10 September 2009 Edition

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Sinn Féin Irish summer school

BY DALE MOORE

The second annual Sinn Féin summer school for Irish language enthusiasts took place in Glencolmcille from 22 to 29 August.  The week-long course focuses on conversational Irish and caters for all levels from those without a word right through to fluent speakers.
As well as catering for the Irish language the whole spectrum of Irish culture is evident from concerts, poetry, drama, all as Gaeilge right through to ceilí and sean-nós singing and dancing. These are amongst the things that are provided for every night after which most people retire to the local pubs where traditional music is available.
Again the facilities were first class with all the ‘Shinners’ allocated to  one magnificent house where apart from practicing our ‘teanga’ the usual political debates also featured.  The craic was ninety in the house as everyone mucked in with the cooking and the dishes although there were more ‘colourful’ words served up than culinary delights.
The classes begin at ten in the morning and the first session lasts until one o’clock with a tea break in between.
The afternoon session starts again at three and lasts until five again with a tea break.
The learning is done in a fun manner and many new friends are made with other Irish language enthusiasts from across the world. Some of the students who attended last year had returned so it was good to see our friends Michelle from Canada and Míchéal from Chicago back again to learn Irish and enjoy the craic.
Interactive field trips around the stations of St Colmcille and a visit to the folk village where the tour guide speaks Irish allows you to gauge how much you have learned and also provides you with a sense of history of the area
The setting of Glencolmcille is beautiful and no trip to the area is complete without a jaunt up Sléibhe Ligh the highest sea cliffs in Europe.  The fantastic views and scenery are second to none and need to be seen to be appreciated.
Although the weather wasn’t great everyone thoroughly enjoyed their week-long stay and also came away with a better understanding of the language.
A special note of thanks to Noleen McPolin for again organising the trip and making it as affordable as possible for everyone attending.


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland