tusn.6.f.6. 31. 1 12 Augus- j r,
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[AN CLAlDHlU.XH IOLUII.} P-
An otA1ueam sotuis lu:sn.6.f.6. 31, 1912.
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A STRIKE AGAINST ANGLICISERS. The Ardfheis of 191 r called for the making of Irish compulsory in the training entrance examination for teachers. The Commissioners who notified in r9o8, 1909 and 1910, that kno\\:led�e of .a second language might be made essential for candidates, but never had the courage to make a second language compulsory, were not likely to make Irish compulsory merely for the asking. The last Ardfheis repeated the demand of the Ardfheis of 1911, but the Training Colleges, which open in a few weeks, will begin their courses with Irish in the same place among the disregarded subjects which it bas always occupied. The Board, without a blush, shrank from carrying out its declared policy and intention, and now we have to face the truth of the situation, which is, that resolutions without a determined driving power behind them will get no attention from such a body as the Commissioners. If, however, school managers begin to strike against teachers without qualifications for the teaching of Irish, teachers themselves will soon begin to see the need of learnWhile managers continue to ing the language. engage new teachers who are unable to teach Irish the Board will continue to ignore the Ardfheis demand, but if the refusal to engage teachers without certificates m Irish became general, the teachers, the directors of the colleges, and the Board would immediately change their present attitude of passivity, which is m truth a verv damaging attitude to Irish education. The Gaelic League has done a big lot of teaching in the face of difficulties and in circumstances a 1 w a ys trying, out we must remember that the whole regular machinerv o.f Irish education is outside Gaelic the ,:ontrol. It is not, however. bevond Leauue . b reach of our influence, and to effect its reform in order to bring it into conformity with our ideals regarding � ationality in education should Le our chief aim. Shouting at the Board is always ineffective. It is only when we make matters unpleasant for the Co�missioners that they give us our wav a little. Our teaching work is about to begin ·again, but that work places hut few difficulties in the wav of the Anglicisers except in so far as it sets up ·a standard hy which to estimate the value ,of their own work. r n addition to preparing for teaching work, let us this , ear prepare to strike against the engagement of teachers without Irish. The passive attitude of the Board and of the Colleges is very damaging to Irish Ireland. We must begin. to damage the other side. The war can be earned on in every place a national school exists. The members of our organisation have clone many courageous things. Xow again it is up to �h�m to make active war on a system of teacher-training that is making the revival of tbe national language impossible. The engagement of teachers ,rithn1:t Irish must be challenged every where. An t Athair () Flannagain reminded us at the Mansion House that it is the right of Irish parents to take theAnglicisers to task, and they must be reprox e.l, not a thousand miles from their doors, but in the Yen· spot that suffers from the un-Irish system of The education they force on Irish chi'rlren. school managers will be with us to the extent we require of them. Many of them are nlirenst •)f the Gaelic Leaaue. but the thousands who have . b tear 1rers that Irish primary no definite conviction should be acquainted with the Irish language will not refuse to make a teaching knowledge of the laneuace a necessarv qualification in the appointteachers if iocal opinion he strong in supme�t port of the demand. We hope to hear of frequent meetinus and resolutions dernnndinn that teachers must know Irish, and we hope also that every appointment m.uh- without rP1..uird tn the demand will be exposed and denounced. We must cease to fear our own voices in so just a r:t use.
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The Resurrection of Cornwall. The Breton weekly, "Ar Bobl," has an article entitled "La resurrection de la Cornwall," the writer appearing to have some hope that such a thins is possible despite the disappearance of the We learn therein that a young nati�e speech. Cornish journalist, Mr. Robert W.alling, is full of the idea of founding "une Union Regionaliste du Devon et de Cornouailles." It is interesting to know that Mr. Walling in his enthusiasm asserts w:hat Cornishmen will always remain Celts, although we fancy that the loss of their language is sufficient to settle that question for all practical purposes. It is to be hoped that the indifferent Irish will take warning by what has happened in Cornwall while there is yet time.
O Meith Mara.
