Foghlaim Gaeilge le 'Claisceadal cois Baile': Sraith Nua

Ó Pheann Dick Mac Gabhann

Ag ceiliúradh foghlama na Gaeilge trí sheanamhráin

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/e71c51_a7712b4746f64c62a25e737c26cf18f3/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Ceacht 1: Bog Braon don Seanduine – A Soft Drop for the Old Fella

Bhí rang amhránaíochta á reáchtáil ag an cheoltóir Risteard Mac Gabhann i nDoire ar feadh níos mó ná 15 bliana, do chainteoirí Gaeilge de gach cumas.

Ina dhiaidh sin, chuir sé leabhar agus bailiúchán MP3 le chéile ina raibh níos mó ná 120 dá amhráin Gaeilge is ansa leis - gach ceann acu le haistriúcháin agus nótaí coise - agus d'fhoilsigh sé iad seo mar Claisceadal cois Baile díreach trí seachtaine roimh a bhás i mBealtaine 2023.

Sna míonna amach romhainn, tá Cló Cholmcille chun cuid de na hamhráin seo a shraithuimhir, in éineacht leis na haistriúcháin, na nótaí agus léiriú ceoil Dick ar an saothar.

The musician Risteard Mac Gabhann ran a singing class in Derry for more than 15 years, for Irish-speakers of all abilities.

He subsequently compiled a book and MP3 collection of more than 120 of his favourite Irish songs - all with translations and footnotes - and he published these as 'Claisceadal cois Baile' just three weeks before his death in May 2023.

Over the months to come, Cló Cholmcille are going to serialise some of these songs, accompanied with the translations, notes and Dick's musical rendering of the work.

Ceacht 1: Bog Braon don Seanduine (A Soft Drop for the Old Fella)

Téacs an amhráin agus an t-aistriúchán/Text of the song and translation

Leagan iontach Bernie Pháid anseo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BImx9_-0KY

Faigh leabhar anseo: £15

Packed line-up for tenth annual Letterkenny Litfest

ANDREA CARTER, Roy Greenslade, Pat McArt, Paul Charles, Orsolya Szabó-Yélamo, and Deirdre Hines are just some of the big names guesting at the Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival, running from Wednesday October 15 to Sunday October 19.

Letterkenny, long regarded as the vibrant cultural heart of Donegal, is this year celebrating the tenth anniversary of its renowned literary festival, and proceedings will kick off with a special broadcast on Highland Radio on Wednesday October 15th .

Festival organiser, Donnan Harvey explained that over the past decade, the festival had blossomed into one of Ireland’s most anticipated literary events, drawing acclaimed authors, emerging writers, poets, and literature lovers from across the country and beyond.

The tenth anniversary edition welcomes a stellar line-up of guests including the renowned author and journalist, Roy Greenslade who will officially launch this year’s event at the Co, Museum on High Road at 7;30 pm on Friday, October 17th.

A former professor of journalism at London University and a former editor of the Guardian Roy has recently published The Peer, the Priests and the Press to wide acclaim.

During the course of the festival Roy will be joined by a whole host of authors and writers including Kieran Kelly, Pat McArt, Jane Buckley, Andrea Carter, and Paul Charles.

As usual there will also be a number of top class lectures and talks. These include a talk, to mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, by Dr Sophia Hillan. The author of May, Lou and Cass: Jane Austen's Nieces in Ireland, she will be in conversation with Roy Greenslade. That’s on the Saturday.

On Sunday, playwright, screenwriter and director Peter Sheridan will discuss how Brendan Behan has influenced him in his wide-reaching artistic career.

And let’s not forget on Thursday, the famed American writer, John Steinbeck’s connection to Limavady’s Roe Valley will be explored by Douglas Bartlett who will give a short talk on the author which will then be followed by a screening of the film Of Mice and Men.

Whilst the main theme of the festival is literature, there is so much more. There will be a Cultural Evening of music, poetry and prose, with Deirdre Hines, James Simpson, Raphoe Diamond Writers with Celine McGlynn, the Letterkenny Ukulele Orchestra, and the New Land Choir.

Donegal Chamber Orchestra Led by Orsolya Szabó-Yélamo and conducted by Víctor Yélamo will perform music by Ravel, Scarlatti, Kreisler, and Leroy Anderson in what’s described as ‘a celebration of Anniversaries’ at Conwal Parish Church.

For those who like a bit of comedy Macalla Drama Group presents Towpath by Robert IIes This one-act comedy is based on fleeting friendship between strangers, and Mary Ruddy Lane directs the all-female cast.

An open invitation to all who are interested in writing, especially those who find it difficult to begin. This is a wonderful opportunity to gather ideas and suggestions from journalist and author Pat McArt.

