Scríobhann Conor Brummell faoina aistear leis an nGaeilge, aistear a d'oscail a mheon i leith na teanga agus an domhain mhóir, dar leis.
"Not to Learn Irish is to miss the opportunity of understanding what life in this country has meant and could mean in a better future."
Luaitear go minic an raitéas thuas ó Sheamus Heaney, nuair a bhíonn saineolaithe ag plé an tionchair atá ag an nGaeilge ar chultúr na hÉireann. Ar ndóigh, tá stair agus cultúr na hÉireann ceangailte leis an nGaeilge agus ní mór dúinn ach breathnú ar na seandramadóirí nó agus dramaí na hÉireann chun é sin a thusicint. Tóg mar shampla Translations le Brian Friel agus feicfidh tú céard atá chuige a bhfuilim - is minic go mbíonn tionchar ag an nGaeilge ar Bhéarla na hÉireann, ón gcomharthaí bóthair go caint na ndaoine agus logainmneacha na tíre.
Tógadh in Uibh Fháilí mé agus mar sin de, ní raibh mórán suim agam sa Ghaeilge agus mé ar an mbunscoil. Nuair a bhí mé an-óg, bhí faitíos orm roimh an nGaeltacht mar coincheap tosic gur cheap mé gurb áit iasachta í. Bhí an-drogall orm freastal ar chúrsa samhraidh nuair a chuir mo chara scoile ceist orm dul leis, toisc go raibh droch-íomha agam faoin nGaeltacht.
Ar an dea-uair, seoladh go dtí an Ghaeltacht mé ag an am sin nuair a bhí mé ceithre bliana deag d'aois. Deich mbliana ó shin an samhradh seo, chuaigh mé go dtí an Ghaeltacht don chéad uair, agus in ainneoin an droch-íomha a bhí agam roimhe, thit mé i ngrá leis an áit go láithreach. D’fhreastail mé ar Choláiste Lurgan in Indreabhán ar feadh trí seachtaine agus caithfidh mé a adhmháil go n-athraíodh m'intinn nuair a bhí mé sáite sa teanga. Musclaíodh rud ionam i rith na tréimhse sin, agus thuig mé go raibh níos mó ag baint leis an teanga seachas filíocht nó proslítríocht. Don chéad uair riamh, d’aithin mé go raibh saol ar fáil trí Ghaeilge lasmuigh den seomra ranga, nuair a chonaic mé go raibh pobal ollmhór croíúil ag maireachtáil trí Ghaeilge sa Ghaeltacht.
Rinne mé cairdeas trí Ghaeilge agus osclaíodh mo shúile don chultúr agus an ceol traidisiúnta a bhí ar fáil trí Ghaeilge. Bhuail mé le daoine a raibh ar an intinn céanna liom féin sa Ghaeltacht, a tháinig ó fud fad na tíre, daoine nach bheas aithne agam orthu gan an Ghaeilge i mo shaol. Is rud draíochtúil é bualadh le duine trí Ghaeilge don chéad uair, toisc go mbíonn ceangal agat leis an duine sin trí Ghaeilge go deo. Nuair a bhíomar sa Ghaeltacht, ní raibh bac ar bith againn faoi botúin gramadaí agus ba í an Ghaeltacht mar áit sugartha dúinn go léir i ndiaidh tamall. B'áit neamhshaolta soineanta í an Ghaeltacht, agus bhíomar in ann éalú ón bhfíorshaol ar feadh píosa. Is minic go labhraím Gaeilge le daoine ar bhuail mé leo sa Ghaeltacht, rud a chuireann gliondar ar mo chroí fós.
Cinnte, bhí ranganna gramadaí sainordaitheach gach maidin nuair a bhíomar ar an gcúrsa samhraidh sin, rud a bhí leamh leadránach. Ach sa thráthnóna, théimis go dtí an trá nó ag cadhcáil san fharraige. D’fhoghlaim me stór focail nua cosúil le smugairle róin agus feamainn. Gach oíche, eagraíodh céilithe nó comórtais amhrán tí a raibh spraíúil agus beomhar. Ba mhór an spórt iad na himeachtaí a bhí ar fáil trí Ghaeilge agus thosaigh mé ag smaoineamh go dearfach i leith na teanga. Sular ndeachaigh mé chuig Coláiste Lurgan, cheap mé féin go raibh an Ghaeilge chomh seandéanta. Mheall Coláiste Lurgan mé nuair a thosaigh siad ag aistriú amhráin pop ceoil ó Bhéarla go Gaeilge, rud nach raibh déanta cheana féin, agus ghlac mé páirt sna fiseáin ceoil a bhí á ndéanamh acu agus mé ann. Faoi dheireadh, thuig mé gur teanga bheo í an Ghaeilge.