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A recent issue-of the" Dunda lk Democrat" contains a very interesting article by Laurence P. Murray, in which he traces the history of Ui Meith Marn, now O Meith, anglice Omeath, from the earliest times down to the establishment of the Irish college there, an event which may be almost described as being of ) esterda y. We quote here the conclusion which, dealing with the present state of the district, indicates something of the work the College has before it in helping to stem th t decax of Irish traditions : •· For three hundred years the Irish-speaking district of Louth, Monaghan ancl Armagh was cut off from the other Irish-speaking parts of Ireland. The Pale hemmed it in on the south, while to the north lay the Ulster plantation. In spite of this isolation Irish was commonly spoken over these three counties till less than two generations ago. Omeath is now the last stronghold of the old tongue, and it is wonderful that, six hundred years after the enactment of the Statute of Kilkenny which forbade the use of Irish within the Pale, Gaelic is still commonly spoken under the shadow of the roofless empty °>[ orman castles of Carlingford, Moyry, and Caol-uisce. From its long isolation as wel] as from the dialectica l peculiarities of the spoken language, the Y,1 lue of this district to Irish r re land cannot be over-estimated. '' Unfortunatelv , within the last ten Years, great changes have taken place even in Omeath itself. The language is dying out, Irish poetry, and Irish legendary lore are disappearing, only a very small percentage of the children are learning Irish. the old native speakers are passing away, and with them the precious treasure of language, oral tradition, music and song. Poor imitations of the latest fashions in feminine dress can now he seen among the hills of Corrakit and Ballinteskin. while in the townlands around the pier the importations from the foreign music halls are heard, where a decade ago the people sang Cr-chill .m Chreazain and Ur-chnoc Chein mhic Cainte. Forrnerlv everv hill, well, ri,·er, and fort had its clistincti�·e Irish name, but \l'ithin the last fe,,· weeks I fournl it impossible to obtain any information concerning a number of Irish place-names ,, hich I took down ten years ago from the lips of some of the inhabitants. When ,re look at the matter faom this point of view, we must all admit that the establishment of an Irish college is not too premature. In the cirrumstances. tht> duties o-f the students towards the district and its inha l>iIt will probably be fomvl tants are obvious. im1,ossible, at least for a few ) ears, to enforce the customar: rule against the use of English l>:, th€ students, but sti 11, in their intercourse \Yith the inhabitants, the students should remember that nothing helps so much to hasten the death of the language in the Irish-speaking district as the con· stant ust' of En,rlish b,· the \'isitors. If the rule against the speaking o( English cannot be insisted 011. the rnle against foreign songs a ncl dances It is to be hope'.1. should be rigidl) enforced. too, that during their spare hours the students \\"lll assist in !�e work of jotting clown ewry scrap of oral tra<l1tions, local legencls, place-names, ancl songs-in fact (:'verything that would tend to �e<'1 othe the plains, hills and glens of our native land ,rith the cloak of historical interest which once invested them, hut "·hich has, unfortunately, 1 >een tom from them hY thme e\'il spirits ,1f materialism and indifference that were home to our shores on the ,rn,·es of English ciYilisation.'' MARK
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Organising Kerry. A contemporary states :-The first of a series of public meetings to be held throughout West Kerry was held at Camp on r Sth inst. The interest taken in the language in Camp appears to be on the wane. Camp is not escaping the effects. of the foreign influences, yet hopes may be entertained that Camp, now a Iavourite holiday resort, will join an Irish Ireland. The meeting was a very large one, and the interest taken in the language seemed to· develop during the course of the meeting. The next meeting was held at Dunquin, the citadel of the Gael, A Feis and public meeting were on 25th inst. held and speeches were given in the language. The third meeting will be held at Aunascaul on A large and enthusiastic meeting is J st prox. expected there. Aunascaul held out for the Gaelic movemen] when other districts m West Kern· , were indifferent about their native language. The people of West Kerry would do well to listen to the opinion of the students of the English Universities as regards Irish education, sentiments and language. They are amongst them to-day adding to their education by acquiring a knowledge of another language, the Irish language. The speakers at the meeting at Camp were Sean og Ciabluiin, the Ua Rathaille, and Mr. Xicolls.
Dull
Children and Irish.
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Several young boys and girls in Dublin know only Irish, and were so returned on last Years Census papers. X o account of them has· been rendered by the Census Commissioners. We are likely to hear more of the matter.
Uisneach Coisde Ceanntair. The Uisneach Coisde Ceanntair are organising a great aeridheacht, to be held on the historic Hill The of Uisneach on Sunday, 8th September. great Gaelic Festival will be held under the auspices of the Uisneach Coisde Ceanntair, and will far exceed in point of importance and magni tude anything yet witnessed in the Midlands. 1 t will be a feast of Irish music, song and dancing while a special feature of the proceedings will be A speeches on the Irish Revival Movement. be will feature pleasing and attractive the presence of the Athlone Pipers' Band in their Gaelic costume. A host of talent will be provided for the occasion, which Gaels of the Midlands may look forward to as one of no ordinarv significance.
Tyrone Coiste Ceanntair. The report of the annual general meeting of the Tyrone Coiste Ceanntair is a good record of work done. Amongst so many excellent workers it is hard to single out any for special praise. We hear that the people of Lower Bodoney have been verv helpful, both the fathers and the mothers as well as the children themselves. Mr. Peadar O Cleirigh, X.T., has done a man's part in fanning the flame of enthusiasm that has spnmg up in the The organiser, Aodh O Dubhthaigh district. has also given great assistance, as indeed have m.mv others. We have a list of the committee befo�e us as we write. Most interesting is it to the writer of this note to see that there is a represen tative on it from Glenmacoffer. for in that Yen· parish some years ago he could not get any of the inhabitants upon whom he chanced during his rambling to even admit that they knew a word of Irish! How much things ha Ye changed for the better since that I
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COLLEGE RE-OP.ENS TUESDAY, SEPT. 10th HILE affording its students every facility for the acquirement of modern languages which are taught on the latest scientific methods, and preparing them for the
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UNIVERSITY, KING'S. SCHOLARSHIPS, MATRICULATION & INTERMEDIATE, Desmond College has the unique advantage of being situated in a thoroughly Irish speaking district, thus enabling its students to obtain a thorough practical knowledge of Irish in the shortest possible time.. \Vrite for prospectus to-
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The Principal, Ring, Co. Waterford.
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