And. as usual, one of the main highlights of the festival is the Cathedral Quarter’s Non-Fiction Competition. Everyone is welcome to Dillon’s Hotel on Saturday evening for readings by shortlisted writers, and to celebrate the presentation of prizes. Three ‘New Voices’ will also be introduced.

The Festival is once again accompanied by ‘The Quills and The Quarter’ podcast, hosted by Phil O’Kennedy. In this years, Phil and his co-hosts Denise Blake and Phil Dalton interview those who have been involved in previous festivals including Celine McGlynn, Kieran Kelly, Maura Logue, Frank Galligan and Kathy Donaghy.

Funding for the Festival comes from Donegal County Council’s Development Fund Initiative, Failte Ireland Small Festival Grant and the International Fund for Ireland’s Connecting Communities Programme.

These are just some of the events in what is truly a wide-ranging and packed programme of events crammed into what Donnan Harvey says is now one of Ireland’s up and coming events.

He concluded: “Over the last ten years, the festival has become a cornerstone of Donegal’s cultural calendar, attracting visitors to Letterkenny and supporting local businesses. And it’s important to state that we would like to thank those businesses and institutions which have supported our festival. That support is very important and much appreciated.”

For full details of all events see…..

lkcqlitfest.weebly.com

The debate that didn't happen

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An díospóireacht nár thárla: via Ailbhe Ó Monacháin @nuachtRTE @nuachtTG4 @AilbheOM

Earlier this year, Colmcille Press published Paul Gosling’s A New Ireland: A Five-Year Review, which highlights that - regardless of how you might vote - we, as a society, need to be making practical preparations for the ramifications of a referendum on Irish unity.

In the book, Paul argues three things with which many of us in the North West, the most marginalised region on the island, would agree: 

• The administrations with influence here - London, Dublin and Belfast - have not done nearly enough groundwork;

• This island cannot afford to suffer another Brexit referendum debacle because of a lack of readiness; and 

• Stormont is now verging on fully dysfunctional.

One of the big areas we need to prepare for is elections. For decades, Irish citizens in the North have argued that they should, by right, be included in the selection process for the Irish head of state. 

People in Donegal, of course, already have a vote. But their friends, neighbours and co-workers in Derry - which for centuries has been Donegal’s traditional county town and which, since the border has become fully porous, is the de facto regional capital - are excluded. 

Twenty-seven years on from the Good Friday Agreement, which consolidated our right to citizenship, Irish passport holders and Irish speakers, living on this island, are refused a role in electing their leader.

So, to raise this and other issues, we invited the three presidential candidates to Derry.

In part, were asserting our right to hear from them directly how they propose to lead and represent us.

And in part, were asserting our right to hear from them how they will oversee the constitutional changes that will emerge over the duration of their presidential term and which will directly impact on our lives. 

But most of all, we wanted them to come to acknowledge – and support – our right to participate in the process.

To this end, we booked St Columb’s Hall one of the North West’s oldest and renowned civic forums, which has previously played host to suffragette leaders such as Emmeline Pankhurst, political leaders such as Éamon de Valera, trade union leaders like Eleanor Marx and civil rights giants such as John Hume. It is, and has long been, a crucible for discussion and for change.

We then engaged an Irish-speaking moderator and a panel of experts - unpaid volunteers from both sides of the border and both sections of the Northern community, who brought expertise in many fields from constitutional law to education and human rights, to ask questions of the candidates on our behalf. We also organised a production team and a sound engineer to allow us to live-broadcast the event.

On September 9, as soon as we had our ducks in a row, we sent invitations to the three candidates asking them to take part in a hustings at the hall on October 8. We gave them a deadline of September 30 to respond, and we waited. 

We followed up again through personal connections. And we waited. 

We followed up on social media, repeatedly. And we waited. 

Local and national media chipped in with news reports and OpEds on the event. And we waited.

Meanwhile, all the candidates appeared on RTÉ explaining how they supported a united Ireland. Surely, we thought, this would be a perfect opportunity to come to Derry and elaborate? So we reminded them of our offer. And we waited.

In fairness, Catherine Connolly’s campaign did get back to apologise that their candidate had a Dáil vote on the Budget the night of the debate and needed to be in Dublin.

But we heard nothing at all from the other two candidates. Not a word, not a line, not an email. It was as if we didn’t exist.

We had decided not to release tickets for the event until October 1, but in the interim hundreds of people from all over the island had got in touch with us to say they wanted to come. This had actually alarmed us a little in that we wanted to make sure that priority would be given to people from Donegal and Derry.

But, the deadline slipped away and, in the end, we couldn’t make it happen.

Until the next time.