#I love gaeilge I’m so happy to be learning it

[theaologies]

Hozier writing a song about language and the loss of it at the hands of colonialism and how so many indigenous words are used all over the world as place names but so few people know their meanings but at the same time, they mean “home” and how he’s grateful that Gaeilge was preserved and how despite so few people understanding it nowadays it still feels like “home” has me so deeply fucked up I’m weeping

[oh2e]

Since you’ve posted extensively about James Barry - I would love to know if you have any idea of how he represented his nationality while in the military.

He was said to have claimed London as his birthplace during his student years and identified as English in his thesis. However, I haven't come across any such details about his later years. Considering he was known to give varying birth years, I wonder if his claims about his origins shifted too.

There's obviously also the letter to his brother John (1808 I think), where he mentioned the honour of dying for one's country and his own desire to join the military. This could be sarcastic given the family's problems, but it might also suggest he was patriotic-ish towards a British identity.

As we know Regency - early Victorian wasn’t a very good time to be proudly Irish among the UK ruling class. He also lived through the Irish Potato Famine, which makes his stance even more intriguing. Did he conceal his Irish Catholic background throughout his life? What about his accent? Moving to England in his teens, he could have adopted a new accent, which wouldn’t be too difficult with determination I guess.

As a side note, apparently his father Jeremiah was eventually deported to Australia, tearing the family further apart. 🥲

This is such a good question! And something I’m really interested in learning more about.

My current theory is that Barry didn’t obviously identify as Irish in public. Ireland and Britain were merged in 1801 to become The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, though obviously England had been ruling Ireland long before that. Therefore Barry would’ve grown up in Ireland possibly already considering himself British. Historically there hasn’t been such a divide with being both (making that important distinction between being British and being English), much like how many Scottish people today are happy to consider themselves British also. Barry is often described as being Scotch in countenance and having studied in Scotland I wonder if he did let people assume he was Scottish rather than Irish. The accents aren’t too dissimilar to an ignorant ear and that would also allow him to get away with the odd word as Gaeilge in a way identifying himself as english wouldn’t. I know he gave his place of birth as London at some point but there is nothing to say he didn’t tell people his family were Scottish, or even Irish though I doubt it.

The thing about mentioning dying for one’s country, many Irish people died in World War I because they signed up to fight for Britain. Many. Ireland in 1914 was in a similar place to Ireland in 1801 regarding Britain’s rule, just the other way around. A lot of people regarded the war as their chance to fight for their country - yes even if they were proudly Irish they felt this was their fight too. (Not everyone obviously otherwise the Rising wouldn’t’ve happened but a not insignificant number of Irish people did go off to fight for Britain because they felt it was their duty.)

Ah the thing about the Great Famine (1845-1852) is that Barry was far far away at that point. I’m not sure how much he would’ve known about it and most (all) of what he did know would most likely have been from English newspapers, which we know are not necessarily fair on Ireland even today. However Barry was also born within living memory of an earlier famine (1740). James Barry RA was born in 1741, right at the tail end of that famine, and so Mary Anne Barry was probably not far behind him. I think there was 5 children in the family? Not many so they probably weren’t born too far apart. From my quick google to check when James Barry RA was born it also says his father (Dr Barry’s grandfather) was a coasting trader between England and Ireland.

Barry is sometimes claimed to be the child/grandchild of Lord Buchan, a Scottish Earl, and I wonder if his accent played into that. I could be wrong but James Barry RA’s insistence to be extra kind to his fellow Irish makes me think that although he lived most of his adult life in England he didn’t lose anything from home, probably including his accent. Barry MD may possibly have picked up an English accent when he was over there or he may have not. Which brings me back to my previous point of him passing himself off as Scottish. (Side note: while some people can pick up and drop accents at the top of a hat, I was raised in Ireland to parents with English accents and I never got an Irish accent. Maybe this is why I never see Barry as having lost his accent.)

Regarding Barry’s Catholicism - I’ve read very little but considering he spent most of his life abroad I am inclined to think that there would only have been one or maybe two Christian churches in the area that people attended regardless of their specific denomination. In South Africa this would’ve been a Dutch church, most likely the Dutch Reformed Church. Though of course it wouldn’t surprise me if the Church of England commandeered the Dutch Reformed Church buildings and made them C of E. Either way, I doubt Barry was proudly Catholic, not when working for the British Army.

I think I did know Jeremiah got deported but by all accounts it wasn’t much of a loss considering Mary Anne had been ignoring his correspondence, Barry had become Barry and therefore was not corresponding to anyone from home and John was in the military. It’s possible, considering the places James and John went, that they were actually closer to Jeremiah in Australia than they had been to Jeremiah in Cork.

I’m really interested in researching Barry’s Irish nationality, his Catholicism and also his knowledge of the Irish language, which at that point in time was about equally known as English was in Ireland. Especially in towns and cities and a lot of people could understand both even if they couldn’t speak both. It’s an angle that doesn’t often get considered - I presume because Barry moved to London, trained in Edinburgh and worked with the British army in British colonies - but it’s doubtful to be something that can be overlooked easily especially at the time.

I’m not unhappy when I see older pieces describe Barry as British because technically he was, but I feel that regardless of his own feelings towards being Irish or British, it is neglectful to call him British now. Ireland struggles to claim our notable people because Britain likes to get their claws in, whether because they moved to the UK, ignorance, or something else. And the fact that most historical notable people were Anglo-Irish doesn’t help but the fact that James Barry RA is *always* referred to as Irish and makes me determined to refer to Barry MD as Irish at any given opportunity.

At the end of all that - I know very little. Most of what I’ve said there is pure speculation and theorising from what we do know. I don’t know a lot about being Irish in the British army in the 19th century. I don’t know about religion in South Africa at the time. I don’t know about the opinions regarding being born Irish and British. I don’t know how Barry felt about the Great Famine. I don’t know if he was a staunch Catholic or if he…converted to being Anglican. I don’t know if he spoke Irish. I don’t know if he even wanted to be considered Irish. I don’t know and while some of that is things I can learn, a lot of it is not. I enjoy talking about it and I want to learn more.

[margridarnauds]

I’m going to point out that, even though I act relatively cool re: Gaeilge, it wasn’t until this last course that I felt remotely comfortable writing it and I still don’t. (You’ll notice my sentences are generally short and repetitive-- it’s because I’m still learning how to form more complex sentences.) I watched as I lost grade after grade for minor things that I tried to fix but got overwhelmed by. I do think we should try to be conscious of grammar and spelling, but I also think that we should be careful with how we go about it to make sure that beginners don’t give up off the bat like I almost did. (And, I’m going to point out: If a Celticist almost gave up on Irish....what does that mean for other people?) 

