Inktober 2019 prompt list - as Gaeilge!

I'm keen to learn Calligraphy. There is something beautiful about the flow of the lines, and I've been introduced recently to the exciting possibilities opened up by introducing bleach to ink. 

Official Inktober Logo

I'm hoping to combine this with a little bit of Irish language learning that has, alas, fallen by the wayside of late.

To do this, I'm going to participate in Inktober. The idea is to create a design in ink and to share it. There are 31 prompts, one for each day of October. They have been translated into different languages.

If you'd like to join me, a friend of my cousin has been kind enough to translate the official Inktober 2019 prompts into Irish. They are as follows:

1. Ring Fáinne (a ring) / glaoch (to ring/to call)     17. Ornament Ornáid

2. Mindless Neamhaireach / Faillíoch                    18. Misfit Aonarán / Duine corr

3. Bait Baoite                                                            19. Sling Guailleán  

4. Freeze Reo                                                            20. Tread Satailt   
                                                                                    (satailt bróg –  the tread of shoes)

5. Build Tóg                                                        
(teach a thógáil – to build a house)                           21. Treasure Taisce

6. Husky Huscaí (dog) / Piachánach (of voice)      22. Ghost Taibhse

7. Enchanted Siabhartha                                          23. Ancient Ársa

8. Frail Lag / Leochaileach                                      24. Dizzy                                                                                                        Meadhránach

9. Swing Luascán (a swing)/ Luascadh (to swing)  25. Tasty Blasta  

10. Pattern Patrún                                                      26. Dark Dorcha

11. Snow Sneachta                                                     27. Coat Cóta

12. Dragon Dragún                                                    28. Ride  Síob (lift) 
                                                                                    / Marcaíocht (horse/fairground)

13. Ash Fuinseog (tree) / Luaith (ash/dust)               29. Injured Gonta 

14. Overgrown Mothrach                                       30. Catch Beir ar... 
                                                                                       (beir ar an liathróid –                                                                                        catch the ball)

15. Legend Finscéal                                                     31. Ripe Áibí

16. Wild Fiáin

@Inktober   #inktober   #inktober2019   #Gaelige #CúplaFocal

Silent Sunday / Dé Domhnaigh Ciúin

Na Blascaodaí

Translations - Brien Friel 2014

The naming of things, the definition of boundaries, can be so soothing - to know where you are. Like this most beguiling of plays, that starts off so soft and quiet. you would not notice someone calling you a different name, why bother when Roland sounds so similar to Owen. Or Eoin. How important is it, really?

"It's an eviction of sorts"
 Translations is one of the most disturbing pieces I have seen for years. The story involves the redistribution of boundaries. The old Irish place names don't really match up with each other and and are beholden to old and forgotten stories. It's best we move on, with clearer and crisper boundaries. Right?

But with the new names the new boundaries are drawn up for... whose benefit? When a boundary is defined for the national purpose, there are usually for the nebulous "greater good". It never seems to reach the local people, whatever it is. This seems a gentle piece at first, until a seemingly random piece of violence (never confirmed) propels the second half into something deeper, darker.

I won't give you a spoiler if you have not seen the piece. But if you are dual nationality/ Dual language/ dual identity you may find yourself troubled by this. Or reassured by it's recognition of the forces that could tug at someone. As I am I can see the need for modernity. for shaping and measuring names. How can we talk except with a common and agreed language. As a second generation Irish,  British citizen I can see the damage done by the legacy of twisted history. But on the other hand, I am also aware of the damage wrought by ignorance designed to "protect" future generations. Who is it that  decides, imposes, new names? And what history, whose stories, do you erase for the arbitrary ease of your children?


The ambiguity of the piece was not softened with the violence, implied and otherwise of the final act. When someone else defines your world, why be surprised when they take it over?Language, words shape our worlds. If you do not tell your story, someone else will tell it for you. And always there is the shadow of the potato blight hanging over any potential future of the piece. It is set in 1833, years before the blight of 1845. The sweet smell never felt so ominous, especially for thopse who are aware pf what happened next

I was hoping to give you a proper or otherwise review of a play. I am too disturbed for that. This play provokes questions, and for you. I have no answers. Maybe that is the point.

Translations runs until the 03 May at the Rose Theatre, Kingston upon Thames. I would recommend that you see this rare treat.  Details here: http://www.rosetheatrekingston.org/rose-productions/translations

Headstone unveiled - Louis Brennan

Today, I attended a service of thanksgiving and remembrance for the life of Louis Brennan, which included the unveiling and blessing of his headstone.

Image credit: SM Jenkin

The headstone was arranged by the Louis Brennan memorial committee, and is the result of two years of determined fundraising and coordination from the group. Thank you all very much for your hard work, and for ensuring that Louis Brennan is remembered and honoured this way. Until now, Louis had been interred in an unmarked grave, in plot 2454 St Mary's Cemetary, Harrow.

I'm pleased that Louis is getting the recognition that he deserves, after having being forgotten for so long. This is part of the work we are trying to do with the Medway St Patrick's Day Parade, to celebrate the positive contributions that the Irish communities have made over the years. 

