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This the latest dispatch from our columnist Darach Ó Séaghdha, author of the award-winning and bestselling Motherfoclóir. Every week, Darach will be regaling (re-Gaeling?) us with insights on what the Irish language says about Ireland, our society, our past and our present. Enjoy.
A STRONG CONTENDER for my favourite Irish word is rún- it means a secret, a love, a secret love, or a promise. It can also mean a resolution – a promise to one’s self, a secret declaration of self love.
The Irish for a new year’s resolution is Rún na hAthbhliana. Amidst all the pressures of the holiday period and the worries, both global and private, of the new year, it’s important to remember that you -yes, you – are doing great.
That problem you had two years ago, the one you worried about every day – you fixed it and you never think about it anymore, and in two years time, that’s what the problem that prickles you now will feel like.
You don’t need to be improved.
However, if you want to make a plan to fix something in your life that doesn’t make you happy, a new year is as good a time as any.
Bliain na Gaeilge may be over, but 2019 will be a personal year of Irish for those hundreds of people who make a resolution to revisit the language, possibly after years of neglect.
But where can they start? This week I’d like to suggest a few online and offline resources that might start you on your way.
daltai.com – this is a learner’s resource with verb tables, grammar guides and even a database of proverbs (seanfhocail).
teanglann.ie – this website allows you to search the three major dictionaries (the 1959 English to Irish, the 1977 Irish to English and the 1991 Irish foclóir) at the same time, and includes audio pronunciations of most words in the three major dialects. There’s an app that works offline too.
focloir.ie is the most recent English to Irish dictionary, with more up to date terms and example sentences – it also has an offline app.
nos.ie now that you have the learning resources to hand, you want to find some good reading content to get stuck into. Nós is an online magazine with articles on a range of lifestyle topics – Northern Irish Tayto versus 353 Tayto, podcast reviews, cartoons by the brilliant @ciaraioch and saucy scéalta from the irrepressible Cailín sa Chathair (girl in the city) only scratches the surface.
An Siopa Leabhar – if you’re anxious about your level of Irish, the Irish language bookshop on Harcourt Street will put you at your ease. The helpful team there will be only delighted to recommend a book that’s at your level which fits in with your interests. You might also like @BooksAsGaeilge on Twitter.
gaelchultur.com run evening classes for total beginners as well as those returning to Irish. If this doesn’t suit your location or schedule, DCU have a well-regarded online course.
BAE – Beo Ar Éigean is a podcast as Gaeilge from RTÉ in which three smart, funny young women chat about pretty much everything – social media, “the fear” after a night out, feminism, fashion – everything except the school curriculum and debates about state policies on translation, really. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts.
Raidió na Life – if you haven’t checked out Dublin’s Irish language radio station yet, it’s worth giving it a spin – there’s a excellent selection of music shows, such as Ola Majekodunmi’s Seinnliosta an tSathairn, as well as news and chat, like Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh’s Ardchathair.
Nine Arrow – Finally, if you want to see more Irish in your timeline, Catherine Geaney is a talented artist and Irish language enthusiast who uses Facebook and Instagram to share her illustrations of Irish words.
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Stick to primary school teaching….
@Me_a_monkey: I thought it a good article. Might have helped to show the swimsuit/ advert of the times discussed. But a bit of a harsh comment monkey.
@Me_a_monkey: I disagree. Live and let live. Do what you want and don’t be defined simply by the day job. It’s a well written humorous yet serious piece. I enjoyed it. But Special K is not really a healthy food and it’s more about marketing and how people are constantly being manipulated to part them from their hard-earned cash. A complaint to the advertising standards authority might improve things.
@Me_a_monkey: It was just far too long and too loosely written. Needs editing and cutting back.
I think all this Instagranming of ‘body positivity’ and celebrating curves etc is all very well but the reality is you’re looking at Type 2 diabetes and all that goes with it. The Special K ad and the like are nonsense but there’s a danger with embracing our curves too. All the high Street and online plus size trends are a double edged sword. There are serious health reasons that nobody is supposed to be a size 22.
@Sinead Mooney: how dare you fat shame!! FAT SHAMER! Oh wait I shouldn’t use that word. PLUS SIZED SHAMER!
Brands that sell themselves as healthy but which are actually processed junk, should be banned. Eat natural.
@Alan Currie: so that is most brands, especially those that claim low fat.
After all the are low fat, but to stop the product tasting like cardboard they’ve added more sugar…. Which turns to fat in a person’s body due to the large amount as your body trys to store the excess sugar as fat since it can’t process the large amount at once.
@Barry Somers: you’ll find most man made foods that are low sugar are high in fat, and vice versa. There’s also danger of people using fat blocker pills, which also block the good fats from getting absorbed, omega 3 + 6 etc. A lot of people now switching to ketogenic diet.
@Alan Currie: Many natural foods too, to be fair! What nature doesn’t provide are foods high in both sugar and fat.
Lol.
Life is so short. Gonna have me bacon and eggs today. Then chase the dog up a hill.
Never had ‘Special K’ in my whole life of 60ish years. Live. Love. Eat. Move.
Oh and organic oats are all the breakfast cereal you need.
@willow moon: Good for you. But as we live in a world where we have confectionary products pushed on suggestible people from all directions and sugar added to everything (even baked beans), a little pressure to be healthy is probably no harm.
Really do not understand the point of this article. I get it’s poking fun at the underlying theme of the special k marketing. Is this another article on how certain advertising body shames women? This tired notion that it’s everyone else’s job to stop hurting your feelings? I really don’t get the purpose of this article.
@mark d: I would suggest re-reading it, you might get it the second time around
@Vocal Outrage: pleas explain it for me.
@Vocal Outrage: please explain it for me.
I’m sure I’d look great in that swimsuit! Drive the men wild!
I also grew up with the Diet Coke ad. Apparently they wanted to make another ad in that style and it was banned before it was even shot. We are now in the pc world. (There’s another advert). I think if you treat people like adults they act like adults and can make up their own minds about what they want. Maybe that’s why we are all still treated like children.
@Marcia Craine: but you have no problem with those adults being given false and misleading info/data?
How do you expect them to make up their minds if they are being lied to be the food industry?
@Barry Somers: when does it become an individuals responsibility to find and disseminate information for themselves. Also if people believe everything they see in an advert they deserve to be fooled.
This example really enhances her camel toe
What’s wrong with ambition, wanting to look better and feel better. If you want to commit suicide by over eating and indulging in harmful practices, go ahead, I don’t want to be paying for your diabetes medication or gastric bypass surgery. The reality is, being overweight is unhealthy and self limiting.
@Daniel Donovan: oh oh! Snowflakes gonna get you for that comment!
Most upset person here is yourself, so far, Mark. Does that say anything to you?
I can just imagine Waterford Whispers with this one. “Woman believes a full bodied red swimsuit body shames, goes to a beach in Spain and has a meltdown.”
If anything those swimsuits went out of their way to be modest and cover all the… bits. These days you see worse on a sunny July day in Grafton Street, and skimpier swimsuits held together with a bit of string and half a handkerchief on Termonfeckin beach. Personally I never look…
have your say