Sula i bhfad, d’éirigh an Ghaeilge a bheith faiseanta i mo shaol. Bhí mé dúghafa leis an teanga, agus chuaigh mé ar ais go dtí an Ghaeltacht samhradh i ndiaidh samhraidh. Lean mé ar aghaidh go triú léibhéal agus bhain mé céim amach sa Ghaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe. D’úsáid mé mo chuid Gaeilge beagnach chuile lá, agus bhain mé oideachas níos deimhne faoi chúltúr agus stair na hÉireann amach mar gheall air sin. Táim i mo chónaí thar lear anois, ach bíonn deis agam mo chuid Gaeilge a úsáid go minic tosic go bhfuil go leor Gaeilgeoirí sa Bhrúiséil. Airím Gaillimh agus an Ghaeltacht go mór uaim, ón Spideál go dtí An Cheathrú Rua, áit gur chaith mé trí mhí ag maireachtáil ann nuair a bhí mé sa tríú bhliain san Ollscoil. Gach seans a bhíonn agam dul ar ais go Gaillimh agus na bailte móra i gConamara, mothaím mar atá mé ag filleadh abhaile. Is féidir liom a bheith ar mo shuaimhneas ann, leis na radhairc ghairbh áille thar timpeall orm.
Is fíor nach mbíonn deis ag gach duine freastal ar an nGaeltacht nuair a bhíonn siad óg, agus tá cuma na fírinne ag na scéalta a cloistear faoi múineadh na Gaeilge sna scoileanna in Éirinn freisin. Glacaim go raibh an t-adh dearg orm taithí dearfach a bheith agam leis an teanga agus mé i mo dhéagóir. Mura ndeachaigh mé go dtí an cúrsa samhraidh sin deich mbliana ó shin, ní bheadh an Ghaeilge fite fuaite i mo shaol mar atá sí anois. Is léir dom gur chuir an Ghaeilge go mór le mo shaol. Deich mbliana ó thosaigh mé ar m'aistear Gaeilge, is fíor na focail a dúirt Seamus Heaney faoin teanga: mura nglacann tú an seans an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim, ní bheidh a fhíos agat féin cad a bheidh amach romhat sa todhchaí.
"Not to Learn Irish is to miss the opportunity of understanding what life in this country has meant and could mean in a better future."
When discussing the impact that the Irish language has had on Irish culture, Seamus Heaney’s famous quote is often cited by experts. Irish culture and history are intertwined with the Irish language, and we only have to look at the old playwrights and plays of Ireland to understand this. Translations by Brian Friel is a perfect example – the Irish language has often influenced the English language in Ireland, from road signs to everyday speech to the placenames of Ireland.
I was born and raised in Offaly and as such, I never really had an interest in the Irish language growing up. When I was younger, I had a strange fear of the concept of the Gaeltacht because to me, it seemed like such a foreign place. Because of this negative perception, I was reluctant to go to an Irish summer course when my friend from school asked me to go with him in second year of secondary school.
Luckily, my mam sent me to the Gaeltacht that summer when I was fourteen years old. It has been ten years since I first went to 'Irish college’, and despite that terrible image I had before I went, I fell in love with the place almost immediately. I attended a course in Coláiste Lurgan in Indreabhán for three weeks and my mind was completely changed from the experience I had there. I became immersed in the language, and something clicked with me about Irish. I soon realised that there was more to speaking and learning Irish than what took place in the classroom, and for the first time ever, I realised that there was a community of people living and working through Irish.
The thing about attending an Irish summer course in the Gaeltacht is that it can make or break you growing up. It can be tough, but thankfully, I became aware of the culture, music and fun that was associated with the Irish language. I became friends with people who had come from all parts of Ireland, who were similar in mindset to myself, who I would not have met had we not attended the same summer course in the Gaeltacht. Meeting someone through Irish for the first time is a magical feeling because you have a connection with this person through Irish forever, and the likelihood is that you will continue speaking Irish to that person because of the connection you have with them. Not only that, but when we were in the Gaeltacht, we didn’t worry about making grammar mistakes like we would have had in the classroom, and the Gaeltacht allowed us to develop and learn the language without fear.
Irish grammar classes were mandatory every morning, which would be boring for any fourteen-year-old on their summer holidays. But in the afternoons, we would go to the beach or kayaking on the sea. I learned new and complicated words such as the word for Jellyfish or Seaweed. Every night, there was céilis or house competitions. The activities that we did through the Irish language were fun, and soon I became to think more positively towards the Irish language. Before I went to Coláiste Lurgan, I thought Irish was extremely old-fashioned. However, Lurgan convinced me otherwise – they had started translating English language pop songs into Irish and making music videos for YouTube, which showed me that Irish was a living and thriving language.
Irish soon became a thing of passion in my life. I was obsessed with the language and went back to the Gaeltacht nearly every summer after that. I studied Irish in the University of Galway, where I spoke Irish nearly every day, and which allowed me to gain a deeper education on the culture and history of Ireland associated with the language. I live abroad now in Brussels, and I still use my Irish most days. I miss Galway and the Gaeltacht, from An Spidéal to An Cheathrú Rua, a place where I lived for three months during my third year of college for an Irish language Erasmus. Every time I get the chance to visit Galway or Conamara, it feels like I’m returning home.
I understand that not everyone is afforded the chance to go to the Gaeltacht when they are young, and the stories about the Irish language being badly taught within the education system are, in my opinion, unfortunately true. I was extremely lucky to have a positive experience with the language when I was a teenager, something that set me on course to study the language in college and fall in love with the culture and history associated with it. This would not have happened if I did not attend a course in the Gaeltacht ten years ago. The words of Séamus Heaney ring true for me in a lot of ways: if you don’t take the chance to learn the Irish language, you never know what the future might hold for you.