Now, I enjoy writing in Irish, since it’s almost like a secret code that only a few people know. It’s more intimate, in a way, and I love getting to talk to my colleagues and my professors in their native tongue, especially since they tend to be very happy with me for any effort I put in. And it does require more effort, so it’s more rewarding. But that wasn’t the norm for a very, very long time, until I got out of University Irish and moved into Gaeltacht Irish (where you can hear three different dialects in one classroom.) 

[kindofwriter]

I know Alex just intended Wilde’s robes to be ‘gay Shakespeare costume’ but I really love the idea of them being almost like ‘robes of unapologetically being yourself.’ Robes of ‘I’m not afraid to be queer, I’m not afraid to be Irish, I have bardic inspiration and I’m better than you.’ Because even if it means absolutely nothing in RQG universe, I’d like to think that’s a meaningful visual to real people.

Also, hypothetical RQG TV show where Wilde’s VA speaks fluent Irish and all his bardic castings are in Gaeilge? I want that.

Anyway, transcript under the cut:

SEASON 5, EPISODE 204

As the party enter the main room they find the table laid with a mediocre breakfast, however at each place setting there is also a parcel, wrapped in brown paper and with a note card laid on top. WILDE, already sat at the table, has clearly already opened his parcel, then hastily stuffed it back into the wrapping to appear polite. He turns to grin excitedly at HAMID, who shoots him a quizzical look.

WILDE: I think it's our lucky day!

HAMID: Oh?

AZU: Huh?

CEL: Ooh!

HAMID: Well, that's exciting!

CEL: Is that like a thing that we, uh, that, like, we, like- Are all the presents for, for, for us? Uh, do we-

ZOLF steps past HAMID, impatient rather than aggressive. He squeezes WILDE once on the shoulder, then takes a seat beside him. The rest of the party clearly take this as their cues to begin to sit at the parcels with their own name cards.

WILDE: It turns out that Augusta does actually have a role here, beyond just annoyance, which is quartermaster. So, Barret may have been sent out to fetch some things... for us?

HAMID: Oh!

ZOLF: Right.

HAMID: So, not 100% useless, that's nice! C-c-can we open them now?

WILDE shrugs - how should he know? - then makes a gesture of 'yeah, go for it' to the table.

AZU (BEAMING): Let's all open them together!

HAMID: How exciting!

HAMID leans slightly across the table, as if he's about to say something to SKRAAK, but they're already tearing into their present. From his package he removes a sturdy leather belt, studded, and buckled, with adamantine. They immediately put it on.

WILDE takes this to mean it's alright for him to re-open his own gift. He hurriedly shoves off the paper and pulls out a set of glimmering robes. They're an iridescence white, complete with a ruffle around the neck, and entirely covered in shimmering rainbow script. The text shifts, in a way that clearly marks it out as magical.Everyone pauses for a moment to look at WILDE, whose grin could split his face. It's been a while since they've seen him this happy. 

HAMID: Oh, Oscar, those are magnificent!

ZOLF (WITH A SMALL, SOFT GRIN): You are gonna look ridiculous, Wilde.

WILDE beams smugly down at ZOLF.

WILDE: I am going to look magnificent.

WILDE shakes the robes out, and a miasma of illusory glitter hits ZOLF in the face. ZOLF scowls dramatically at a laughing WILDE.

Still unfolding the robes, WILDE turns his attention to AZU, whose parcel is by far the largest. She is carefully unfolding it, grinning face barely visible about the huge package. Inside is a golden agile breast plate. As it shimmers in the light it becomes apparent that it is covered in the same kind of shifting magical scrawl as WILDE's robe.

Attached is a note that AZU reads aloud. Despite being busy with their own gifts, everyone turns as she does.

AZU: Whatever you do, don't use this inside.

This receives a round of curious looks from the table. HAMID and CEL lean in to get a better look at the armour.

AZU reaches out to turn the breast plate over in her hands, and as she does the text starts to fill in. Beginning at her hands, the shifting text slowly begins to run through with glowing pink, until the plate is more pink than gold. It's as bright as AZU's armour was on Hades' plane. The pink begins to settle, and as it does the magic text stops shifting. With a soft hum, it settles into Arabic scripture: the fundamental teachings of Aphrodite.

AZU beams with delight.

AZU: Ooh! Do you think- Do you think that don't use it means don't wear it? Or do you think I sh- could put it on but I can't get hit?

HAMID: Oh, it probably has some sort of, um, y'know, activation, like, similar to casting a spell inlaid into it, but I think wearing it you- It won't be a problem.

CEL frowns.

CEL: Yeah, like, um, I'm just, I-I'm a little concerned, it reminds me a little of, um, some of the, the symbols, uh, one learns when, uh, learning, uh, how to, to transmogrify ones shape. So I would just, think maybe, uh-

CEL inspects the armour, head cocked slightly to one side.

CEL: Maybe, uh, a triangle? Or, um, or a square? Maybe a platypus? I-I'm not exactly sure.

HAMID opens his mouth as if to refute them, but then decides to drop it. AZU carefully takes her hands off the armour - it remains pink.

HAMID, next to AZU, unwraps a long metal pole. As soon as he retrieves it from the wrapping paper gold lines begin to emanate from his hand and down the pole. They curl and flicker like flames.

Something alights in HAMID's eyes as he holds it. His hand that clutches the pole begins to sharpen and elongate, twisting into a clawed grasp. The once single point of his ears is now three, giving the impression of a reptilian ruffle. No one, not even HAMID, seems to notice.

CEL unwraps a pair of diamond lenses. They're scuffed around the edges, dusted with the debris of whatever they've been hacked out of.

CEL immediately pulls their alchemists goggles from their head, slips the lenses out, and inserts the new ones. At first it seems as though they won't fit, but as CEL begins to apply pressure they resize and slide in with ease.

ZOLF has been very carefully unwrapping his package - unknotting the string and unfolding the paper. Folded at the centre of his parcel is a thick, smoothly woven, grey cloak.

WILDE watches with curiosity as ZOLF reaches out to touch the fabric. Instantly a small smile toys at the corner of his lips. He glances across the table, making eye contact with HAMID, and widens the smile to a grin. HAMID, though taken off guard, smiles back with slightly sharpened teeth. ZOLF has turned back to the cape before he can notice.

Everyone is now chatting, inaudibly, absorbed in their gifts. CEL and SKRAAK are excitedly showing off their new accessories to each other, AZU runs her fingers over the text on her armour, ZOLF gently unfolds his cloak, WILDE has now donned his robes and is leaning back languidly in his chair. The text has stopped shifting, and has now settled as Gaeilge scripture - WILDE's 'inspire courage' performance, scrawled across his robes in rainbow ink. HAMID looks around at all of them, unable to contain his excitement at seeing all of his friends so happy.

WILDE: Well, it's nice to be appreciated again for a change-

A brief pause and a glance at ZOLF, as if he's expecting a gentle elbow to the ribs, but none comes. ZOLF is too busy smoothing out the cloak, preparing to put it on.

WILDE: Don't know about all of you.

