Seannacht i nGaillimh, part 2: Inis Meain

I decided to spend my last day in Galway on Inis Meáin. As I overheard a Frenchman saying on the bus:

“If you really want to know what is France, you do not go to Paris. With all this beautiful countryside, why do you go to Paris?”

Sometimes you have to out in the middle of nowhere if you want to learn where you are. Inis Meáin (the "middle island") is the least-visited of the Aran Islands. The ferry there was carrying supplies - a new TV, among other items, loaded by squinting, sunburnt men in caps into the sides of the boat - as well as people, and most of the people were locals traveling between the island and the mainland.

The boat was named Banrionn na Fharraige (that spelling might be off - I've not got my dictionary with me), which means "Queen of the Sea."

Now, my computer isn't letting me upload photos, so I'll keep this short for now and edit more in later (I'm sure you're all devestated at this sudden absence of pretty rocks). I went onto the island, and found a shop, which was closed. As was the other shop (there are two, I think, on the island), as was the hotel. I had no map, so I walked along for an hour or so until I saw another human being. She was sitting in a chair reading a book, in the yard, outside a house with a small sign that was advertised as a tea shop.

I tiptoed up and tried to look lost and friendly at the same time. She looked up, and greeted me - in Irish. Then she laughed and apologized at the look on my face.

Keep in mind that I've been learning to read and write Irish, not speak it - like most languages, it can be hard to recognize off the page.

It turns out the lady was from the Netherlands. She was a psychologist who'd learned Irish, moved to the Aran Islands, and decided that was they needed was a tea shop. I bought tea and banana bread. She stood next to the table and we talked for a while. She pointed out the path, and I paid and wandered off, and promptly got lost again.

It was lovely, though. All I could think, walking down the road, was, "Lord, let this not be the last I see of this place."

As I said, photos later.

A Bit About The Irish Language

I know, I know. I have loads more to write about Dublin, and pictures galore. But that's too much work. So I'm going to write about language instead (and, across the Atlantic, I can hear your eyes roll...)

The basics: the Gaelic, or Goidelic, language group includes Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Irish Gaelic is called Irish or, in Irish, "gaeilge." It is taught in many schools here, and though the language is by no means widespread, there are thousands of people who speak the language fluently in non-classroom settings (you can go look up actual statistics if you like), and many Irish in diaspora countries are trying to re-learn it.

Like English, it's confusing in that it's difficult to tell the pronounciation from the written language (unlike, say, Spanish). And it can be different depending on where you are: for instance, a word ending in igh is pronounced "ee" in one county, but can change to "ig" if you drive for a while. Also, there's lenition, by which a word is changed by other words in a sentence to start with different consanant sounds. And lots more like that. I'm interested in learning it because it's a beautiful, complex language, and I'm all for keeping languages alive (I was one of those kids who learned to write in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs... yeah).

I loathe the attitude towards it held my many Americans who seem to think of it as a dead, fairy language that they can "translate" names and tattoos into as part of their heritage. And I use that word with all the wincing sarcasm I can muster. I feel almost embarrased to identify myself as Irish-American here. You can see the Irish get that look in their eyes, like, "Oh God, it's one of them," and I have to hastily add that my family came from Ireland, that's it, I've never drunk green beer or eaten corned beef in my life or searched for a fake family crest on Google. Really.

My name, written in Irish, is Peigín* Eilís Ní Fhoirréidh-Mhórdha. I have no idea how to pronounce the "Foirréidh" bit, but the rest would be PEG-een EL-ees nee WOR-ya (or possibly VOR-ya). The bit before the surname shows it's my maiden name... "Ní" is the female form of "Ó" and, and, because it's feminine, puts an "h" in teh beginning of the following word (so Mórdha becomes Mhórdha). This is because Furey and Moore both begin with Ó in Irish. If my name began with Mac, I think it would be Nic. Or Nhic.

By now I hope you'll understand what I mean by complex. Yes? Good.

Here is a list of Irish words, just for fun - I'm going to see what I can write from memory:

Apple – úll

Bell – clog

Blessing – beannacht

Boat – bád

Book - leabhar

Brother - deartháir

Cat - cat

Computer - ríomhaire

Cow – bó

Daughter - iníon

Dog - madra

Father - athair

Fish - iasc

Flower - bláth
Food - bia

Goodbye – slán

Heart - croí

Hello - (to one person) Dia duit

House - teach

Love - grá

Mother - máthair
Music - ceol

Please - le de thoil

Post office - oifig an phoist

Rain - fearthainn, báisteach

Rainbow - bogha báistí

River - abhainn

Shop - siopa

Sister - deirfiúr

Sky - spéir

Son – mac

Star - réalta

Tea – tae

Thank you - (to one person) go raibh maith agat

Tree - crann

Welcome - fáilte

If there's any words anyone wants to know... or tranlastions... I've got a dictionary and I'm signed on to an online translation forum. And I'm in Ireland. Just saying. And I do hope to spend time in the Irish-speaking part of Ireland, not Belfast or Dublin, but in the southwest around Galway... which I've heard is a beautiful area anyway... maybe I'll go there next week after classes, and plan out where I'll go over break!

Here are some signs in Irish and English, found in Dublin, featuring some of the more important** words:

And some others... signs from Trinity, and one of the street signs. All the street names are written in both languages as well. My personal favourite was Lána na Bó. I can't remember the English, but that means "Cow's Lane" and is just fun to say.

