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 July 11 2007, 15:58 PM |
Eoin
"Site Admin"
Joined: 16 May 2002
Location: Luimneach, Ireland
Posts: 2,573
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A chairde, it's time for another forum-interactive interview! Aibigéal is our next victim  She was kind enough to answer some start-off questions. I'd like anyone here to pose questions to Aibigéal that they would like to see included in the interview. Aibigéal, you could answer the questions in this thread if you wish, or wait until they've all been asked (but I prefer the 1st option!).
Here's some of the questions that Aibigéal has already answered, to get the ball rolling:
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Who is Aibigéal?
Well, my real name is Abigail (surprised you, didn't I?) I'm currently a grad student at the University of Notre Dame - and I'm working on two PhDs at once, so that's likely to be the case for some time yet. The family business is a machine shop, so on the weekends I moonlight as a machinist, programmer, floor-sweeper or whatever else needs doing there. I live on a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere, with my parents, younger siblings and the Irish-speakingest chickens in the state of Indiana.
So, what’s your connection to the Irish language?
Umm... that I speak it, and wish I spoke it better? I've never really felt an ethnic affinity to Ireland itself – it turns out my father's people and some of my mother's were Irish, but I never knew that until after I'd started with the language anyway.
It's hard to learn a language without becoming culturally involved with it on some level though, and lately I've started taking more of an interest in Irish history than I ever thought I would. (I wish I could tell you that somebody mentioned the Wild Geese to me one day and I was instantly overcome with interest and curiosity – but the truth of it is, three or four people mentioned the Wild Geese and I gradually became ashamed of not knowing what they were on about. Truth be told, I didn't really start liking it until about four pages into the first book. Now I can't stop!)
Are you involved with other Irish language groups, apart from IrishGaelicTranslator.com?
I'm fairly involved in the Irish department at Notre Dame – particularly if by “involved” you mean “given to stopping by and bugging professors in their offices.” And if there's a seminar where the speaker (or anyone else in the room) might have Irish, I'm there! In fact, I've made myself a little nametag for these occasions that says “Labhair Gaeilge liom!” in the Gaelic script. At this point nobody from the department needs an invitation (in fact I'm actually forbidden to speak English to a couple of them!) but we often have people from the community come in to attend seminars and lectures. Few of them seem to notice (or perhaps recognize) the fáinne, but you wouldn't believe how many of them – older people especially – want to use at least the cúpla focal once they read my tag.
On the Internet, I'm active on a couple of other Irish-language forums (Daltaí, Beo) but not so much as I am here. In the real world, as I said I've been lucky enough to be at a university with an Irish language department, so that's where I get most of my speaking practice. There and in the chicken coop.
Apart from Irish, what other hobbies or interests do you have?
Dá mbuafainn an crannchur náisiúnta... no, wait, that's not right. Dá gcríochnóinn na diabhail tráchtais seo....
With grad school and all, I'm busy enough I shouldn't be let have hobbies at all (even Irish) right now! But to the extent I do have time, I enjoy origami, music (I play the alto flute) and (did I mention?) raising chickens. I do my share of cooking and gardening – the way I was raised those are subsistence skills, but I've heard there are folks who consider them hobbies. If I lived in Ireland (or anywhere else that wasn't dead flat) I imagine I'd be a pretty avid hillwalker; as it is I'm mostly a hedgerow walker.
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| July 11 2007, 17:27 PM |
Méabh
"Scríbhneoir d'Éigean"
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: Contae Uladh, Nua Eabhrac, S.A.M.
Posts: 23,701
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How were your experiences with the Irish Language program at Notre Dame University?
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Dá fheabhas é an t-ól is é an tart a dheireadh.
However good the drinking, thirst is how it ends. |
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| July 11 2007, 17:42 PM |
Tiorthan
"Laoch na nGael"
Joined: 27 May 2006
Location: An Ghearmáin
Posts: 705
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How did you come to learn Irish and how long is it since?
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Please correct any of my mistakes. Without mercy. |
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| July 11 2007, 18:31 PM |
ERIN GO BRAGH from the US
"Laoch na nGael"
Joined: 29 May 2006
Location: USA,Stát an Dealraimh Gréine
Posts: 647
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Do you know of any other universities with an Irish language program?
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My name sucks, therefore pay it no attention.
My Irish is beginners
DO NOT FORGET FADAS(á,é,í,ó,ú)
I prefer Standard & Connaught dialects |
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| July 11 2007, 18:31 PM |
Redwolf
"Ard-Banríon na Ráiméise"
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Poblacht California
Posts: 40,382
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I didn't know you played the flute! Do you do mostly classical stuff, or do you play Irish trad as well?
Redwolf
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Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste
Is fearr Gaeilge na scoile ná gan Gaeilge ar bith |
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| July 11 2007, 18:52 PM |
kgleoite
"Scéalaí Mór"
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Location: Ireland
Posts: 2,821
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| Céard ba mhaith leat a bheith ag déanamh i gceann deich mbliana? |
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| July 11 2007, 19:03 PM |
Teifeach
"Scéalaí Mór"
Joined: 09 Jul 2005
Posts: 2,097
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Have you Ever found Any thing Interesting in the Hedge rows?     
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| July 11 2007, 19:22 PM |
Riadach
"Craiceáilte"
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 5,012
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An bhfuil na laethanta 10 n-uaire níos faide in Indiana? Conas a thagann leat an oiread sin a dhéanamh? Ní náire ar bith orm anois go bhfuil do chuid ghaeilge ag sárú mo chodasa ag an tráth seo, tá intleacht as cuimse agat? Dhá dhochtúireacht, tá sé ag dul rite liom mo mháisteacht do chur i gcríoch.
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Níl leigheas ar ghrá ach pósadh |
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| July 11 2007, 19:58 PM |
Aibigéal
"Scríbhneoir d'Éigean"
Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Location: An Eilvéis
Posts: 20,461
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| Tiorthan wrote: |
| How did you come to learn Irish and how long is it since? |
It'll be three years come this September. I'd had an interest in the language from the time I first heard it sung, but I was fourteen years old, Latin was giving me fits, and I wasn't about to tackle another foreign language (especially not another foreign language nobody around me knew three words of.) Irish got pushed into the "someday-when-I-have-time" category, and stayed there for the next several years. Finally I realized if I didn't make time I'd never just spontaneously have time, and decided to start making time. That was in the fall of 2004 - so, almost three years ago.
| Méabh wrote: |
| How were your experiences with the Irish Language program at Notre Dame University? |
It's been great! I had a little bit of trouble getting into classes in the beginning, because they're always booked solid (the first two semesters, anyway - after that the ranks thin out a little bit.) Silly me, I didn't think to walk down to the Irish department and just ask them if they'd create an extra seat... instead, I waited for next semester - and then for the semester after that - and picked up what I could on my own in the meantime. The result was that when I finally did get into classes, I already had some of the basic grammar down, and could concentrate more on pronunciation. (Which is probably a good thing too, since speaking is still my weak point.)
The classes were terrific, but what really makes the difference (for me, anyway) is office hours. At first I was reluctant to bother anybody but my own teacher, or even to bother her if it wasn't actually a class-related question. (I confess to inventing more than one grammatical "difficulty" purely as an excuse to go try out my Irish.  ) But these people actually like to have students stop by and chatter away for a few minutes. If I don't overdo it, they'll even let me talk math! Truly dedicated to the language.
Oh, and I think I mentioned earlier that I'm "forbidden" to speak English to a couple of them. I just want to clarify that it's a friendly, congenial sort of forbidding. No rulers involved.
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Fáilte roimh cheartúcháin. / I'm still a learner!
 Nach í an chuid súl í! |
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| July 11 2007, 20:10 PM |
Aibigéal
"Scríbhneoir d'Éigean"
Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Location: An Eilvéis
Posts: 20,461
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| ERIN GO BRAGH from the US wrote: |
| Do you know of any other universities with an Irish language program? |
In the US? Harvard, Boston College, NYU, University of Massachusetts, University of St. Thomas (in Houston)... those are the ones I know people at, but I'm sure there are others too.
_________________
Fáilte roimh cheartúcháin. / I'm still a learner!
Nach í an chuid súl í! |
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