The ceremony was well attended, with many important people from the UK, Ireland and Australia. There was a tribute from An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, TD. Present also were Karen and Gene Bobrow. Karen is a distant cousin of Louis Brennan, and she had traveled over from America. Karen is doing a lot of research into her family, especially her father who had emigrated from New Jersey to the USSR in the 1930s. It's a fascinating story, and she hasn't finished unraveling it yet! I would recommend that you visit her blog Do Svidanya Dad

As Louis is a Maigh Eo (Mayo) man, please do visit their library web page for more information about his life here

One week to go - St Patrick's Day here we come!

Well, exactly one week to go today. Next Sunday our parade will be striding out from Smiths' square in Gillingham high street.

Image Credit: Kevin Rosseel

 I'm putting the final touches to our parade line-up. The leaflets are being distributed. After a year of planning, it is finally happening. I'm so excited - hope you are too

Please join us - details are available on Visit Medway

So, the countdown starts. St Patrick's Day here we come!

Well, the last planning meeting of our parade group has just ended. It's taken us a long time to get here, but now we have almost no more time!

Image credit: Lily Lawlor Mottram

Medway's first St Patrick's day parade will stride out on Sunday, 16th March at midday. Our parade will will leave Smith's square in Gillingham and walk in a circle around the high street. After the parade, we will have a cultural showcase at the St Mary's social club in Belmont Road.

For more information, visit the website: Medway St Patrick Parade
Event listing on VisitMedway
Or find us on Facebook and Twitter

If you missed the interview on Fizzer's radio show, you can listen again here. Our interview starts at around 29 minutes in. Enjoy!

Forgotten Irish, forgotten stories

I recently attended the launch of Maria McCarthy's latest book, a collection of stories called As Long as it Takes. The stories are told from the perspective of the lost generation of Irish women who sailed to England in the middle of the 20th century to find work. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but Maria's work is usually of an excellent standard and while Maria can write beautifully she doesn't pull her punches.

My family don't speak much of their time in England when they first came over. There is a lot that they won't say, don't want to rake up the past. I feel so ignorant, and that ignorance shames me. There is a whole generation of stories and experiences that have been missed, and will be lost forever if they are not recorded.

Image credit: Chelle

Take my mother, for example, she emigrated to England in the 1950s and then trained as a nurse. In the 1960s she worked in Northern Rhodesia as it was called then, just after independence. She was part of a wave of nurses called "The Sunshine Girls" who went out. But I have not been able to find much in the way of information or stories, or any recording of the experiences of other Sunshine girls. Do you know of anyone who was a sunshine girl? (I think I feel a project coming on)

The one mention I've found online about Sunshine girls is on the Great North Road messageboard
The Forgotten Irish Campaign details are online here

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Image source: http://www.morguefile.com

Drumroll, please! Leading our parade...

The Pentacle Drummers in action

 Excellent news!  We have secured the services of the wonderful Pentacle Drummers. They will lead our St Patrick's day parade, leaving from Smiths Square in Gillingham high street on Sunday, 16th March at 12 noon.

Will you join in our parade?
Come and enjoy the feel-good factor as Medway celebrates its first St Patrick's Day Parade! There will be music, dancing, hurlers, leaping leprechauns and more...

When the parade finishes, we will be addressed by the Mayor, Councillor Josie Iles. And after the speech, there will be a showcase of Irish culture at the St Marys social club, Belmont Road, Gillingham. Entry to the showcase will be by ticket only, tickets to be purchased direct from the club.

For more information about the parade see http://www.stpatricksdaymedway.org.uk/
Twitter birds follow us @paradeagogo
Or find us lurking on facebook

Why the parade? (St Patrick's day parade)

So we are coming up to 4 weeks before the St Patrick's parade in Medway, and I have started to think more closely about why I am doing this. What exactly, do I hope to achieve? A part of this is finding and celebrating an Irish identity beyond the stereotype. There are smart Irish people (Louis Brennan), no we are not all drunks, there is a beautiful and ancient language and a culture to celebrate too. 

Image credit: J Durham
(From http://www.morguefile.com/)

It has dominated my life outside of work for the last year, and I have lost count of the other activities that have by necessity had to be dropped or let slide. For next month or so, there will be nothing else.

Don't get me wrong, this has been an excellent opportunity to learn, to grow and to develop. The friends I have made along the way, the way that my relationships with my friends has shifted and changed has all been a part of it. When the parade happens, it will be an additional pleasure, and a tactile demonstration of the goodwill and raised awareness we are hoping to achieve. Both for the Irish community in Medway and for the St Mary's social club.

So what is it that we want to do? Firstly, to raise awareness about the Irish community in Medway. There has been no definitive history written about them, but they have been active in working in the area notably in construction and at the hospital. There are about 1% Irish born in the local area, but estimates for those of Irish descent leap up to 10%. Quite a big demographic, don't you think? The St Mary's social club was formed back in 1973, but still many people don't know about it. Part of what we are doing is to raise awareness about forgotten Irish people of note, including the genius Louis Brennan. My personal interest in him goes beyond his Irish identity, as he is from the same county my family are from.