And, from my wonderfully productive YouTube searches, two funny*** little videos involving Irish:

"Fluent Dysphasia" (first of two parts): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNI9eBGYpvw

"Fíorghael" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Kv4fZ2SOE

More on Dublin later, I promise! Now I have to go write a paper...


* I know, I know... but my name's just not Margaret! I'm sorry! You shouldn't have given my sister and I the SAME NAME. She can be Mairéad.
** Food is very important.
*** Warning: British humour. Some Americans might find it a little slow or understated. Keep in mind, the best parts are at the end.

Amhráin As Gaeilge

No. Despite the title of this entry, I haven't learned Irish in a week. But I'm still trying.

As anyone will tell you, a good way to work on learning a language to to watch TV in that language. There's an Irish-language channel, TG4, so I tried searching for videos from it on YouTube. I found several weather forecasts, some odds and ends of this and that, and - best of all - a series of traditional Irish songs set along cute, animated cartoons.

The series is called "Anam an Amhráin"* and it's kept me entertained for a whole week, now. I can even understand some of the words, with the added help of the pictures. For instance, in the cheerful dancy "Bean Pháidín" the speaker is saying "It's a pity I'm not Pháidín's wife," I'd go to Galway with [?] Pháidín, I wish Pháidín's [actual] wife would break her legs and all her bones.

This is why I love folk music.

The second is about a little girl who wants to go... somewhere, the third is about a crazed goat, and an unfortunate guy passing by, and the goat goes and... I'll just let you watch it... the fourth's about a pirate queen, and the last one is a sad one about a spider.

Bean Pháidín http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STBpc3rxrT4&feature=related
Gréasaí Bróg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBtd-VA4FAA&feature=feedf
An Poc Ar Buile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCdENob0ZQ
Óró, Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0NfY-ElcPo&feature=related
An Damhán Alla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGhrpgns0_g&feature=related

Enjoy! Or something.

This And That... And A Theological Lecture, Just For Fun

I've now been in NI for a whole month! It feels longer, but it also feels shorter, because of the time I've spent in class (not sure how that works, but, it does). I've been cooking for myself for a month, wandering around a strange city for a month, listening to people speak all kinds of strange accents for a month. At this very moment I am sitting in the kitchen - it's one of the few places in this house where we can pick up internet - listening to two of the other exchange students toast crumpets and talk to each other in Chinese.

I've also been seeing the first signs of spring. It isn't deathly cold the moment you open a window, for instance, and flowers are beginning to come up.

Just in time for me to finish my knitting project - yes, the "airplane" project:

Knitted wool lace is the funnest fabric to squidge your fingers in. Fact.

I have to find some more wool soon and start another project, because it's maddening sitting in lectures without something to do with my hands. If I don't knit, I take crazy frantic notes, and if I force myself not to take notes, I fall asleep. Knitting is a good thing.

And, just because:

Yes. I now own Harry Potter as Gaeilge.*

Speaking of books, and of general awesomeness, one of the things I did this past week was attend the 2011 Church of Ireland Theological Lectures. These are an annual event at Queen's. They're free, and you can have tea and biscuits if you come early to the Hub (the Anglican chaplaincy cafe). This year, the speaker was Michael Ward - the "Narnia Code" guy. Basically, he is a chaplain at Oxford and a C.S. Lewis** scholar/enthusiast who wrote his thesis on the way the symbolism in the Chronicles of Narnia corresponds to the seven celestial bodies in pre-Copernican cosmology. That is, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe uses Jupiter-ish symbols, Prince Caspian uses Mars-like symbols, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader uses Sun-like symbols, etc. Which was yet another way Lewis was tracing different mythologies, traditions, and so on back to Christianity, if that makes sense (please... if this is interesting... read the book. Don't listen to me).

I found the lectures intriguing, and I think he's probably right - that there's a level of medieval cosmological symbolism in the Narnia books. The idea that they were written to showcase this symbolism (which I think some people may have gotten just by hearing of it) is obviously absurd, and he made a point of pointing this out. But the fact that it's there makes sense, at least to me, because I've read enough by and about Lewis to know that that's exactly the kind of thing he would've done (which is one of the points Ward made, for people who hadn't read the books - yes, there are people who haven't read the books, but who came to the lecture anyway, and of course were confused anfterwards... *sigh*)

This is how I ended up having tea at a table full of Anglican clergy, including a bishop and a retired missionary. Which was fun. The Hub was decorated in "Narnian" style, which meant a plastic fir tree in every corner, and a dorm wardrobe full of faux fur coats at one wall, with a quite adorable little plush lion lounging on top. The walls had papers with Narnia quotes written in marker, and they'd put up white Christmas lights, and put the first movie on the TV screens (which usually show news or sports or whatever).

And, when questions about Tolkien came up, as they do in conversations about C.S. Lewis, guess who was the only person at the table who knew the answers... being a fantasy nerd does come in useful in the real world sometimes.

Anyway, it was Janice and Ron from St Bart's Parish Church who told me about the lectures. I'll write more about them and the church later.

Ooh - just found the Planet Narnia website: http://www.planetnarnia.com/ I've yet to read the book. I bought it - the long version, of course - and he signed it "to Meghan, with Jovial regards." I have it, and an unread C.S. Lewis book, waiting for me once I manage to clamber over the mountain of sociology and history books that seems to have erupted over my desk.

*I think this is right for "in Irish"... but, needless to say, don't quote me on it.

**Who, for those who don't know, was Irish - from Belfast! More about that later, too (meaning, I'll probably take a tour, or wander around on my own, being a total creeper, and take pictures of plaques and statues and things).