Ómós, Oidhreacht, Tír is Teanga

Ag seoladh Chraobh Uile – Éireann san Iomáint in Ionad Mhíchíl Cíosóg sa Bhoireann, i Co. an Chláir i mbliana, bhí deis ag Aedín Ní Bhriain, Oifigeach Forbartha Gaeilge CLG na Mumhan, dreas cainte a dhéanamh le hUachtarán CLG, Iarlaith Ó Broin.

 

‘Mothaím i dtiúin le mo thimpeallacht nuair a bhím ag   caint i nGaeilic.’

Iarlaith Ó Broin, Uachtarán CLG

 

Táimid anseo i gCo. An Chláir in Ionad Mhíchíl Cíosóg do sheoladh Chraobh Iomána na hÉireann. Bhfuil siombalachas faoi leith ag baint leis sin?

(Iarlaith) Mothaím lámh na staire ar mo ghualainn. Bheadh Mícheal Cíosóg iontach bródúil as imreoirí an lae inniu nuair a amharcann tú ar an díograis agus an méid fuinnimh a chuireann siad isteach. 140 bhliain i ndiaidh dó CLG a bhunú, nuair a amharcann tú thart, tá ár gcuid imreoirí go fóill amaitéarach, ní fhaigheann siad tuarastal. Bhí sin mar cheann de na luachanna a bhi aige.

Táimid go fóill sáite sa phobal – sin rud atá iontach tábhachtach dúinn fosta. Nuair a amharcann tú ar an dóigh a choinníonn muid an mana ‘Tá áit dúinn uilig ann’, is cuma muna bhfuil bua na hiománaíochta ionat, thig leat ról a ghlacadh insan chlub ar bhealach éigin. Dhéarfainn féin go mbeadh Mícheál Cíosóg iontach sásta leis an áit ina bhfuil stádas CLG anois.

Bhí Mícheál Cíosóg an – dílis don teanga ar ndóigh. Mar Uachtarán, an bhfuil fís agat féin maidir le Gaeilge?

(Iarlaith) ‘Sé an jab atá ag CLG ná an Ghaeilge a chur chun tosaigh agus déanfaimid sin go h-an -mhaith. Mar shampla, tá Gaeilge agam & táim ag caint leat i nGaeilge agus nuair a amharcann tú thart, tá an Ghaeilge iontach feiceálach i gCLG agus b’fhéidir gurbh é an rud ba mhó a rinn muid le blianta beaga anuas ná go bhfuil TG4 (beagnach, nó chomh cóngarach is a d’fheadfadh sé a bheith) mar stáisiún gaelach ag craoladh cluichí. Rinne siad 222 chluiche anuraidh i nGaeilge amháin agus nuair atá mise ag caint le daoine thart faoin tír, deireann siad ‘Bhfuil a fhios agat, mar gheall ar thráchtaireacht TG4, tá i bhfad níos mó tuisceana agam ar na téarmaí a chluinim agus ar an anailís, agus tá sé i bhfad níos intuigthe dom anois’. ‘Sé an bharúil atá agamsa ná gurbh é TG4 an rud ba thábhachtaí agus ba shuantasaí dúinn le 20 bliain ó thaobh dul chun cinn na Gaeilge de i CLG.

Ar ndóigh, tá Scéim nó Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha ag dul ó neart go neart & ag cabhrú linn an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn ‘sna clubanna.

(Iarlaith) Inár gclub, bhain muid bonn cré-umha amach anuraidh agus bhí muid ag an gceiliúradh i bPáirc an Chrócaigh. Anois tá sé mar sprioc againn bogadh ar aghaidh go an bonn airgid i mbliana. Tá a fhios againn céard atá le déanamh chun sin a fháil. Mar gheall ar sin, tá an Ghaeilge chun tosaigh inár gclub. Táimid ag smaoineamh ar Ghaeilge a chur sna miontuairiscí, í a labhairt an oiread agus is féidir thart faoin gclub, comharthaí Gaeilge a bheith thuas againn, ranganna Gaeilge a bheith againn sa chlub agus an Ghaeilge a úsáid ag an dinnéar – damhsa agus ins na fógraí. Rudaí beaga a chuireann an Ghaeilge i mbéal an phobail – sin an rud is tábhachtaí, ag filleadh ar ais arís ar an sprioc atá taobh thiar de ná an Gaeilge a chur chun tosaigh aon uair gur féidir.

Nach iontach an rud é go bhfuil an scéim seo ainmnithe in ómós do Sheosamh Mac Donncha. Táim díreach tar éis Corn Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha a bhronnadh an Domhnach seo caite agus ba mhór an onóir dom é.

An bhfuil smaointe agat faoi conas gur féidir níos mó a dhéanamh i leith na Gaelainne don Aos óg?

(Iarlaith) Is dócha gurbh é ceann de na dushláin is mó atá againn ná an Ghaeilge a bhaint amach as na scoileanna, mar feictear i bhfad ró – mhinic í mar rud éigin a dhéantar ar scoil amháin – ábhar scoile… déanann tú an scrúdú labhartha… agus ansin, ní labhraíonn tú Gaeilge níos mó. Ceann de na rudaí gur féidir linne a dhéanamh ná seansanna a thabhairt do dhaoine óga an Ghaeilge a chloisint ina ngnáthsaolta. Caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil na meáin shóisialta iontach tábhachtach dó sin. Caithfimid dul isteach ina saolta an oiread agus is féidir linn ar bhonn atá suas chun dáta leis an nGaeilge a chloisteáil. Nuair a amharcann tú ar Kneecap mar shampla agus roinnt de na bannaí ceoil atá thart atá go mór i dtiúin le meon an aosa óig, b’fhéidir gurbh é sin an bealach is fearr chun tosnú leis an aos óg agus iad a dheánamh bródúil as a dteanga féin.

