speaker with an infectious enthusiasm for Irish, he has a unique perspective, describing Irish as \u201cstructurally unusual, with a very strong literary tradition that stretches back 1,300 years\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Qiu thinks the best way to encourage people to use a little Irish in their daily life is to \u201cmake Irish relevant and irreplaceable. Like in every language, there are many things that can only be expressed accurately in Irish, \u2018b\u00edodh an rath ort\u2019 is definitely not the same as \u2018good luck\u2019 and \u2018sl\u00ed na f\u00edrinne\u2019 not the same as \u2018path of truth\u2019. The goal should be that people realise that there are things that they can only express in Irish, like Muslims use Arabic phrases, or, when my grandmother described her recipes, she had to switch to Malay \u2013 there is simply no other way to say \u2018sambal\u2019 or \u2018kuey teow\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The resilience of the Irish language, maintains Dr Qiu, will also rely on more non-Irish learning the language. \u201cIrish should be detached from nationalism and available to learners all over the world. The Duolingo language app, for instance, has more people learning Irish than there are Gaeilgeoir\u00ed in the world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n To alumni who are thinking about brushing up on their Irish again, Dr Billings points out there are more opportunities and ways to learn Irish than ever before. Listen to a podcast (How to Gael<\/em> and Beo Ar \u00c9igean<\/em>, both presented by UCD alumni, are excellent), follow enthusiastic Gaeilgeoir\u00ed on social media, and check out learning options at UCD. Even if you use just one fave focal or two, your life will be all the richer for it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fis a bh\u00ed f\u00edse\u00e1n marga\u00edochta \u00e1 dh\u00e9anamh aige don MA Scr\u00edobh & Cumars\u00e1id na Gaeilge iUCD \u2013 c\u00farsa at\u00e1 d\u00edrithe ar shainscileanna teanga a shol\u00e1thar do Mhic L\u00e9inn chun tabhairt faoi phostanna le Gaeilge, cos\u00fail le haistri\u00fach\u00e1in, eagarth\u00f3ireacht, scr\u00edbhneoireacht chruthaitheach, iriseoireacht, agus na me\u00e1in \u2013 th\u00e1inig an Dr Cathal Billings, Ollamh C\u00fanta i Scoil na…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[168],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-168"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n