1,250+ signatures!
A big thank you to all who signed. Last week, the signatures were sent by email to Pádraig Ó Ceidigh, owner of Foinse, Brian Cowen, Éamon Ó Cúiv and Foras na Gaeilge, followed by hard copies in the post. I decided to leave the petition open for another while, so that the aforementioned can see the 1,250+ signatures, as well as the continuous support coming in. Apparently, Pádraig Ó Ceidigh himself wanted to bring the paper to an end at the Friday meeting and that the money from Foras na Gaeilge wasn’t enough, even though they wanted to give him more. I still don’t know what’s going with Foinse’s future. It appears that help is coming from Údarás na Gaeilge, says Concubhar Ó Liatháin iGaeilge and according to TG4, (Thursday evening news) Youtube but it’s not clear yet. We will have to wait.
1,250+ síniú!
Go raibh mile maith agaibh as bhur sínithe. An tseachtain seo caite, seoladh ceithre ríomhphost leis na sínithe go dtí úinéar Foinse, Pádraig Ó Ceidigh, Brian Cowen, Éamon Ó Cúiv agus Foras na Gaeilge, agus cópieanan crua ina dhiadh sa phost. Bheartaigh mé an t-iarratas a fhágáil oscailte ar fheadh tamaill eile, go dtí go mbeidh na daoine réamhráite ábalta iad a fheiceáil mar aon leis an tacaíocht leanúnach a bhfuil ag teacht isteach. De réir dealraimh ba é Pádraig Ó Ceidigh féin a bhí ag iarraidh an nuachtán a chur chun deireadh ag an crinniú dé hAoine agus nach raibh an t-airgead ó Fhoras na Gaeilge go leor, cé go raibh siad ag iarraidh níos mó a thabhairt dó. Mar sin, níl a fhios agam cad atá ar siúl fós maidir le todhchaí Foinse. Is amhlaidh go bhfuil cabhair ag teacht ó Údarás na Gaeilge, a deir Concubhar Ó Liatháin iGaeilge agus de réir a TG4 (nuacht trathnóna Déaradaoin)Youtube ach níl sé go soiléar fós. Caithfimidh fanacht.
It has come to my attention today that the Irish language weekly newspaper Foinse may only be in publication for two more editions – on the 21st and the 28th of this month, due to a lack of funding. Some of you may remember my post last year on the future of Lá Nua, the daily Irish language newspaper from Belfast, which sadly has since ceased to exist, again due to a lack of funding. Slowly and little by little, the support for Irish language is being destroyed by this incompetent government, but the problem is that while we hear about the “popular” news items regarding their destructive touch, issues such as the Irish language are sidelined and fail to make front news headlines.
While many of us have mixed feelings about the Irish language, we need to put aside our negative associations and realise that the termination of Ireland’s ONLY remaining Irish language newspaper has a knock-on effect for all of us, whether we speak the language or not. It affects our culture, out national pride and our identity and we should not allow that to be destroyed at the hands of an incompetent bunch of idiots – it is not theirs to ransack and destroy, no more than they have the right to build a major road practically next to the Hill of Tara. We have to ask – if this present government thinks nothing of destroying milestones of our culture, be it national newspapers or heritage sites – WHAT IS NEXT? Clearly, absolutely nothing is sacred to them – except their pensions, perhaps!
Our culture was around long before these imbeciles were and will exist long after they cease. Hopefully our language will do so too, but I don’t share the optimism of others out there in this regard. Without support our language will dwindle into oblivion forever!
Hi Nell and welcome back to Ireland. Thank you for this interview. Firstly, let me congratulate you on the fabulous new album What does it take?.
PJ: Many readers may not realise that you have also performed as gaeilge (in the Irish language) on the CEOL 09 compilation – the proceeds of which go to Barnardos’ charity. What was it like working on Dara huair a ghrá?