Finally looking away from his gift, ZOLF notices that WILDE's hair is caught in his ruffle. He stands and swings the cloak quickly over his shoulders. Then, with a frustrated grunt of 'c'mere,' he shuffles behind WILDE's seat and begins to gently extract his hair from his collar. He murmurs something inaudible to WILDE, though we assume it's something nice, as it swaps WILDE's smug smile for a genuine one.

HAMID watches, grin now spreading far past the confines of his mouth. All sounds of the room begin to fade out. CEL laughs without sound. AZU pays a silent compliment to SKRAAK. WILDE tips his head back to say something to ZOLF.

Then, with a pained hiss, HAMID collapses forward, clawed hands gripping the edge of the table.

Suddenly the room is LOUD. Cries of 'Hamid!' 'What's wrong?' 'You alright?'

WILDE grips ZOLF's hand to his shoulder, now sitting bolt upright. SKRAAK is already looking round for an enemy. AZU reaches out to place a hand on HAMID's back, but as she does so the fabric of his suit begins to writhe. Two small holes are torn as brassy talons claw their way out of HAMID's back. These are quickly followed by the unfurling of immense, brass dragon's wings.

Breathing heavily, HAMID straightens again, glancing behind him. Everyone else is in utter shock.

HAMID (SOFT, SURPRISED, THOUGH NOT AT ALL DISAPPOINTED): Oh!

[galacticlamps]

Tagged by @the--highlanders​ ! Thanks!

How many works do you have on AO3?

13

What’s your total AO3 word count?

76,200

(oh what a nice even number - I should try to mess that up as soon as possible, shouldn’t I?)

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Aw man is this intentionally worded to be really hard to answer? I get that it says ‘written’ and not ‘posted’ but then what constitutes a ‘fandom?’ I definitely wrote fics for stuff I was interested in long before I even knew the word ‘fic’ - I did it throughout my childhood, and then in high school, and while I didn’t do it as much in college, it still happened from time to time. So a lot of the books/movies/tv shows/plays/musicals I wrote things for aren’t really fandoms, and frankly, I had to check my old folder just now to even remember some of them existed. I’ll just list the ones that I know for sure had fandoms, since that’s more fun (and embarrassing), right?

Obviously Doctor Who, classic and modern, Torchwood, Sherlock Holmes (ironically more of these seem to be about the books, but yes, I will admit, some for that tv show too), Les Mis, a couple different Marvel comics & movies, Good Omens, hell, I even found a Night Vale fic in there just now.

And I know there are other older things not even in that folder, some of which never made it to a computer at all, so if I had to ballpark a number I’d probably say around 25ish but really, who knows?

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Across the Gap

On the Spot

Expectations

Shards of Memories & Fragments of Glass

Itemized

(this was fun, I’d never noticed Ao3 even had a stats page until now lol)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to! Sometimes I take a long time to do so but for the most part, I usually get around to it. The rare exception would be if I first saw the comment when I was super busy/distracted and then felt like way too much time passed before I noticed it again, that it might be awkward if I said something at that point.

I do genuinely enjoy hearing what people think, but I’m also weirdly terrified of making anyone feel like they have to reply to my comments. I know that’s probably a little strange, but it’s actually a large part of why I made this Ao3 account in the first place - my original one, from high school, is followed by some long-time friends of mine who aren’t interested in this fandom, some of whom are involved in art & writing professionally. The thought of anyone like that reading something I wrote out of friendliness or even just curiosity and potentially having to pretend they liked it for the same reasons stressed me tf out, so I like having this virtually anonymous one because I can relax knowing that anyone who reads or interacts with something I wrote has probably done so only because they wanted to, rather than feeling obligated, and there’s no pressure on them to be nice to me about it if anything I write or post annoys them - so I really hope nobody who does just know me as an anonymous blog has ever worried about offending me by not replying to something, trust me, I’m perfectly happy with it!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t think I’ve really written any angsty endings? I guess the answer would have to be Reckless just because it involves the characters arguing about sad/weighty things and there isn’t really any solution to those issues - but even then I think I ended it with a kind of acceptance that stops it from really qualifying as angst? I also set it in the the same universe as other fics, so maybe that doesn’t even count as an ending? Am I that bad at ending things on angst? Lol

Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Obviously none of the fics I’ve posted are crossovers but I’m trying to think now if any of my WIP’s are - I’ve definitely poached setting/premise ideas from other media, but in terms of actual crossovers . . . I’ve got a few cross-era or cross-Doctor, a few involving Torchwood, but that’s already the same universe, so the only thing that’d qualify as a true crossover would be some vague pieces of a fic where Jamie, Zoe, and Two end up on the Enterprise, since I think the 60s series of Star Trek and Dr Who feel kind of compatible, don’t they? In fact, aren’t there like officially licensed crossover comics or something? Or did I make that up? Idk, and the ideas are very loose, so it’s not much of a WIP either

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope, never

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I’ve never written smut, but I’m wondering if it’s possible that could change soon. There’s a longish multi-chapter fic I’ve been working on for a frankly embarrassing amount of time, and the plot does call for a sex scene at one point towards the end, but I can’t seem to make up my mind on how - uh, I guess the word is explicit? - it should get. I know I could easily do a fade to black/implication thing, but it’s kind of a source of contention and anxiety for the characters, so to skip over writing the actual scene and just revisit them afterwards rings of “and they slept together and now everything’s fine!” which feels kinda cheap to me - in this context, anyway - and not the right payoff for a long fic that’s otherwise more of an interpersonal drama/slightly a period piece, if I had to place it in a genre. I feel like my aversion to actually writing the scene might just be prudishness I should get over, or maybe just self-doubt, because I know I’d rather have a well-written, funny, character-development-supporting sex scene than nothing at all, but since I’ve never had any interest in writing a scene like that before, I don’t know if I can do it well, and I also don’t want to ruin a fic I’m otherwise proud of by doing it badly... ugh I have to figure this out

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I seriously doubt it

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

What’s your all time favorite ship?

I mean, it’s gotta be Two & Jamie. I’ve shipped things before with varying levels of investment, but I’ve never been able to use the term ‘otp’ in a literal sense until I came across them, and now it’s already basically gone out of fashion, go figure!

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I’m not sure if I have one? My WIP doc is huge, but I don’t actually intend to get around to finishing everything in it, so I’d like to think that anything I’ve currently singled out to complete can actually get done.

That said, I do have a few AU’s that I don’t really plan to finish, but it might be cool if I could. Two of them are for all the main + some supporting characters of the Second Doctor’s era - one’s a modern day school teachers AU, and the other is a typical fantasy/fairy tale AU. Another is just Two/Jamie, based on Doctor Faustus (specifically the Marlowe play version) but right now there are two different versions of the ending coexisting in my head. I’ve written parts of scenes & some gen. backstory for all of those ideas, but I don’t know if I’ll ever try to finish them, or what form a finished product would even take - a series of one-shots set in the same universe? one long multi-chapter fic with some kind of overarching plot? And the amount of context/worldbuilding a big AU like these would require might not make them very appealing fics for people to read, so maybe it is better if I just keep them to myself, since in my head I already know what’s going on in those worlds lol.

What are your writing strengths?

I honestly don’t know. I haven’t had a creative writing class since middle school, and since then I’ve only ever shown creative writing to others in a fandom context, so it’s been a while since I’ve discussed it or gotten critical feedback. I suppose when I work in other arts or even academic writing contexts, people usually say I’m kind of insightful or at least detail oriented, which might just be another way of saying I overthink things, but I like to imagine I’m decent at finding little points of interest to expand upon.

What are your writing weaknesses?

If you’ve read this far I feel like you must know what I’m about to say: I do not know how to be concise.

Usually when I’m writing a fic, I put down the dialogue first on its own, leaving out the action of the scene and whatever plot/context led there, even if I’ve already figured all of that out. But then when I go to add those things in, they’re always longer than I wanted them to be. I don’t mind writing something long, but I don’t want my fics to be a slog to get through either, and there can be a point at which the stuff I’ve added for context overwhelms the stuff that I wanted the fic to be about in the first place, so it becomes a structural/proportion issue too. I haven’t completely given up on any fics because of this yet, but there’s one I’ve been struggling with for a couple months now - probably because I’m even second-guessing myself on which scenes need to be written out and which can just be referenced like a recap. Hopefully I figure that one out soon.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

((this is karma isn’t it? i posted a fic last week with two words of gaelic in it and was worried about that and now this is karma))

In general, I don’t want to do it. I feel like you’ve gotta have a really good grasp of a language to write dialogue & speech patterns for someone who’s a native speaker, and since I’m far from fluent in any language the characters I write for are, I wouldn’t feel confident writing any significant amount of dialogue in, say, Gaelic.

As a sidenote, though, I kinda love it when other people do it, particularly for Jamie. Irish (Gaeilge) and Scottish (Gàidhlig) are both languages I’ve wanted to learn for a long time, because my family’s fresh out of living speakers of either & I think that’s a shame, but I started with Irish and at the moment I’m still very much learning it. As different as they are, it still helps me understand parts of lyrics or texts that I come across in Gàidhlig fairly frequently, so when it comes up in a fic I get to feel like I’m being responsible and practicing, and it’s great when I can actually understand what’s being said.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I’m gonna go with Harry Potter even though that’s probably not a perfectly accurate answer - it’s almost certainly the first thing that has a fandom that I ever wrote for, but it was in a notebook when I was a kid and never something that I even typed on a computer, much less posted online or shared with other members of a fandom. But even then, I’m sure it wasn’t the first pre-existing fictional universe I ever set an original story in, because I did that a lot when I was a kid, it’s just hard to remember those clearly or on any kind of timeline.

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I’m very partial to Across the Gap, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that ranked first on the kudos thing above - but I’ve also got a soft spot for So Merrily We’ll Sing. It’s so self-indulgent it feels silly saying ‘it was so easy to write!’ but I guess having a fic that’s already just 100% headcaonons and fluff tied together by a song you really love does prevent it from being much of a labor (I also managed to refrain from making that one unnecessarily long, so that’s another win there)

tagging @terryfphanatics and anyone else who wants to do it - sorry I’m bad at remembering whose tumblr goes with whose Ao3 account, but I really would be interested to read this if anyone else feels like answering them!

[ravenlesslangblr]

I too am enjoying your galeige stuff!!! 😍 The explanations are simple but really clear and I think I'm falling in love with the language! Keep up the good work!!! (btw do you know other Irish langblrs I can follow? I'm beginning to really get into it!)

Hello! Aww, I’m so happy that you enjoy it and that it makes you want to learn the language, wow! I’m having a bit of a break, because I’m not doing too well mentally, I’m sorry. But I’m very happy that my explanations are just right! I can’t remember too many Irish langblrs off the top of my head, so anybody feel free to add some! @gaeilgebee@goblin-gaeilgeoir@thar-cionn@irishwordseveryday@gaeilge101@gaeilge-rules@duine-aiteach@toingaeilge@gayeilge

[honeylikewords]

Oh. My. God. So i started learning Gaelic on Duolingo (pray for me). And i just got slapped in the face by my friend who was like, imagine David teaching you Gaelic while you teach him English. Imagine Highlander AU! David who has a farm going and loves those really pretty highland cows who have lovely eyelashes, and makes his own butter and wears a kilt 👀💯👌 and David and his lady love sit on a hillside and tell stories about forest fey and say pretty words of love in both languages 💞💓

Pt.2 And then theyre both excited to be learning together and she points at a potato and shes like "buntàta!" And David looks at her all rosey cheeked like, yes little bear thats a potato im so proud of you, youre doing so well 💞💓

Aww! I’m so glad you’re learning a new language! Languages can always be hard, but I have confidence that you’ll do well! Plus, it’s a great way to spend your time and keep your brain flexible (especially now, during quarantine)! Do let me know how it’s going as you head along on your linguistic journey!

And this is a really sweet idea! I love people using their own unique languages and backgrounds to build their relationship!

But I think there’s been a little bit of confusion; David is Irish, not Scottish, and Gaelic traditionally refers to the Scottish language. Kilts are typically associated with the Scottish (though the Irish do have them!), Highland cows are Scottish, and “the Highlands” (and, thus, the title of “Highlander”) refer to the Scottish Highlands. 

Scotland and Ireland are actually two separate areas, with Ireland being a separate island slightly to the west and south of Scotland! 

Pilgrimage takes place in Ireland (though I can’t quite recall which exact area the movie is set in, it says that the movie was filmed largely on the West Coast of Ireland, such as Galway and Mayo, which seems to me to be rather distant from Scotland), so I assume the characters depicted are Irish (though, since David is kind of mysterious in his origin in the film, it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest he could come from somewhere else!).

While the two languages do have a lot of overlap and come from similar roots as Goidelic languages, they are considered to be rather distinct! Since you reference “buntàta”, I’m guessing you’re referring to Scottish Gaelic!

I will admit that from what I have read, “Gaelic” can refer to both languages, at times, since they have some transfer between one another, and many outsiders (myself included!) can have difficulty tracing what came from where, who holds claim to what, et cetera, and because “Gaelic” also refers to the overall of anything that is descended from the Gaels. There’s a lot of discussion about which terms mean what and who gets referred to as what, so I’ll leave that specificity to people who actually are Irish, Scottish, or have studied the topic more intensively than I.

But I will say that what I know from my time in the UK (and being in Scotland) is that the Scottish and Irish people do have completely distinct cultures, very, VERY much do not enjoy being conflated as one identity, and are very protective of being seen as separate, unique peoples. 

So while I do agree that the Highlands are very romantic (I’ve been, and it’s lovely!), and David would do well in such an area, for the sake of keeping David distinctly Irish, maybe we can rework some of these ideas for romanticizing the Irish countryside and Irish languages!

He could definitely have a lovely farm in Ireland, and I imagine he loves cows! Cows and horses, specifically, because he’s a big fan of the larger animals that he can steer around and herd, likely with a nice, big dog by his side. I think he farms sheep, cows, horses, a few chickens, but no pigs (he can’t stand pigs, not even to eat, excepting a few rare occasions when he’ll accept a slab of smoked bacon at market), and loves to take care of his herds and flocks as best as he can.

He’s quite good at making butter because of his upper arm strength and patience, so he can just sit there for hours, working the cream and the churn, just utterly silent. Someone who didn’t know him might find it offputting or creepy, the way he can just zone out and churn for hours in complete silence, but his beloved knows that, yep, that’s just him relaxing! He’s probably thinking about his favorite cow, or what he’s going to eat for dinner, or about how nice it’ll be to cuddle tonight when he gets back to bed and is able to rest with his lovely one.

I like to think that the days he takes “off” (in quotes because, really, you can’t take a real holiday from a farm, since those animals need feeding and watering and walking and milking, and there are always daily chores) are Sundays and church holidays, but, every now and then, he can be convinced to get all his chores done early in the morning, leaving a day for him and his sweet one to do anything they like, whether that’s going into town (very rare, since David isn’t very fond of town) or just having a stroll together through the hills, through the fields, off in their own little world.

David likes when she talks as they walk, letting her just chatter and following the drift and flow of her thoughts, streaming like a pleasant, bubbling river that carries them both along. They walk arm in arm, and every now and then, David will stop and point at something-- a bird, a stone, a tree, a wandering deer-- and raise an eyebrow at his sweetheart, which she knows is his wordless probing to ask her to tell him the name of the object in Irish Gaeilge. 

She’ll pause and chew her lip, looking at where his large finger is pointing, and take a moment before giving her answer-- éan, cloch, crann, or fia, for example-- and if she has answered correctly, he’ll give her one of his sweet, shy smiles, the ones that crinkle his eyes and hide his lips behind his beard, cheeks rounded up, eyes reflecting just a light glitter of happiness. If he’s in an especially good mood or she’s answered a particularly obscure question, he might bend down and kiss her temple, beard tickling her face as he nuzzles into her hair.

David likes to help her climb up the hillside, since so many can be so dreadfully steep, and it’s so cute to see her try to scrabble her way up the side of the hill and then need to hold onto him for support. Once they’re both safely at the top, David will sit himself down in the tall grass, guiding her to sit on his sturdy lap and gaze out over the countryside, all verdant and sprawling. The wind will whistle through the trees and past their ears, and David might find himself humming along, his voice low and rumbling in his chest and carrying into her back as she leans against him. 

He holds her hand and waits, resting his chin on her shoulder, keeping her held warm and cozy against his large form. He doesn’t always know what he’s waiting for, but he waits, regardless, and something lovely always shows itself, reveals in response to his patience. 

Sometimes, it’s a sudden burst of sunshine-- the clouds parting overhead, showering glowing light down on the shimmering green hills and fields-- or a flock of birds tittering out in the fields, or her, his love, turning around in his lap and burying her face in the crook of his neck, or gazing into his eyes and playfully rubbing her nose against the lumpy, broken bridge of his, hovering her warm lips over his to ever-so-sweetly tease him into leaning forward and giving her a kiss, hungry and impatient, in contrast to his usual self-control.

Once in a while, they’ll bring along a basket of food, often much larger than what would normally be brought on a picnic due to David’s ravenous appetite, and a book for her to read aloud, perched on David’s knee as he chews on a  sandwich and listens intently. 

He likes for her to read fairytales or stories from the countryside, but doesn’t mind, the occasional turn of something dramatic; he’s let her read him ghost stories or tales of woe, though he sometimes gets bored of the dull and dreary tone and waits for an especially tense moment of the story and scares her by grabbing her waist abruptly and going “boo!” in her ear in that deep voice of his, making her shriek and flap around in his lap (which, of course, leads him to letting out a rough, heavy laugh and squeezing her close, kissing her cheeks in apology). 

But when she reads stories of princesses and noble knights, or maidens fair and lovely, he looks at her with adoring eyes and knows that the holds his own little princess on his lap, and that he’d slay any dragon, swim any sea, trick any fae to be able to come home to her every single day.

He’s always proud of her, always.

I love this idea and I do hope you send in more adorable things like this! 

[5am-moonlight]

You might be the only person who can do this request, if it doesn’t make sense feel free to ignore it but got any ideas for Lance with an Irish S/O?

Lance with an Irish S/O

Hey nonnie I fucking love you

TW: lil bit of racism towards Lance from your average Walmart shopper and swearing but that’s it

Bro he fucking loves that you’re also not an American born citizen. Obviously he loves his US friends, but having someone who could relate to the culture shock and the immigration experience was a huge relief, and for you as well.

Like him, you’d moved to the US to attend the Garrison, obsessed with space travel from an early age.

He loves your accent, but in an appreciating way. He knows the feeling of being told ‘you have an accent’ isn’t always something you appreciate, but he loves the way you’ll still say some Irish things, like how you can’t say ‘kiss’ it’s always a ‘shift’ or a ‘meet’ (which still confuses the hell out of Lance) or calling a party a sesh, and you still won’t call your money a dollar.

He likes that you both have freckles, even if yours mightn’t fully come out until the summer.

You’ll always help him out when a person is less than kind about his immigration, due to his accent. When you two had been shopping in a Walmart once, an older woman came up to him and had started yelling that he shouldn’t be here, and that he was ‘stealing jobs’ (he laughed at that, yes, the Cuban migrant working towards an interspace pilot degree was gonna be stealing a job. Good one Karen). She’d made the mistake of looking to you for support against all the ‘immigrants nowadays’ and you will always love the look Lance had given you when she’d asked if you were okay with “spics taking your job”.

You’d been silently fuming, and were really fucking happy to give her a piece of your mind.

“Actually, cabrón, I really don’t mind immigrants, considering I am one, but your little fucking mind wouldn’t comprehend that because my accent isn’t Cuban, or Mexican, or Middle Eastern, but guess what, as I am goddamn sure you’re able to tell now you gobshite, I’m not American either. Good day and póg mo thoin”

He has a huge interest in learning Gaeilge! Over the years you’ve picked up some Cuban Spanish, and you guys can fully converse in it, but he’s always had an interest in Irish because it’s such an unknown language. You’d gone through all your Irish exams and done the leaving cert at home, and were able to teach him some little things, how to fully introduce himself, how to talk about his family (which he was most excited to learn, since he really wanted to show his nieces and nephews his new trick)

He’s always had an interest in the different aspects of Celtic history, he was always proud of his own history, which traced back to Scotland by only two generations.

