3:
Issue 3:
ROAD SIGNS in the Gaeltacht are written
“as Gaeilge”
by Mikey O’Doherty
“Our
Native
Tongue.”
Irish or “Gaeilge” is one of the oldest
languages in Europe. You could trace its
beginning back to about the ninth century.
In the sixteenth century it was the spoken
language in our country. Almost all of the
population of Ireland were Irish speaking
at that time.
When England ruled Ireland they tried to
suppress the Irish language and replace it with
English. They succeeded. Today we are
English speaking people. However the Irish
language still survives.
“An Gaeltacht” is the name given to the
areas of Ireland where Gaeilge is the
everyday language of the people. It is
believed that more than one million people can
speak Gaeilge, and almost every Irish person
has the “cúpla focal” (few words).
Gaeilge is taught in our schools. Also poetry
and song have played a big part helping the
language to survive. Our language is a strong In the rest of Ireland signs are written in
part of our Irish culture and it helps to keep in English and Irish.
touch with our roots.
Old Irish Writing.
There were people in Europe and beyond
known as Celts. Their Language was
spoken over a huge area. Versions of this
language are still spoken and taught to day.
The map below shows where Celtic
Languages were spoken.
Richard
Carroll
Americans say some English words
different to what we do. Here are some of
them.
English.
By 400AD the surviving Celtic languages
were mainly limited to areas of
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and
Brittany.
American.
Footpath
Sidewalk
Mobile phone
Cell phone
Biscuits
Cookies
Petrol
Gas
Jam
Jelly
Freezer
Ice box
Rubbish
Trash
Bin
Trash can
Nappies
Diapers
Soother
Pacifier
Pram
Stroller
Gaeilge our Language: Our Heritage:
Irish or Gaeilge is the spoken language in
some parts of Ireland.
The areas are called Gaeltachts or
Gaeltachtaί. There are Gaeltachtaί in seven
counties – Kerry, Cork, Waterford,
Galway, Mayo, Donegal, and Meath. These
areas are shown on the map below.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
To day the population of the Gaeltacht is
about 90, 000. Gweedore in Co. Donegal
is the largest Gaeltacht area in Ireland
My Relations in the Cork Gaeltacht:
My brother Sean got married in the
Gougane Barra in the Cork Gaeltacht.
I come from Algeria. I came to Ireland in
2003. It was Christmastime. I speak
Arabic at home. My Dad, my Mom, my
Sister, my Brother, and me speak
Arabic. At school I speak English,
I know one Irish word Slάn. It means
goodbye. My Mom and Dad speak
French.
My sister lives in Ballingeary in the same
Cork Gaeltacht.
She speaks Irish all the time. My niece
speaks Irish better than English.
By Mikie O’Doherty
Bonjour is Hello, and au revoir means
goodbye. Joyeaux Noelle is Happy
Christmas. I like English best of all
By Reda Melikchi
Seanfhocail: Irish sayings:
Irish Saying.
Meaning
Nίl aon tinteάin mar = There is no
do thinteάin fέin,
fireside like your
own fireside
= There’s no place
like home
Buail an t-iarann te
= Strike while the
iron is hot
Is binn bέal ina
thost
=A shut mouth
catches no flies
Is fearr an slάinte
nά na tάinte
= Health is better
than wealth
Tίr gan teanga, Tίr
gan anam
= A country without
a language has no
soul
Maireann croί
eadtrom ί bhfad
= A light heart lives
longest
by
Eric Whelan
These are some English language words
from the Celtic Irish Language. They are
like a local version of English and can be
confusing to a stranger.
Craic: (crack).
Used in Ireland for fun and enjoyment.
Boreen: (from the Irish word bόithrín)
= A small country road.
Brogues: (from bróg = a shoe)
= A type of shoes.
Galore: (from go leor = a lot)
= Plenty, a lot.
Smithereens:
= Small fragments.
Sidhe: (pronounced she)
= The Fairy Folk of Ireland
Slew: (from sluagh)
= A large number.
Poteen: (from poitín “a small pot”)
= Bootleg alcoholic drink.
Pooka: (from púca)
= A Sprite or Spirit or Evil Demon.
________________________________________________________________
I came to Ireland from Palestine one and a half years ago. When I came to Ireland I
couldn’t speak English. I could say Hello or Hi that’s all. Now I speak English really well
and I spell and write English too. I learn everything in English.
I learn Irish at school, but I have a long way to go. I don’t know very much Irish yet. I
know the parts of the body in Irish.
Ceann means Head: Srón is Nose: Súile are Eyes: Béal means Mouth:
Arabic is my language. At home I speak Arabic and outside I speak English.
by Ibrahim Alaydi.
ár
Irish Our Language: