The man, the legend that sang to us at the Blog Awards, Concubhar Ó Liatháin from iGaelige has written the below guest blog post. Lá na Gaeilge is coming up and whether you’re fluent or have a few words, why not try a bit of our native language on March 17th? Over to Concubhar:
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Ná bí buartha. Tá tú san áit cheart. Is é seo blag Damien Mulley ach, ar mhaithe le h-achainí speisialta, tá cuireadh tugtha aige dom Concubhar Ó Liatháin, údar iGaeilge, cuireadh a thabhairt do bhlagadóirí i ngach áit páirt a ghlacadh i Lá na Gaeilge a bheidh ag titim amach ar Lá Fhéile Phádraig.
Tá Gaeilgeoirí Twitter eagraithe cheana féin – maith iad! Níl aon náire orm a admháil go bhfuilim ag déanamh aithrise ar a n-iarracht ceannródach nó creidim go bhfuil blagadóirí na hÉireann chomh Gaelach céanna le lucht Twitter. Tuigim gur fíor le rá go bhfuil go leor blagadóirí a bhionn ag twitteráil(!) agus go bhfuil a mhalairt fíor freisin.
Normally I blog entirely in Irish. However, this is a special appeal to those of you with a ‘cúpla focal’ to get involved in Lá na Gaeilge which is being celebrated on St Patrick’s Day, so permit me this ‘cúpla focal’ in the English language.
The twitterers are already getting involved – and fair play to them. I make no bones about that I am merely imitating their pioneering effort in an attempt to show that Ireland’s blogging community is at least as Gaelach as the twitterers or the ‘giolchairithe’ as they go by in Irish. Of course I realise that twitterers and bloggers are not mutually exclusive communities.
Is é mo mholadh go mbainfeadh gach blagadóir atá cúpla focal Ghaeilge aige nó aici nó atá chomh líofa leis an gcainteoir dhúchais úsáid as an teanga ar Lá na Gaeilge. Is féidir leo teachtaireacht a fhoilsiú ar a mblaganna nó freagra a thabhairt ar theachtaireacht ar bhlag eile. Ní gá go mbeadh an teachtaireacht nó an freagra go h-iomlán as Gaeilge – díreach bain úsáid as an méid Ghaeilge atá agat.
Ní ghlacfaidh sé ach cúpla noiméad ach tabharfar faoi ndeara é – agus cá bhfios ach go dtabharfaidh na meáin traidisiúnta súntas do. Níl aon chostas ar a leitheid de bheart ach d’fhéadfadh sé an oiread – nó níos mó – a bhaint amach is atá deontais is maorláthas thar na glúintí.
I’m proposing that every blogger who has Irish, be it the cúpla focal or a native speaker’s fluency, use that on Lá na Gaeilge by posting a blog or a comment as Gaeilge, or as much Gaeilge as they have, on that day.
It’ll only take a few minutes but it could have an impact on the blogosphere and with any luck will get some media attention. It’ll cost nothing and yet it might achieve more than has ever been achieved by grants and language stifling bureaucracy over several decades.
Má eiríonn linn an méid sin a dhéanamh, beidh beart den scoth déanta againn ar son ár dteanga ársa – agus má leanaimid – nó cuid againn – leis ina dhiaidh sin, beidh sin níos fearr arís.
Tá fáilte romhaibh cuairt a thabhairt ar mo bhlag féin nó ar An Druma Mór. Ait maith ceachtar den dhá bhlag sin chun tús a chur le do chamchuairt ar an mblagasféar Ghaelach, blagasféar neamhspleach atá beag ach bríomhar, forásach gan a bheith ‘forasach’.
And if a number of the bloggers, posters carry on afterwards, all the better…..
Feel free to visit my own blog or An Druma Mór where you will have an opportunity to practice your Gaeilge. For the hippest magazine as Gaeilge, try nós* for size. You can also listen to the latest hits with an Irish speaking DJ on RíRá or the Belfast based Raidió Fáilte, which has a lively mix of chat, ceol agus craic. If you’re stuck for a word – visit the award winning online dictionary, focal. And if you’re worried about your grammar not being up to the standards you learned while you were in the CBS, try Ceart, a new software package to help you get your spelling and your grammar right. You could of course use any of those sites to launch yourself into the Irish language’s virtual Gaeltacht.