Luaigh tú in agallamh le déanaí go raibh an Ghaeilge mar ‘Thearmann’ duit féin agus tú ag fás aníos.

(Iarlaith) Baineann sé le mo fhéiniúlacht, mar san áit inar rugadh mé in Ard Mhaca, bhíodh daoine ag rá nár Éireannaigh muid & chun a bheith cinnte gur Éireannaigh muid, bhí orainn giota beag níos mó a dhéanamh. Ó bhí mé iontach óg, is cuimhin liom, i rang a trí, an chéad fhocal Gaeilge a chuala mé agus d’aithin mé ansin go raibh ár dteanga féin againn agus fiú ag an aois sin, d’éirigh mé fiosrach agus chuir mé an cheist’ Cén fáth nach bhfuilimid ag caint sa teanga seo gach lá?’ Ansin d’fhiosraigh mé ár stair agus dheimhnigh mé go mbeadh sé mar dhualgas orm an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim agus a bheith líofa sa teanga. Anois, táim i bhfad níos mó ar mo shuaimhneas ag caint i nGaeilge ná i mBéarla. Leabhraím Gaeilge i bhfad níos mó ná mar a labhraím Bearla – Mothaím i dtiúin le mo thimpeallacht nuair a bhím ag caint i nGaeilic.

Bail ó Dia ar an obair, a Uachtaráin, agus coinnigh ort.

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Repecting Heritage, Native Land and Language

At the launch of the All – Ireland Hurling Championsip in the Michael Cusack Centre in the Burren, Co Clare this year, Aedín Ní Bhriain, Munster GAA’s Irish Language Development Officer, took the opportunity to chat to GAA President Iarlaith Ó Broin.

‘I feel at one with my surroundings when I speak in Irish.’

Iarlaith Ó Broin, President of the GAA

We’re here in Co. Clare in the Michael Cusack Centre for the launch of the All-Ireland Hurling Championship. Isn’t there a symbolism in that?

I feel the hand of history on my shoulder. Michael Cusack would be very proud of the players of today when you look at their enthusiasm and abundance of energy. 140 years after he founded the GAA, when you look around, our players are still amateur, they don’t get a salary. This was one of his core values.

We are still steeped in the community, which is also very important to us. When you look at how we live out the motto ‘Where we all belong’, regardless of whether you’re a winning player or not, you can play a role in the club in some way. I would say that Michael Cusack would be very happy with where the GAA is now.

Michael Cusack was very faithful to the language of course. As President, do you have a vision for the Irish language?

The GAA’s job is to promote the Irish language and we will do that very well. For example, I have Irish & I am talking to you in Irish and when you look around, Irish is very visible in the GAA and perhaps the biggest development in recent years is that TG4 (is almost, or as close as it could be) is an Irish station for broadcasting games. They broadcast 222 matches last year in Irish only and when I’m talking to people around the country, they say ‘You know, TG4 commentary makes me much more aware of my Irish, of the terms I hear and the analysis, and it’s much more understandable to me now’. ‘I belive that TG4 has been the most important and remarkable thing for us in the last 20 years in terms of the advancement of the Irish language in the GAA.

Of course, the Joe McDonagh Scheme / Foundation is going from strength to strength & helping us to promote the Irish language in the clubs.

We were awarded a bronze medal last year in our club and we celebrated it at a ceremony in Croke Park. Our goal now is to move on to the silver medal this year. We know what we have to do to get that. For this reason, the Irish language is to the fore in our club:  taking the minutes in Irish, speaking Irish as much as possible around the club, having Irish signage around us, having Irish classes in the club, using Irish at our dinner – dance and in ads and announcements. Small steps that put the Irish language in the public eye – that’s the most important thing, in keeping with the goal to promote the Irish language whenever possible.

Isn’t it wonderful that this project is named in honour of Joe Mac Donagh. I recently presented the Joe Mac Donagh Cup, named in his honour and it was an honour for me to do so.

Do you have any ideas on how we can do more with Irish for young people?

Getting Irish out of the school setting only is probably one of our biggest challenges, as it is seen often as something done only in school – a school subject… you take the oral exam… and then, you don’t speak Irish anymore. One of the things we can do is give young people opportunities to hear Irish in their everyday lives. I have to say that social media is very important for that. We need to get into their lives as much as we can on an up-to-date basis when it comes to hearing the Irish language. When you look at Kneecap for example and some of the bands around that are very much in tune with young people, this may be the best way to get young people involved and make them proud of their own language.

You mentioned in a recent interview that Irish was a type of ‘Refuge’ for you growing up.

It’s about my identity, because where I was born in Armagh, some  people used to say we weren’t Irish & to make sure we were Irish, we needed to do that little bit extra.From a very young age, I remember, in third class, the first word of Irish I heard and then I realised that we had our own language and even at that age, I became curious and asked the question ‘Why are we not speaking this language every day?’ Then I looked into our history and decided that it would be my duty to learn Irish and to be fluent in the language. I’m much more at home speaking Irish rather than English. I speak Irish much more than I speak English – I feel in tune with my surroundings when I speak in Irish.