Hello Brian, Father Brian
thanks so much for being with us today
would you like to introduce yourself
well hello Molly it's nice to be in your company
and thanks for the invitation a wee bit of chat and conversation with you today
I'm Father Brian O'Fearraigh
I'm a priest in the parish of Gaoth Dobhair
and a chaplain in the Gaoth Dobhair community school
a place I have been in for some years
and before that I was a chaplain in cloch cheann fhaola
in Fál Carrach
I'm originally from Machaire Rabhartaigh
that's my native area, Machaire Rabhartaigh, small townland
as you know on the beachfront
on the coast
looking out on Inis Bó Finne3 odd miles out in the se
and Oilean Thoraí is out further again
maybe 9 odd miles out in the sea roughly
My mother is from Machaire Rabhartaigh and my father is from Inis Bó Finne
and I myself was born and raised in that area Machaire Rabhartaigh
so that's the native area I have
and I think that I'm
on exile here in Gaoth Dobhair
for a good few years
I think that as the proverb says
there's an Irish area in Cloch cheann fhaola
in the parish of Gort a'Choirce and as you said rightly
Inis Bó Finne and Oileán Thoraí in that area
and there's an Irish speaking are on this side in Gaoth Dobhair
and Árainn mhór
Árainn Mhór too and then down to the centre Gaeltacht
and then down under Gleann Cholm Cille
there are special pockets in Donegal
you speak Irish at home
did you learn English at school then so?
when you were younger
I think that I'm really lucky that Irish is my native language
and that I was born and raised with Irish
and that that was always the language spoken at home
and even until today when I go home
we speak in Irish withe each other
my mother and my brothers and sisters
if I spoke in English with them
they would be looking at me
like I have 2 heads
what's wrong with you?
if you're blathering in English or whatever
that's the upbringing we got
we were really lucky
that's an amazing thing
that that language was given to us
that's Irish that's the language that I was raised with
that's the language and the tradition from which I was bred
Irish and Irishness
the Irish culture
unfortunately I think that things maybe
that is drying out a bit
going down a bit these days
there's not the same wealth I'd say
I learned, we always had Irish I'd say as for English
How did I learn English? that's a good question I reckon
that we learned English in school
we had relatives that were up in the north
or maybe people that were around the area
Machaire Rabhartaigh that were down in the summer
could have been from up north
picking up wee words then
from the education system, the primary schools
that's the place it started I reckon
it started from there
and also picking up things from the lotto on the tv
listening to pieces of radio
that influence was there
but as I said I was really lucky that my mother and father had Irish
and they raised me with Irish
and Irish will be the language I have until my last breath with the help of God
you have the Ulster dialect
do you understand other dialects?
is it difficult sometimes?
I'm lucky that I do
I would be reasonably good I reckon
picking up dialects
I think that where I'm practicing that is listening to
the likes of Raidió na Gaeltachta
or TG4
or whatever shows
if I turn the knob on the radio
on RnaG
or whatever other social media in Irish that's being broadcast
we here all the different dialects
and I think that there are certain shows on R na G
from certain areas
I always like to have the radio going anytime I'm around
it doesn't matter what part of the country it's coming from
you're listening to the dialect and that's going in
and you're picking up bits
having that said again
I remember one time it's a while ago
I was listening to a show on R na G too
it was down around Kerry
it was a person, a leader that was around for many years
it was an old recording that was made years and years ago
but the standard wasn't great
in the talk itself or the recording itself it would have been
regarding the wealth of Irish
it was unbelievable, at times there were words
that'd challenge you, I didn't understand them
the dialects are very interesting altogether
and the different dialects that there are
and I think that if we're looking at social media
or the media or whatever
we are picking up different dialects or whatever
and like that
I heard a few people saying that
native speakers
I heard them saying
that they had difficulties with other dialects but
if you are listening to other dialects on the radio often
it would definitely be easier
I think so or I think that
in cases like that if you are listening to
If you are listening to different dialects
or listening to other areas or different gaeltachts
that is going in and then you're picking up words
I think also regarding questions of dialect
when I think about it, I'm here in Gaoth Dobhair
and there's a town in Cloch Cheann Fhaola
well maybe this isn't a question of dialect but a question of phonetics more than anything else
even the way that words are pronounced
for example and
we are here on they say this side of the land
or at home for example
'carr' I drive in the car
here they say 'cerr'
or for example I'm sitting here now
'tábla' we say but in Gaoth Dobhair they say 'tebla'
and those differences are there and
the bag (an mála) we have
and "mela" they have here
one word for example
that we have at home and
and in Cloch Cheann Fhaola if you are making a cup of tea for yourself
you would put in if you like sugar in your tea, you would put in a spoon of sugar
or two spoons of sugar
we have 'spáin'
here in this part they have 'spúnóg'
people joke "is that the right word?" well that's the word we have
it reminds me of the country
Spain
I'm thinking about that
with my own ear when I know regarding the pronunciation or the likes
I went to Spain
and I bought
or I went to Spain
and I bought a spoon
there's a difference a minor difference
I think that people joking have said
why are you putting the country in your cup of tea?
