Is fánach an áit a bhfaighfeá....
RANG Gaeilge. Tá an Fómhar buailte linn agus an oiread is gurb é seo an séasúr le h-aghaidh úlla is cnóanna sna crainn agus páistí ag filleadh ar an scoil, is é seo an am den bhliain freisin go mbionn tús á chur le ranganna oíche fud fad na tíre, ranganna Gaeilge ina measc.
I mblianta eile, seachas a bheith ag tuairisciú don nuachtán seo mar atáim anois, bhínn ag tabhairt faoi théarma nua de ranganna le tuismitheoirí agus daoine fásta eile agus iad ar bís leis an Ghaolainn a fhoghlaim.
Uair amháin bhíos ag múineadh rang Gaeilge i gCultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich ar Bhóthar na bhFal i mBéal Feirste oíche Mháirt agus ar an gCéadaoin bhí rang Gaeilge agam ar Bhóthar Bhaile Nua na hArda, ceantar dílseach, sa chathair chéanna. Bhí na ranganna sin suimiúil, is féidir liom a rá leat!
Autumn is upon us with its mellow fruitfulness and bountiful trees full of nuts and apples and, traditionally, this is the time of year that night classes, including classes for Irish learners, get underway.
In previous years, when I wasn’t reporting with this newspaper as I am now, I used to be facing into a new term of teaching Irish to parents and other adult learners. They were all eager to learn Irish, our native language.
Once I was teaching a couple of classes on the Falls Road in Belfast and the very next night I would go over to the other side of the city, the other side being the operative term, to teach Irish. Those classes were interesting to say the least of it!
Nuair a chuaigh mé isteach ra rang den chéad uair ag ionad Skainos. ranganna a bhunaigh an gníomhaí teanga, Linda Ervine, thug siad foláireamh dom nuair a chuala siad mo bhlas Chorcaíoch!
“Múin Gaeilge Chúige Uladh dúinn - ná bac leis an nGaolainn atá agaibh ansan ó dheas!”
B’é an freagra a thugas dóibh gan a bheith buartha, go raibh an Ghaolainn agus an Ghaeilge direach mar a chéile nuair a bhí deireadh ráite. Go deimhin, dúras go raibh sé díreach mar an gceanna leis an nGaidhlig a labhartar in Albain trasna Sruth na Maoile.
Réitíomar go breá le chéile ina dhiaidh sin!
When I went into my class for the first time at the Skainos centre - the classes are run by language activist Linda Ervine, a sister-in-law of the late, former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, David Ervine - I was told by one of the learners:
“Don’t be teaching us any of that Munster Irish - we want to learn Ulster Irish!”
My answer to them, and perhaps looking back it was a little too glib, was to say that Gaelic was essentially the same everywhere you went - Ulster Munster even across in Scotland.
Tháinig an t-am a chaitheas i Skainos i mBéal Feirste thar nais chugham nuair a chonac fógra don séasúr ranganna nua atá ag tosnú go luath san ionad sin.
Scannán ghairid anamúlachta atá ann agus tá sé chomh snasta agus aon rud a chonaic mé riamh i dteanga ar bith. Tá sé aisteach gurb é an chéad rud a fheiceann tú sa bhfógra ná brát na Breataine! Ní minic a fheiceann tú a leithéid sin ar fhógra do rang Ghaeilge - cé go ndeirtear liom go bhfuil ranganna na Banríona, Eilís II, ag dul go maith!
I called those days to mind when I saw a short animated film online recently which was about those classes in East Belfast. The first image you see is a British flag fluttering in the skyline - not an image you would see too often in an ad for Irish classes.
Tá tuairim agam ar mhaith liom cuir ós comhair lucht déanta cláracha theilifíse, muintir TG4 ach go h-áirithe. An mbeadh suim acu bearna a líonadh ó thaobh na ranganna oíche nach mbeidh ar siúl an Fhómhair seo mar gheall ar COVID-19 agus ranganna Gaeilge le múinteoirí ar leith a chur ar siúl ar na cainéalacha meán soisialta atá acu, leithéidí Bloc agus Molscéal? Beidh sé deacair ar dhaoine a theacht le chéile anois go ceann tamaill le h-aghaidh ranganna sa ghnáth shlí agus bheadh seo go deas chun an idirmhír sin a thrasnú. Dhein TG4 a leithéid do lucht scoile ag tús na paindéime...
Here’s an idea for TG4. Wouldn’t it be good to have Irish classes online on their social media channels, the likes of Bloc TV and Molscéal, to fill the gap for adult learners of Irish?
As the song goes, we’re not going anywhere nice for a while and it would be a nice way to spend the long evenings!