However, no much how much he loves you, he’ll always dislike the weather in Ireland. He loves the beach and the sun and the rain but it’s always just *so cold. And wet. He does like the brightness of the green in all the nature though, it’s always so young and alive. He loves Ireland, so much, but by god he could never live there.

He is slightly scared of your family. He thought Latino families are big and loud but holy shit. He now understands why his friends are scared of his big family at events, but he was always used to it, so when you introduced him to yours, he was a bit overwhelmed. He still loves the atmosphere though, big celebrations are really his thing.

No matter how many times you and your family do rounds of Irish songs (even Rattlin Bog which is in English) he will always get lost. He doesn’t get how you can sing it all perfectly while having drinks! He’s convinced it’s sorcery.

[fairestfall]

   fifteen questions, fifteen mutuals .

① ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE ? My mother named me (my real name) after her favorite soap opera character. 

② WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED ? This morning. It served as a much needed catharsis. 

③ DO YOU HAVE KIDS ? No, nor do I plan on adopting anytime soon. 

④ DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT ? Oh, to my close friends and family members? I might seem sweet to a passerby, but internally I am full of salt. 

⑤ WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE ? Their voice. I’m a rather aural individual. 

⑥ WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOR ? My eyes change colors, actually! They oscillate between green-gold and dark blue. 

⑦ SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDING ?  Scary movies! Ever since I was a child, horror films have been my stalwart companions. 

⑧ ANY SPECIAL TALENTS ? I have a semi-photographic memory, which makes memorizing items for tests thankfully simple. I also have a gift for language. I’m currently studying to become fluent in two other languages (Deutsch and Gaeilge) besides Español. I’ve been learning bits and pieces of the Egyptian dialect of Arabic, as well. I just love that different ethnicities can view the world in different ways; there is truly beauty in diversity. 

⑨ WHERE WERE YOU BORN ? The golden state, aka Dante’s seventh circle. 

⑩ WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES ? Reading, Pilates, cooking, and writing. 

⑪ DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS ? Sadly, no. Unless my Night Mares count. 

⑫ WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED ? I prefer cardio/swimming to organized sports. 

⑬ HOW TALL ARE YOU ? 5 feet 4.5 inches 

⑭ DREAM JOB ? I have many! Author, poet laureate, voice actor, screen actor, and professor of Gothic film/literature. 

⑮ FAVORITE SUBJECT AT SCHOOL ? I consider myself a jack-of-all-trades. I enjoyed all my pre-med and nursing courses, and I was also fond of Stage Makeup, History, Oral Communications, and all my English and Creative Writing classes. Knowledge is valuable, and I feel privileged to have dabbled in so many subjects. 

tagged   by    ➤    @dehcrned now tagging: @bixweapxn, @texxeract, @toonthebeataround, @kcnsasborn, @faircse, @hercullade, @imbicilite, and @lepcpillcn

[petnews2day]

‘Your generation will save the planet,’ Charlie Bird tells children during visit to school

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/birds-news/your-generation-will-save-the-planet-charlie-bird-tells-children-during-visit-to-school/

‘Your generation will save the planet,’ Charlie Bird tells children during visit to school

Charlie Bird today congratulated school children for achieving an environmental award, telling them he believed their generation “would help save the planet.”

he former RTÉ journalist, who has been raising awareness about Motor Neurone Disease since revealing his terminal diagnosis, threw his hands in the air as pupils at Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin in Finglas, Dublin, sang as Gaeilge to him.

The pupils also raised funds for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

One pupil, Jack Wood (9), told the veteran reporter how he now dreamed of becoming a journalist after learning of Mr Bird’s history of reporting.

Using artificial voice technology, Mr Bird told the children: “Unfortunately my voice does not allow me to use my voice speaking… (but) I’m so lucky that I can communicate with you.

“About eight months ago I was told that I had a very serious illness that was going to affect my speech and swallow.”

He told the pupils he was “really impressed” they had been honoured for their “efforts to help protect the environment.”

The school has been awarded a Green Flag in recognition of its pupils cycling and walking to school while their parents avoided getting in the car for school drop offs and pickups.

Mr Bird also spoke about his time working for RTÉ and becoming environmentally aware over the years.

He told how he had been “so lucky to travel to both the North Pole and the South Pole,” and he had particularly seen the effects of climate change when he had travelled “towards the North Pole”.

“Many of the glaciers in the Canadian Arctic are disappearing before our very eyes,” Mr Bird said.

“The North Pole is melting. And the same is happening down in the Antarctic.

“So it’s so important that all of us help to protect our environment. And that is why I’m so proud of your school, helping to protect the environment.

“I believe that you are the ones that will help to save the planet.”

Mr Bird, who was visiting alongside his wife Claire, admitted it was one of his regrets he did not learn the Irish language but he loved hearing his native language spoken in Innis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, where he plans to have his ashes scattered after his death.

The children gave gifts to the journalist, including a hat bearing the school’s insignia.

The pupils were delighted to meet not only Mr Bird but his dog Tiger. It was the pet’s birthday and the pupils sang Happy Birthday to the dog.

Many pupils had drawn and coloured pictures for Mr Bird and each donated €2 towards the MNDA.

Even when the pupils returned to class, they continued waving out of their classroom windows at Mr and Mrs Bird.

Mrs Bird told independent.ie the visit to the school had been “absolutely brilliant”.

“The kids were unbelievable. They’re lovely and they uplift us,” she said.

Mrs Bird said her husband was delighted to hear one of the children dreamed of being a journalist and the couple felt the name Jack Wood was a “perfect reporter’s name.”

She had attended St Joseph of Cluny Secondary School in Killiney, south Dublin, with the Finglas school’s principal, Leah Ní Mhaoláin. The pair were reunited for the first time since they were teenagers.

Ms Ní Mhaoláin said the school had received four green flags recently, including the most recent one for travel.

“The children had the idea to invite Charlie to the school,” Ms Ní Mhaoláin said. “This is our first VIP visitor since Covid, the first occasion.

“I was in school with Claire. I haven’t seen Claire since we left school, so I was delighted Charlie, Claire and Tiger came out to visit us.

“There was great excitement in the school preparing. And it’s fantastic that the children have learned about Motor Neurone Disease.

“They’ve watched Charlie on TV and have fundraised for the charity. He’s a great inspiration to the children.”

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[queerpontmercy]

so Galway is a bilingual city- like officially; it's the first city in Ireland to declare that. Everything is written in English and Irish and I actually walk through parts of the Gaeltacht on my way to school each morning, so that’s really rad. I’m in love with the language and happy I know a bit already, makes life easier getting to classes and learning names.

But it does make life tricky sometimes. Like, I was out walking last week and went to this little eatery for dinner (they had the best hard cider oh my gosh), and when I went to use the bathroom it was just marked M and F and I assumed it was male and female, which I wasn’t used to but which made sense, as weird as those terms make me feel & as disappointed as I am that gender neutral bathrooms aren’t everywhere.

