A Cork city community has the opportunity to speak Irish on a daily basis thanks to one grocer's grá for an Ghaeilge.
Tá an Ghaeilge beo bríomhar i gcathair Corcaigh. The busy retail area of North Main Street in the heart of Cork city is where Cathal Ó Mainnín's grocery shop has been serving customers through the medium of the Irish as well as the English language for the past two years, with full support from the local community,
Tá fás agus borradh mór ag teacht leis an Ghaeilge i measc na daoine.
For those who do not speak any Irish at all, Cathal Ó Mainnín’s shop is a community resource centre for the language in the city, with posters, notices and signs as Gaeilge everywhere you look. Customers can also pick up Irish language books and newspapers here.
Cathal Ó Mainnín has a relaxed approach and is keen to emphasise that people who walk through his shop door enjoy speaking Irish. Proof of the initiative’s success is his Gaeilgeoir na seachtaine (Irish speaker of the week) award. Customers who have spoken the most Irish to him are celebrated with their photographs on a wall of fame in the shop.
All levels of fluency and ability are welcome, and it is the effort that is important. Cathal Ó Mainnín believes music is another way to draw young people into an interest in the language, which is in need of modernisation if it is to become attractive to the next generation,
Cén fáth nach d’úsáidimid...an rac-cheol agus an popcheol, chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn?
This report for 'Cúrsaí’ was broadcast on 2 April 1987. The reporter is Seán Ó Mealóid.
'Cúrsaí' was an Irish-language television magazine programme. It was first broadcast on 14 October 1986 with Neasa Ní Chinnéide and Seán Ó Tuairisg as presenters. It was originally billed as "iris-chlár le béim faoi leith ar chúrsaí reatha an lae agus ar chúrsaí na tíre i gcoitinne" (RTÉ Guide, 17 October 1986). But it covered a wide range of topics, including politics, current affairs, arts and entertainment. 'Cúrsaí' was broadcast four nights a week, from Tuesday to Friday, on RTÉ 2. It ended on 30 May 1995.
