Iris na Gaeilge  November 2003     uimh 5

NUACHT

All activities to foster the Irish language which were organised by Coláiste na nGael, had full classes. Fourteen copies of "Iris na Gaeilge" were sold there when a new issue during the year were well attended and highly successful.

Le Chéile, the Essex language group appeared.

Fálróid na nGael had a fine outing to Ingatestone Hall, where Jackie Wardlaw-Quirke conducted the tour of this stately home in Irish. Every ticket was sold.
Basingstoke was the scene of another of its excellent weekends, supported by Coláiste na nGael, from 7th to 8th June. Every place and ticket was sold. Here, 50 copies of " Iris na Gaeilge " were bought.

At Durham University all tickets were quickly sold for the residential college which was organised by Coláiste na nGael for 5,6 and 7 Sept.. Three first-class teachers (one from Ireland) were provided. The Cathedral, and the ancient city itself, were the subject of much debate and interest among the Coláiste attendees.

Richard Schofield did so much to make the St. Albans one-day bi-lingual event a resounding success. This was planned to help fund the repair of Synge's cottage in the Aran Islands in Ireland. There were Irish language classes, lectures, visits to the Roman quarter of St. Albans, and many other attractions. That was on 20th September.

Coláiste na nGeal, once again, organised a highly successful Irish language event in Holland, this time at Den Bosch. It afforded Language enthusiasts in the U.K. an opportunity to meet their opposite numbers from Europe, as well as to enjoy the ancient town where Hieronymus Bosch lived and painted his famous pictures, 1450--1516. This weekend covered 26 to the 28th October.

"What is Language proficiency?" This was the heading of an article which 'The Independent' ( London ) let us print in our last issue. There are lessons in the article for the teaching of Irish; as well as for the failure of the Language revival to date. Are our methods sound? Is our teaching too academic and too grammar-ridden? Is this why the revival of Irish has faltered?