Nell:
Well I was in New York when we recorded the vocals for it and my first time doing it we worked with a translation I had sent to me and I had to work with a producer who had no knowledge of Irish and it being a complicated difficult language to pronounce – it took a few years. And I ended up having to hook up with a Irish fluent speaker in New York, so Second time around we got it – no pun intended! It was really great to be able to be on the album with such amazing talent like Glen Hansard, Duke Special and Mick Flannery.
PJ:What does it take?really is a well-deserved breakthrough album for you and I know you really have had to work hard building your career the old-school way, through graft and word of mouth. The country/bluegrass music scene is very hard to get a foothold in – Do you have any advice for someone (in particular women) looking to follow in your footsteps?
Nell:
Really it’s all about touring very hard, there are no easy answers – it’s about building a fan base and going out night after night and building on that fan base. Do whatever it takes to quit your job and go out on the road – if you really want to give music as go as a professional career. I set up all my own tours the first 3 years, and ending up playing a couple of hundred shows around the world, and that was just through word of mouth and linking up with other musicians – doing supports and travelling. Another thing is Keeping your over-head’s low and learning how to budget whilst on tour. This is so important. Being a full time musician involves so much more that being a musician- it’s about time management and travelling and dealing with people.
PJ: There are some very poetic lyrics on your album and I was wondering where you get your inspiration from – In particular for the song Green Dress which is one of my favourites?
Nell:
I was an English Major in college and I always loved stories with strength and character, I read fiction all the time and other influences are life stories and experiences. Travelling a lot means you hear a lot of various stories and these do grow on you and often translate into songs.
PJ: I know you have been around music since you were a child but was there ever any other line of work you thought of as a career before following your dream of music?
Nell:
I thought I was going to be an actress but that meant a lot of the time being someone else, and in music I prefer the freedom of being who you are and incorporating that into music.
PJ: I think everyone would love to know what music you listen to on your downtime from your busy schedule… What was the last thing you listened to on your i-pod?
Nell: I was recently listening to James Brown and Kings of Leon, oh and Ray Charles. It varies.
PJ: We have some great tour dates coming up in Ireland (listed on your website) but what can the fans expect to look forward to next from Nell Bryden?
Nell:
The new single and the album both titled What Does it Take? In the coming month’s there is a documentary film coming out that was directed by Susan Cohn Rockefeller and sponsored by Niall Rogers (wrote a lot of songs in the disco era) and I was also outfitted by Bono’s wife Ali Hewson for the film which was really a special thing. So all that along with gigging in Ireland and the Uk for the next 3 months.
Thank you for taking the time to share with my readers. The new album “What does it take?” is out May 15th so I really wish you all the best with its release – It’s going to be a huge success
April 03, 2009 :: Posted by - Patrick James :: Category - Something Else
Recently, someone close to me, who is doing an Irish Diploma in UCD came to me quite worried and asking for my help… and not with their Gaeilge either!
It’s a night course once a week and seems to be very popular with everyone doing… up until the other day. It’s exam time and nothing strange there but what is odd is that University College Dublin announced to the unsuspecting diploma students that they would be required to not only do a written exam, but also give a Powerpoint presentation to the class… even though most of the class had never even heard of Powerpoint.
Like everything, Powerpoint is easy enough to use if someone has explained it and you’ve had a good bit of time to get used to using… but to give someone a week or two of notice and not only expect them to have their gaeilge correct but also expect them to magically acquire computer skills is crazy. Surely Microsoft Powerpoint would have more relevance on a computer diploma! Are UCD trying to turn what is essentially a great course into a very bad experience of Irish?
I mentioned this to a Gaeilgeoir friend of mine and their response was “we didn’t even have to do THAT for our Degree course . Powerpoint… Ta siad as a meabhair!”.