And then about five minutes after I left the place I remembered that men as Gaeilge is fir, and women is mná and long story short language is hard and it doesn’t really matter of course but I’m still not sure how I gendered myself that night, and haven’t seen a bathroom like that anywhere else.

Adventure!

[zens-ponytail]

Dia duit!!! I’m KitKat!!! As you can see I have a LOT of hair!!! I really like to read books and write! I write short stories, fanfics, poems etc and I love horror books and horror movies!!! Even tho afterwards I don’t want to be alone ^^“ I’m currently learning Gaeilge or Irish and I’m having lots of fun!!! Um weird habits… I tend to be stim a lot lol… things such as flapping my hands when I’m excited or scared or when I’m really happy I flap and clap! I bite my thumb when I’m nervous and yeah! If you can I’d like to be paired with Yoosung or Seven! Whichever floats your goat! But um yeah! Just your average American mixed demi-boy dealing with crazy hair lol

DIA DUIT TO YOU TOO, KITKAT!!! Today’s I’m paring you with *drum roll*

SEVEN

I don’t know if it’s because when you said Irish I thought of this dorky redhead, or the fact that he would LOVE to watch scary things with you, but I know Seven would be great for you ♥

Headcanon

he is OBSESSED with your hair

Seriously, he loves it so much

also he loves to watch you get excited it’s his favorite pastime 

the way you just bounce around and clap and flap and AHHHHHHH he loves you so much

Once you called him in the middle of the night because you were watching a scary movie and you couldn’t sleep

He was at your house in 5 minutes  pretty sure he sped the entire way

The two of you actually ended up stay up all night talking anyways ♥

[fandomblr]

For the oc asks,

6) Who will they take advice from, no matter what it is? Who won’t they take advice from, no matter what it is?

11) They’ve won the lottery. Spend, or save?

14) Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any?

22) Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?

First of all I’m so sorry I’ve taken forever to answer this, I haven’t been on Tumblr for a while and my blog has just been running on queued posts that I didn’t tag under the queue hashtag cause I’m too lazy to keep doing that.

6) Prionsith will always take advice from his bf, Leannán. And he will never take advice from Fintan, who was the counselor to his father and grandfather because he is an absolute asshole.

11) Money isn’t really a thing in the Annwn (the aos sí realm, which is basically like the Welsh mythology fairy/elf realm) so he would probably donate it to humans that need it the most, and especially use some of that to try and help climate change and the environment. Oh and he would set up a fund for trans people to have access to HRT and gender affirming surgeries/procedures, his boyfriend is trans so he’s a huge trans ally.

14) His guilty pleasure is learning about the simplest human inventions, like even about a bicycle. He hasn’t lived in the human realm that much, so learning about these kinds of stuff fascinates him even though to humans they seem completely mundane and boring. It’s kinda cute.

22. Yes and yes. Again, because he isn’t human his people speak a fairy dialect that’s based of a mixture of Irish/Gaeilge, Welsh, and Scottish Gaelic. I’m not a linguistic genius like Tolkien so it’s not like I’ve developed the language that much, only have done it for a couple phrases in the book I’m writing. But one of them off the top of my mind that he says to his bf and his bf says to him is grá (the Irish word for love).

And in case you missed it, Prionsith is gay (also asexual) and his bf is trans and bi. These bitches gay, good for them, good for them. Happy pride month y’all 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🖤🤎❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

[celtfather]

Most-Popular Celtic Bands of 2017 #339

Who were the most-popular Celtic bands in 2017? We're ending the year with some of my favorite Celtic bands of the year with Celtic music from Black Market Haggis, The Gothard Sisters, Ed Miller, Ockham's Razor, We Banjo 3, Screaming Orphans, Jesse Ferguson, Battlelegs, Battlefield Band, The Elders, Poitin, Runa, Sons of Malarkey, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Screeched Inn, Jil Chambless, Ed Miller and Scooter Muse, Barleyjuice, Ciana, Coast, West of Mabou. http://celticmusicpodcast.com/

Listen and share this podcast. Download 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Subscribe to the Celtic Music Magazine. This is our free newsletter and your guide to the latest Celtic music and podcast news. Remember to support the artists who support this podcast: buy their CDs, download their MP3s, see their shows, and drop them an email to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

TODAY'S SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY... THE CELTIC INVASION OF THE ISLE OF SKYE

You can join me in Scotland in June 2018. Imagine joining a small group of eight Celtic music fans, driving in a van as we explore the  Isle of Skye. Some call it one of the most-beautiful islands in the world, with spectacular vistas, gorgeous castles and towns, fairy pools, and magic. We won't see everything. Instead, we will stay in one area, and get to know the region through its history, culture, and legends. Subscribe to the mailing list to join the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:06 "Welcome Paddy Home" by Black Market Haggis from Better Than It Sounds

4:52 "Chaos in La Casa" by The Gothard Sisters from Mountain Rose

7:58 "Bonnie Bessie Logan" by Ed Miller from Come Awa' Wi' Me

11:29 "I'm Coming Home Northumberland" by Ockham's Razor from Wolves in the Walls

16:29 "Over the Waterfall/Liberty Polka" by We Banjo 3 from Roots of the Banjo Tree

18:59 "The Ballad of Spring Hill" by Screaming Orphans from Taproom

22:47 CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

24:15 "All For Me Grog" by Jesse Ferguson from Folk Favourites

27:18 "Greenland Whale Fisheries (acoustic version)" by Battlelegs from Facemelt Friday

29:47 "Leaving Friday Harbor" by Battlefield Band from The Producer's Choice

34:55 "Golden Ghost" by The Elders from TRUE

40:26 SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION TIP TO HELP CELTIC BANDS

41:15 "O'puss No. 7" by Poitin from Simple Pleasures

46:16 "Bedlam Boys" by Runa from Live

49:37 "Killarney Boys of Pleasure" by Sons of Malarkey from Gulls Lads

51:58 "The Proposal" by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer from Red House

58:15 "Farewell to Nova Scotia" by Screeched Inn from Screeched Inn

1:02:30 CELTIC FEEDBACK

1:04:48 "Billy Gray" by Jil Chambless, Ed Miller and Scooter Muse from The Lang Awa' Ships

1:09:32 "Whiskey & Weed" by Barleyjuice from This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

1:13:23 "King's House/The Maids of Selma/Abbey Reel" by Ciana from Rubicon

1:17:27 "Gordon's Reels" by West of Mabou from West of Mabou

1:23:29 "Windmills in the Sky" by Coast from Windmills in the Sky

1:29:32 "Silent Place" by Jiggy from Translate

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. To subscribe, go to iTunes or to our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

  THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

Imagine a world with no Celtic music. Pretty crappy, right? All you have is boring music being shoved down your throats by big record labels. You wouldn't get to experience the incredible music shared each and every week in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. These incredibly generous people bring you hours of great Celtic music. You can help celebrate Celtic music and culture and keep this show running every week. Become a Patron of the Podcast a http://patreon.com/celticpodcast

  CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic and Geek musician and podcaster. This podcast is dedicated to the indie Celtic musicians. I want to ask you to support these artists. Share the show with your friends. And find more episodes at celticmusicpodcast.com. You can also support this podcast on Patreon.

