Is maith liom an Ghaeltacht
Aug. 22nd, 2010 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12So. Ireland was...interesting. I was there for two weeks, in the Donegal Gaeltacht, learning Modern Irish. I did the course for one week last year, and felt it wasn't long enough. This year I did it for two weeks, and felt it was too long. It didn't help that by Tuesday of the second week, I, along with most other people from the course, had caught horrific colds.
It's a great course. You spend the day learning Irish (in classes of varying levels of ability; I was in Level 3 this year, after being in Level 2 last year), and the evenings doing cultural activities. The highlights this year were céilidh dancing (always loads of fun), the sketch nights on both Fridays (I am going to post our group's sketch, with a translation, as we had a ball writing and performing it), and, my personal favourite, a hike around the turas Cholm Cille led by Paddy Beag ('Little Paddy'), who was quite a character.
This is all of us in the chapel which is one of the stages of the turas. There's a stone upon which Colum Cille supposedly slept.
Gleann Cholm Cille itself is absolutely stunning. I was in Gleann Fhinne last year, which is nice, but not nearly as wild and beautiful. There's a perfect combination of rough beaches and rugged hills. The colours are all greys, greens and steel-blues.
The beach at the Glen.
The sunset, as seen on the night we walked the turas.
Of course, the best part about the trip was definitely the people. It's a special type of person who goes off to the Gaeltacht to learn Irish, and I made some great friends this year. (Of the person with the 'brain the size of a planet' (I felt like doing a Lena and saying 'So, like satellites, we revolve all around you?'), who spent the first week getting together with my housemate, then, when that didn't work out, spent the weekend getting together with my new housemate, then, when that didn't work out (despite 'having never felt this connection with anyone before'), moving on to not one but two other friends of mine, the less said, the better.)
Some of them can be seen here, enjoying a pint or three at Teach Roarty's, the 'least bad pub' in Gleann Cholm Cille.
On the weekend, we drove to Málainn Bhig, which is about 10km away from the Glen.
You'd be forgiven for thinking I actually took photos of some beach in NSW...
...until you saw the rugged cliffs behind the beach.
On Tuesday we drove to Sliabh Liag.
It looks like something out of The Lord of the Rings; it's absolutely stunning.
More Sliabh Liag.
The sea underneath Sliabh Liag.
I couldn't resist taking a photo of the chip van, because the name made me giggle. Brain in the gutter, that's me.
Ól agus ceol. What more could you need?
Looking back on it, I think two weeks was slightly too long. I began to get very tired and cranky with people, longed to have some time on my own (I was sharing a room, and although my two roommates were awesome, I like my own space), and started having difficulties taking in what was being taught. All in all, though, I'm really pleased I did it. There were some reasons why I was terrified of going back to Ireland, and I'm proud of myself for being brave enough to go back anyway. For now, however, it's slán anois to Ireland, but beidh mé ar ais, cinnte.
It's a great course. You spend the day learning Irish (in classes of varying levels of ability; I was in Level 3 this year, after being in Level 2 last year), and the evenings doing cultural activities. The highlights this year were céilidh dancing (always loads of fun), the sketch nights on both Fridays (I am going to post our group's sketch, with a translation, as we had a ball writing and performing it), and, my personal favourite, a hike around the turas Cholm Cille led by Paddy Beag ('Little Paddy'), who was quite a character.
This is all of us in the chapel which is one of the stages of the turas. There's a stone upon which Colum Cille supposedly slept.
Gleann Cholm Cille itself is absolutely stunning. I was in Gleann Fhinne last year, which is nice, but not nearly as wild and beautiful. There's a perfect combination of rough beaches and rugged hills. The colours are all greys, greens and steel-blues.
The beach at the Glen.
The sunset, as seen on the night we walked the turas.
Of course, the best part about the trip was definitely the people. It's a special type of person who goes off to the Gaeltacht to learn Irish, and I made some great friends this year. (Of the person with the 'brain the size of a planet' (I felt like doing a Lena and saying 'So, like satellites, we revolve all around you?'), who spent the first week getting together with my housemate, then, when that didn't work out, spent the weekend getting together with my new housemate, then, when that didn't work out (despite 'having never felt this connection with anyone before'), moving on to not one but two other friends of mine, the less said, the better.)
Some of them can be seen here, enjoying a pint or three at Teach Roarty's, the 'least bad pub' in Gleann Cholm Cille.
On the weekend, we drove to Málainn Bhig, which is about 10km away from the Glen.
You'd be forgiven for thinking I actually took photos of some beach in NSW...
...until you saw the rugged cliffs behind the beach.
On Tuesday we drove to Sliabh Liag.
It looks like something out of The Lord of the Rings; it's absolutely stunning.
More Sliabh Liag.
The sea underneath Sliabh Liag.
I couldn't resist taking a photo of the chip van, because the name made me giggle. Brain in the gutter, that's me.
Ól agus ceol. What more could you need?
Looking back on it, I think two weeks was slightly too long. I began to get very tired and cranky with people, longed to have some time on my own (I was sharing a room, and although my two roommates were awesome, I like my own space), and started having difficulties taking in what was being taught. All in all, though, I'm really pleased I did it. There were some reasons why I was terrified of going back to Ireland, and I'm proud of myself for being brave enough to go back anyway. For now, however, it's slán anois to Ireland, but beidh mé ar ais, cinnte.