April 17, 2008 :: Posted by - Patrick James :: Category - The Word
When it comes to the Irish language there really are some insecure B.S. artists out there! I recently had the misfortune of having a conversation with an old-school Irish speaker – Correct grammar was all important and the occasional English word thrown in was a cardinal sin… the “proper use of Irish” or not-at-all approach was more important than the “every-day” speaking and growth of the Irish language. Pride coming before a fall. As many, the only hope of recovering my Irish language roots is through the occasional interjection of English words. I come from the school of thought that says: the purpose of language is to communicate… not to promote elitism at the cost of a culture.
Don’t get me wrong – I truly believe that proper grammar and all the trimmings of correct language usage are something to be aspired to – and those great in the technical application of a language should be respected and not feared… but respect is earned, not taken, especially, by putting down beginners who are striving to learn. Once you have acquired a high standard of usage of a language it’s easy to look down on those who are not quite to your standard, but that’s just insecurity dressed up as pomp! I want Irish to retake its place in our culture (it’s a unique, beautiful and expressive language) and I want to learn it, without the rebuke of those who are better in its usage than me! When I encounter fluent Irish speakers use the occasional English word as is the modern trend, I feel more at ease and inspired… old ideas get buried with the past and I really want to see the Irish language grow, not wither, because of stick-in-the-mud ideals – If people are passionate about using a language, they will naturally seek the correct grammar.
I had only one response for my elitist companion… I can find more people who fear speaking the language because of people with his idea of “Irish” – than he can fluent speakers. Sadly! Needless to say, there are those who will not change and if the Irish language fades, I hope it will not be because of my fear of people like that… I intend to continue my rediscovery of the Irish language… and little by little, get better at its proper usage – and who knows, one day…!
April 11, 2008 :: Posted by - Patrick James :: Category - Something Else
It took me a little while to take to RTE’s “In the Name of the Fada” which sees American comedian Des Bishop in a bid to become a fluent Irish speaker. Last nights show, featured him returning to America to see what the reactions to his new found language would be… Following the show I was filled with several emotions. I felt hope for the language but most of all I felt ashamed… ashamed of myself. You see, my school days, tried to knock out of me, any passion I would have had for the Irish language. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a love of the language and while I would understand a good bit of Irish, I feel my standard is not what it should be! I can comfortably listen to Irish conversations and follow what’s being said, when I try to speak ‘as Gaeilge’ I clam up and become tongue-tied… Something I’ve never overcome.
What struck me most about Des Bishops visit to America was one particular Korean gentleman he met on his journey. It was amazing: The man in question, who had never been to Ireland, was conversing in fluent Irish. It put me in mind of a recent post on Maria Horan in which she discusses the future of Irish and foreign speakers of the language. The Korean man was case-in-point! I was filled with great pride also… just to see the reach our wondeful language has and the effect it has on people!
Like so many people I have allowed my own personal history to impede my ability to speak what is my ‘native tongue’ – something I am ashamed of… Something that I intend to change! I now intend to begin my own journey to recapture my ability to speak ‘as Gaeilge’… and be proud of the heritage as oppossed to afraid!
Lifehacker gives the lowdown on open source application GmailAssistant which monitors multiple Gmail accounts and alerts you of new mail.
Corrupt Éire on a place of utter beauty: “… If ever there was a place that deserved to be preserved in the name of the dead generations from prehistoric times up to historic times, up to completely recently – it was Tara.”
February 08, 2008 :: Posted by - Patrick James :: Category - The Word
Lá Nua, the Irish language newspaper is under threat of closure after having been published for more than twenty years. This would come as yet another loss to Irish heritage… It seems that in a time when the Irish are being asked to embrace an influx of different cultures into Ireland, we are slowly losing touch with our own. Below is a worthwhile link, to a petition to Foras na Gaeilge, the cross-border Irish language body, to support Lá Nua, the Irish language daily newspaper, to ensure its survival and to put a proper basis under the future development of the Irish language print journalism.
Recently, someone close to me, who is doing an Irish Diploma in UCD came to me quite worried and asking for my help… and not with their Gaeilge either!