I noticed when you are saying
for example
I say "ní raibh" (wasn't)
you said that you say "cha raibh"
or cha raibh - is that right?
yeah yeah I think that's another difference alright
there's a difference
they would say more in Cloch Cheann Fhaola alright
people say "cha raibh mé" (I wasn't) if something is negative or whatever
I wasn't there
I wasn't in
I wouldn't like that
I didn't hear that
but maybe more in this part
in the Gaoth Dobhair area
"ní" they say I wasn't in
I wasn't there
they have "cha" also alright
at times but
I myself would say
that little particle "ní" that is
well I don't know if I have the right grammar name for that little particle
that is "ní maith liom sin" (I don't like that)
some people would say "cha maith liom é (I don't like it)
do you know the answer to that question?
I don't know (níl/ chaníl a fhios agam)
I don't know who was there or I don't know who did that
when I hear
"cha raibh"
I think "where"
like "cá raibh" they would say
but again it shows the small differences
that are in dialects, in words even
with only a couple of kilometres or miles
really interesting even though they're close to each other
there's differences
do you say "doiligh" or "deacair"? (both mean difficult)
"doiligh"
that journey was very hard or whatever
that was very hard to do altogether
it was hard to go to that house to tell that news to the woman of the house
it was hard to go back to that area
that essay was hard to write
the word "fádúda" (about/concerning) do you have an example?
what about it?
that was very agitating
what about it?
you could be someone explaining something or whatever it is
and what about that person? what about this person?
what about going to Spain
to buy three spoons?
or whatever it is
you have a good idea altogether now
you could say what about ..
fádúda it's a great word
there's a band the fadudas I think is there?
maybe around the are of Rann na Feirste or that
if I remember right
a lovely wee phrase and
uncommon in other places in the country
people worry about making mistakes
when they're learning especially when they're speaking
do you have any thoughts about that?
everybody makes mistakes
it doesn't matter who it is
I make mistakes whether it's writing
talking or spoken or whatever also
nobody's 100% perfect as they say
the mistakes are going to be there
and I think for the people worried about it well don't be worried
you're trying and using it I think
at times when people don't have accurate or proper grammar
they feel a bit slow speaking the language or whatever but
if you're in a case like that
if you have Irish it doesn't matter what whether it's a little or a lot, use it
and put it out there
if people can correct you
and maybe there are people who like to do that
they like to correct
that's ok to a point
if people are going to correct
I take corrections myself even
when I think about it
even though I was born and raised with Irish
there are times that I make mistakes and my mother corrects me
when I left to go to college in Maynooth
she gave me two books to take with me
and both books maybe people are thinking that
there were a lot of prayers in them
but they're up there now and
there's no prayer at all
two dictionaries
foclóir de Bhaldraithe agus foclóir Uí Dhomhnaill
and I think that she gave that to me she knew
well I think first of all she knew the importance of Irish
and asking me to be loyal to Irish
and I have the books there
the thumbprints are thick on them
they're well worn
have that bravery and self-confidence
whatever words you have to use them
and then listen to RTÉ R na G the shows that they have or whatever
that's practice there's a lovely proverb that says
practice makes perfect
if you practice whether it's an instrument or swimming or whatever even
languages speaking about languages
practice makes perfect with a language
that's what it is practice practice, practice
there's not a wise man without fault they say
and I think that's true regarding languages too and everything like that
I say the Our Father in Irish and I don't know I love
to do that in Irish
and I love to do a lot of things in Irish
but to pray in Irish it's a very nice thing in my opinion anyway
I think that people are interested in the prayers in Irish
would you like to say the Our Father?
when I think of it we have an immense wealth in this country
regarding prayers in Irish
and in the old Irish prayers there's a wealth
not only, there's a wealth of language
unbelievable, I think myself I go through old prayers
and reading the old prayers that we have
there's a wealth of language alright
but also there's an immense spiritual wealth there too
it's unbelievable to be reading we say
I think for someone to be reading in their native language
I would say besides reading in English
it hits something closer to the heart
I was reading recently
a document from the Vatican council
Lumen genti I reckon in Latin it was written
a translation came out a week ago in Irish
Brendan Devlin in Maigh Nuad
he gave it a version in Irish
I read it in English when I was in college and all that
but to be able to read it in your own native language
it goes to your heart and spirit
there's a much deeper meaning
going back to the old prayers I think
that there's an immense wealth in them
and we'll say the Our Father if that's ok
to pray that prayer
a couple of different versions but this is how it goes in Irish
I'll throw out a word a little phrase that I heard from a person here
a while ago from an old person
a statement he had and maybe you heard it
I hope that I have this right maybe you heard it yourself
or the listeners
I think that I heard that one
did you hear it? better that you heard it
it's a kind of tongue twister
that's what it is surely a tongue twister
I like that piece
another one I heard too
that's another one too
what does that mean?
it means well that one about a meal and turf
I have a bite to eat
that's a meal
then turf I have turf to put in the fire
I have heat
things are going well
things are going well and I am great
on the pigs back
that's it exactly
if we don't have hope we have nothing really. We have to have hope and confidence
and I think if you're learning Irish or learning a language or whatever
put your hope in the language and the Irish that you have
and the verbs, the words, the sentences
and use them
that was great I really enjoyed that and I learned things too
and thanks so much for being with us today
and for sharing your knowledge with us
it was great
you're very welcome and the listeners too
have blessings and blossom
and everyone who is learning Irish keep with it
thanks so much