Tús maith, leath na hoibre – Seachtain na Gaeilge faoi lán tseoil!

TÚS maith, leath na hoibre!

The great seanfhocal said it best as to the start of Seachtain na Gaeilge in Listowel on Friday.

Nothing less than a live linkup with Raidió na Gaeltachta defined the morning at St John’s – the cornerstone of the native festivities in North Kerry – when broadcaster and Kerry legend Dara Ó Cinnéide arrived to launch the first instalment of a new Ciorcal Comhrá series.

Along with fellow native speaker and St John’s staff member Áine Ní Chuaig, Dara had soon inspired the gathering to unfettered chat in the mother tongue in an event compered by North Kerry bilingual poet Gabriel Fitzmaurice.

The outcome of the opening event in the Seachtain na Gaeilge festivities in Listowel? Bhuel, Áine was unequivocal: “Bhí maidin iontach againn!”

And there’s plenty yet to relish as the Pop-Up Gaeltacht returns to John B Keane’s bar, where it is a firm and regular favourite, on Friday next, March 8, at 9pm.

There’s also huge excitement in St John’s at the prospect of hosting the talented players of the Cumann Drámaíochta Chois Fharraige from Conamara as they bring a quintessentially North Kerry play back down from their base, newly translated into Irish: Big Maggie.

Curtains rise in St John’s on Big Maggie on Saturday next, March 9, from 8pm. The group had said it was a great honour to stage it in the home of its playwright, John B Keane, for Seachtain na Gaeilge.

It has played to massive acclaim across the Gaeltachtaí heretofore and requires just a smattering of cúpla focail on the part of the audience.

There was mighty craic go deo at the Pop-Up Gaeltacht in John B Keane’s Bar recently.

Gabriel Fitzmaurice agus Áine Ní Chuaig taobh thiar den gcúntair on the set of the Irishlanguage production of Big Maggie at St John’s.

Dara Ó Cinnéide at St John’s for the first Ciorcal Comhrá of a new series with, from left, Áine Ní Chuaig, Máire Logue, Owen MacMahon and Gabriel Fitzmaurice. BELOW: The Ciorcal Cainte participants.