Most GAA Northerners will have done Irish at school. I did it to O level (aged 16 )and was reasonably fluent aged 16. Irish is an easy language to learn and even easier to pronounce. Anyone who says it is "difficult" is a closet West Brit or unbelievably dense. It's not a huge issue to follow the minor game - few basic phrases keep recurring. I love that it's in Irish. I do however have an issue with RTÉ covering Bono and other members of the British royal family and riffing endlessly about "the premiership". Just as I have an even bigger issue with Irish people, when discussing e.g. Chelsea FC, saying that "we" won, despite them being from Waterford or Derry etc and never having lived in London in their confused wee sycophantic lives.

essmac (Tyrone) - Posts: 1141 - 24/08/2013 14:35:35    1467003

Couldn't have put it better myself essmac.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 24/08/2013 15:30:18    1467017

Stupid thread and a stupid opening post.
If any language is being forced on the people in this country its English and yet this clown moans when a minor GAA match is broadcast in Irish.
To be honest our complete willingness to abandon our heritage is an embarrassment.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 24/08/2013 15:50:08    1467027

The original reason for doing the minor match commentary in Irish is that when RTE first began to show all-Ireland semi-finals and finals on live television, there was a rule that 50% of the broadcast had to be in Irish. Instead of having half of the senior commentary in Irish, it was decided to show the minor match as well and have the commentary in Irish so that they could then do the whole senior match in English. I'm not sure if this 50% policy is still in place but in any case I love hearing the Irish commentary on the minor game and I would hate to see it changed.

Gaillimh_Abu (Galway) - Posts: 1041 - 24/08/2013 16:11:11    1467041

Why don't these people who are bothered with the use of Gaelic in the minor games take a course. It will be nice to wake up tomorrow morning at 8.30 in Augusta, New Jersey, and listen to the minor game in Gaelic. And yes, understand it also. Ignorance is not always bliss and degrading your native tongue is an opprobrium. Harry Dunleavy, Augusta, New Jersey, USA

Dunleavy (USA) - Posts: 2 - 24/08/2013 16:36:21    1467059

I wouldnt say there are a whole lot of career opportunities there as it is very niche-market and I would hazard a guess that most would jump at the chance to move into english-speaking television. My point was more along the lines of schools - irish is compulsory when the career opportunities it offers are very very limited, with many based on subsidisation. People would be better served spending more time on maths or science or computing (i.e. the things that are going to get us out of the recession) and having an option of irish if they so desire.

I am getting very tired these days of what I call the "New Irish". They're everywhere. People who have no culture apart from the culture of functionality. There is far more to school than learning something that gets you a job. It's about gaining a rounded education. If you want to just learn something in order to get a job, why not take your kids out of school and send them off to the Far East to work in a factory making runners. Or teach them "Runners Manufacture" in school instead of Irish or History or Geography or English. I'm sick to the back teeth of the sort of people who'd drain every bog, build apartments on the Phoenix Park, sell off the Book of Kells, all for a few pound. There are things more important than money. The Irish language is one of them.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2581 - 24/08/2013 16:38:09    1467061

Cluiche iontach I Durlas agus as Gaeilge freisin :-) Agus fir on Thuaidh chun tosaigh.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 24/08/2013 16:44:05    1467069

Buaiteoir
County: Tyrone
Posts: 5

1466861 I cannot believe anti Irish language posters on this thread. One of the founding principles of the GAA was the preservation of our native language. To call yourself a GAA supporter and at the same time call to minimise the use of the Irish language is hypocritical.
Where will this stop?
Should we stop using the Gaelic names of our counties?
Should we stop printing the names of the team member in Irish in the programmes?
Should we stop using terms such as banisteoir?

How about our National Anthem? Should we start singing that in English now as well?
Let's get real here. Nothing stirs passions so much in a true Gael like a rousing song or hearing the language being proudly spoken. There are now more people in Ireland using the Gaeilge in their daily lives than there has been in over 100 years especially among young adults and our youth.
There has been enough appeasement and erosion of our culture in our mad rush to ditch our language and culture and embrace all things British and American. It is if some people in this country are embarrassed to be Irish.
Beirigí Bua

Irish or Northern Irish?

FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2896 - 24/08/2013 16:50:30    1467074

Tá an ceart agat.

beir_bua (Kildare) - Posts: 746 - 24/08/2013 16:53:40    1467076

TheMaster

"However, the point you raise has more in common with people who choose to speak irish when in the company of people who dont speak it - a highly ignorant thing to do"

When did I advocate doing this? Most people know Gaelic phrases & words from the school days. If anything you would be making a conversation more colourful.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 24/08/2013 18:02:20    1467140

I'd say this thread is not far off being closed down, enjoy lads.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 24/08/2013 19:04:23    1467191

Foolsgold, Cavan

What exactly do you mean here? Are you somehow making a distinction between us from the Northern province and those from the rest of Ireland. Some of the best Irish in this country is spoken in the most northern county in Ireland, Co. Donegal so I don't see how that makes any difference to the discussion on this thread.

Buaiteoir (Tyrone) - Posts: 15 - 24/08/2013 20:04:53    1467246

The Master

That is true greengrass, however, how far are any of the tg4 actors going to go in their profession acting in irish speaking television? I wouldnt say there are a whole lot of career opportunities there as it is very niche-market and I would hazard a guess that most would jump at the chance to move into english-speaking television. My point was more along the lines of schools - irish is compulsory when the career opportunities it offers are very very limited, with many based on subsidisation. People would be better served spending more time on maths or science or computing (i.e. the things that are going to get us out of the recession) and having an option of irish if they so desire. I have no issue with irish, I just dont think it should be the only option for people, in any situation. It is good that we keep our language, but it also has it's place.

I would argue that being able to speak Irish is an advantage to actors on the island of Ireland, if anything. Most of them appear on English-language shows and productions anyway, as this provides a larger market. The relatively small pool of Irish-speaking actors and media professionals gives them access to extra revenue which they may not otherwise get, as well as satisfying their artistic and cultural needs. They clearly have an advantage over monoglot English-speaking actors due to their bilinguality.

Irish-language media also gives a starting point to rising talent who may go on to bigger things in English-language TV. There are plenty of examples in this case, such as Daire Ó Briain, Daithí Ó Sé, the Seoighe sisters, etc.

From a practical POV, I found that I got some opportunities starting out in my career, as none of my colleagues could understand Irish, but I could. It was also helpful later on when I was learning another language.

As for the 'Irish is useless' theory, well, I feel that this is an overstated and slanted argument. You could argue that a lot of things we learn in school are a waste of time. I have never gotten much practical use of out the Shakespearian sonnets we studied in school, or the mole concept, or the hours and hours of religion lessons that we were exposed to.

This, in itself, does not mean it was a waste of time. The purpose of education should not be merely to fill the demands of an ever-fluctuating labour market, but also to provide a rounded learning experience, and hopefully to teach kids to think for themselves.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 24/08/2013 21:14:22    1467297

we should always be proud to be irish in a full sense,includes our language,games,music,dance etc; alwys have a gaelic approach and support language whenever possible. antrims hurling win tonight with irish commentary was class; marks us as special,distinctive, fior gaels. irish and proud

gaelsarebest (Cavan) - Posts: 39 - 24/08/2013 21:59:41    1467359

Htaem
County: Meath
Posts: 4297

1466555
I'd just like to watch minor games in a language that the vast majority of people on this Island speaks....English!

Ps learning Irish should be a choice, having it compulsory is ridiculous if you ask me.

in that case learning english should be achoice and not have kids forced to learn ridiculous english poetry in school which they will never use

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 25/08/2013 11:52:58    1467456

hill16no1man

in that case learning english should be achoice and not have kids forced to learn ridiculous english poetry in school which they will never use


But we speak English as a first language hill, if you didn't learn english then there'd be a pretty good chance that you'd be illiterate and therefore unable to contribute anything to websites like HS.

We could make poetry optional alright, can't personally see why it's so important.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 25/08/2013 13:07:45    1467496

Enjoying the commentary in the minor match today.Its a mile better than what we're likely to hear in the senior match.

uibhfhaili1986 (Offaly) - Posts: 1296 - 25/08/2013 13:56:24    1467516

Cant see the point of this type of question. Have we become so revisionary that we are to disassociate our language from our national game. It would be bizarre in any other culture but maybe not here. We have given away so much of our identity over the last years to turn our backs on the long traditions established as part of All-Ireland day wouldn't surprise me at all.

What would be the alternative?: Sky sports style of commentary given in cockney rhyme a la EastEnders

AreWeHuman (Kildare) - Posts: 242 - 25/08/2013 16:15:38    1467626

My better half isn't Irish & she can't understand why so few of us can or want to speak our own language. But Htaem & TheMaster know better of course.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 25/08/2013 17:26:08    1467717

Having listened to commentary today on main game , , from now on all commentary should be taken off carney and marty and in Irish or swahili .Anything .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 25/08/2013 17:31:46    1467731