Our voices carry; and though slumber-bound, Some few half awake… Give tongue, proclaim their hidden name… W.B. Yeats At one point in Quinn’s Book, the fourth novel in William Kennedy’s masterful “Albany Cycle,” a trainload of Famine immigrants passes through Albany. Witnessing this sad procession, narrator Daniel Quinn is told by a companion, “Pay heed to these people and … [Read more...] about The Legacy of Danny Cassidy
Irish Language
In the Name of the Fada: Comedian Des Bishop
God help the Irish language! Faced with insurmountable obstacles, it’s on the brink of extinction. You’ve heard such doom-laden predictions before, perhaps even in articles I’ve written. But I’ve tired of pessimism. Instead, I’m here to tell you about a new campaign to revitalize the language. It’s spearheaded by one of Ireland’s most prominent Irish-American … [Read more...] about In the Name of the Fada: Comedian Des Bishop
The Trouble with Irish Language
With the Irish language under threat of extinction, you would think the Gaeltacht, small pockets of Ireland where Irish is still spoken, would be a safe haven for our native tongue. Not so. The day is drawing to a close and the sun is setting in the sky. In the dusky light, a farmer strides purposefully home, his feet heavy in earth-covered boots and a shovel slung over his … [Read more...] about The Trouble with Irish Language
Irish Language Confuses Tourists
Visitors to Gaeltacht (Gaelic-speaking) areas on the west coast of Ireland may be in for a surprise, following a government directive on the public use of Irish language. The Placenames Order 2004 makes it a law that all Gaeltacht signposts and maps display place names only in the Irish language. Towns widely known by their Anglicized names will now be represented only in their … [Read more...] about Irish Language Confuses Tourists
A Link With The Past
How many hours did you spend learning your catechism? Could you still answer your questions and recite your prayers in Irish? For those of you who could use a review, or who just miss An Teagasc criostai, the 'old' Catechism, is available once again. This reprint of the 1954 edition contains 443 questions and answers and the usual prayers, all in updated spelling. At $12 your … [Read more...] about A Link With The Past