Every year, I compile a list of the most-played Celtic bands on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. We're gonna end the year with some of my favorite bands played on the show in 2017.

This is your last chance to vote for your favorite bands in the Celtic Top 20. Every year, I compile a list of the best tracks played on this podcast and I share it in an extra-long show like this one. I want to ask you to review the 2017 shows. Find your favorite tracks in each show. Then go vote at bestcelticmusic.net/vote/. In a few weeks, I will share your votes with the world.

Celtfather Music & Travel podcast features an interview with Shannon Heaton of the Irish Music Stories. You may remember in show #314 Shannon Heaton was the the guest host of this podcast. I was really curious to learn about her history as an American playing traditional Irish music. She also published a video about Irish Session Etiquette. So I decided to ask her to share her insights into playing in Irish sessions in this podcast. Listen to episode #234 Demystifying Irish Sessions.

If you're in a Celtic band, I want to invite you to submit your new album to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It's easy to do. Complete the permission form at http://4celts.com/. Then follow the instructions to send a digital copy of your album.

Band Social Media Promotion Tip. I've never been super fond of social media. Partially because of the negative nature of the beast. But partially because I've never been able to figure it out. I generally keep to myself.

However, over the past year, I've made a dent in the social media monster and I wanted to share my best social media promotion tip which I beg you to use with your favorite Celtic artist. It's simple too--SHARE.

Don't just laugh and like a post. If you support Celtic music, take an active role and share it. With one little click, you will not only proclaim your love of Celtic culture, but you will also immensely help these artists who are fighting to be heard.

And of course, you can do the same with any posts from the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Please SHARE your love of Celtic music.

  VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20

It's easier than ever to do. Just list the show number, and the name of one or two bands. That's it. You can vote once for each episode help me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2017 episode. http://bestcelticmusic.net/vote/

  I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can send a written comment along with a picture  of what you're doing while listening. Email a voicemail message to celticpodcast@gmail.com

Seán Roy Mac Aodha emailed: "Hi Mark, First off, I want to say that I really enjoy listen to your Celtic music podcasts. You do an excellent job putting together selections, and listening to an hour of the ICM podcasts is one of my great pleasures and I'm happy to be a subscriber.

Right now, I'm listening to the podcast #324, Celtic in Connemara, and I think it's great that you want to learn to speak the language a little better. While I'm not a native speaker, I am an Irish-American with exposure to the language, and my pronunciation is pretty good. I'm glad to answer any questions you may have. Although many words look intimidating, it's really not that hard once you learn the rules of Irish orthography.

You should probably know that the correct name of the language spoken in the Gaeltacht regions of Ireland is properly referred to in English as "Irish," and not Gaelic, as many people think, as "Gaelic" can mean Scottish Gaelic or even Manx. In Irish, the word for the language of course is "Gaeilge."

Good luck with your Duolingo lessons, and I'll look forward to your continuing podcasts. Thanks so much for all you do."

Check out this episode!

[ravenlesslangblr]

Hey I started learning Irish a few years ago (it was my childhood dream to know it!), but had to put it on hold because of school and depression. I'm going to pick it up again after graduation (a year from now) and since my current dream job is a language tutor I'd love to get good enough to teach it one day. Are there any resources- textbooks, workbooks, audio supplements- you recommend?

Hello! That’s super great! Take all the time you need for self-care and school. It’s very important! And teaching is such a good dream to have. I am going to start tutoring Irish at uni this semester, so I’m super excited! Not all of my fellow learners are happy with it, but I cannot recommend Gaeilge Gan Stró enough! All three volumes are great and really useful. What I like about this textbook in particular are the useful exercises. They give you a ‘your turn now’ interview type of exercises, which makes you think about what you would say in a certain situation by yourself. They also have audio files. Buntús na Gaeilge (free online pdf, currenly not up, but I’d be able to find it if you’d be interested) is super good for grammar, so is Teach Yourself Irish Grammar (I think I have a pdf somewhere, too). http://www.nualeargais.ie/ is also super good for grammar overviews.

https://www.focloir.ie/ is the best dictionary in my opinion. It gives you many phrases and you will oftentimes find exactly the meaning you need. Irish is semantically quite different sometimes, so something like this is super useful. 

https://tg4.ie/ga/foghlaim/eolas-fuinn/ The TG4 Foghlaim website has some great resources like short films and videos that are simplified and usually transcribed. 

Just trying to think of something off the top of my head, but these were some of the really great resources I used. Ádh mór! Go raibh maith agat.

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A promised Gaeilge update

This Thursday marked my first two weeks in a Belfast Gaeltacht. Irish is all around me. We speak Irish at home, at work, I encounter Irish most of the day. The transition I have gone through without really even realising it is tremendous! It is similar to when I went to a course in Gleann Cholm Cille, but a lot more intense. Things I’m observing:

1. Anxiety to speak is gone. If I have to talk to someone, I will. My first few days, I’d barely say a word, now it’s not as much of a problem.

2. I still prepare sentences in my head before I say them, but they require a lot less time. I am more likely to just belt out something without preparation, too.

3. I get better at Gaeilge when I’m drunk, which just shows that most of my trouble speaking is my anxiety.

4. Writing feels so much more natural now.

5. I’ve been observing how much vocab I’ve actually learned just from passive usage and how quickly they’ve entered my active vocab. Examples: Ar dóigh, nasc, fadhbh...

6. My understanding of Gaeilge has gone from about 50% to 70% of spoken (not too fast) Irish and from about 60% to 85% in videos. Of course, relating to topics I’m *kind of* familiar with. I still wouldn’t be able to follow a video on plumbing or something.

Goals for the next week:

1. I’d like to somehow automatize my replies. I still reply “yeah” or “tá”, but I’d actually like to be able to reply with “ní raibh” or other equivalents.

2. MODAL. VERBS. I really need them and I still struggle with the compound usage. I can’t remember them.

3. I want to build up my vocab, but I’m lazy and passive acquisition works too. Besides, working basically full time makes me super tired.

All in all, I am super, super happy that I’ve made this decision. I have about a month and a half to go and I’m really interested what’s going to happen and how the learning curve is going to progress.  Also, I do have a dream. I’d like to earn a Fáinne óir by the end of this. My mentors already do always introduce me to others that I have ‘Gaeilge líofa’, but I don’t feel it myself. I’d like to be able to ask them at the end and their reply to be ‘lol sure’. In my wildest dream, I get a Fáinne óir at the end of my internship as ‘an achievement’.  Anyway, feel free to ask me stuff about my internship or my stay here, I’d love to talk about it more!  Slán slán!