The second of course is to have a good time! Of all the festivals and parades I've attended, the one that many people seem to enjoy the most is the St Patrick's day parade. It's an inclusive and friendly occasion. Unfortunately, in recent years there are a number of places where the connection to some breweries has taken over the event. I like a pint as much as the next person, but why is it that the likes of Guinness (and other breweries and companies) have been able to colonise the day? Is is because of their sponsorship, or because it ties into ideas about what it means, what other people think it means, to be Irish? How much has the stereotype of the drunken Irish played into that?

And while we're asking questions, I ask myself these while I am inviting groups to take part in our parade. By including some groups and not others, what does it say about being Irish in Medway and the Irish identity? What does it mean to be Irish, second generation Irish in England? Am I celebrating an Irish identity, or creating it? Does it have to be a choice, can't identity be shaped and change over time as well?

Final Mindful Writing 31 - Grandparents

In their wedding best

they stand for the photo,

before the brown brickwork

of some wall. They are quite

dwarfed by the photo frame,

pear, peach, apple

pomegranate twined and full.

I close my eyes like my grandfather

in photographs; beneath the

dust I see my grandmother's eyes

shut, too.

My grandparents
Image credit: SM Jenkin

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This is the final part of the small stones writing challenge

The art of paying attention

Mindful Writing 26 - Boxty

In the warm kitchen, below the incomplete 

bottle of red wine from last week 

(on the side), I watch my hands grating potato

onto the pine effect chopping board;

soft white slivers falling randomly onto

blue and white teacloth, crisp and fresh

from the laundry;

Boxty that my mother will

not eat

Picture Credit: Jer_Jones

______________________________
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This is part of the small stones writing challenge
The art of paying attention
Image source: http://www.morguefile.com/

The Bear - is sleeping?

The Bear is often associated in stories with King Arthur. The recent solstice is associated by modern pagans with King Arthur and his rebirth, along with the sun. I can understand why, the return of both is associated with hope and brighter evenings.

But for the moment, the nights are still long. And the bear, though s/he doesn't hibernate, very sensibly finds somewhere to rest...

Tá an béar ina chodladh.

Image: Getty Images

"The bear is in his sleeping" as opposed to "the bear is sleeping". The more I think about it, the stranger the English language seems to me. Is the bear the concept of sleep? I don't know. Then the feeling passes, and I have a little lie down. 

It seems more sensible to me that the Bear is in a sleep, the sleep that will pass and the Bear will still be there. But then, what do I know....? Is it all splitting hairs? But the idea of keeping your energy conserved until the light returns strikes me as a sensible one. You need your energy until the light returns, so lay off any ideas about changing your diet until then.....!

Do you want to know how to say it in Irish? Try here for one way... http://talkirish.com/blogs/wordaday/archive/2013/12/20/irish-word-a-day-b-233-ar-bear.aspx


For an alternative way of speaking try saying chodladh ("sleeping") with a western / Connacht twist try here http://www.forvo.com/word/ina_chodladh/#ga

RIP Seamus Heaney

But I've no spade to follow men like them.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.

"Digging" by Seamus Heaney. Hear (and see!) Seamus read it on youtube here

Seamus Heaney passed away. A sad loss to his family and to the people who admired his work.

I count myself as one of them - I've reading started to read his work, not expecting to find much to interest me. It surprised me, how the beauty of the poems touched me. That someone finds Ireland, the bogs of Ireland beautiful still feels like a strange thing. Why is this, I wonder?

Heaney's work is heavily rooted in the soil, especially his poems about the people found in the bog (Bog Queen springs to mind). But it wasn't just that, his poems examine his connection to, his love for his family. There's almost a guilt about not following in his fathers footsteps, but surely that's what we as human beings must do. Find our own way to own our traditions, sometimes that means stepping away from what our parents made us. Times change, and our lives need to change with them. but that doesn't mean we don't love our roots - does it?

And in honour of the man, please enjoy this reading of "the rain stick"
 

Botanic gardens

Baile an Fheirtéaraigh Iúil 2013

Welcome to the gaeltacht!
Image credit: SM Jenkin

So, I visited the Irish speaking area in Dingle last month. I attended the one week (post beginners) course run by Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne. It was a most interesting experience overall, as it dealt with more than the words, they were placed in context. Their audience is clearly international, so there was a series of cultural events. A céilí, a quiz, a baking class in Irish at the excellent museum, other visits too including one to the Blasket islands.

However, the teaching. The teacher was lovely, approachable, personable but ... there was more evidence of teaching than of learning. I appreciate that teaching a class of post beginners must be awkward, but the purpose of learning is to practise rather than to listen. It took several days before this was addressed and for me this tarnished the experience. Eventually we were able to practise some dialogue with the other students in the class, but it was a hard slog getting there and then it was time to leave.

This isn't the first time I have experienced this style of teaching either - do you think this may be contributing to the overall malaise about language learning? It's hard enough for adults to put aside the time (and money) to learn. What other barriers do you think contribute? After all, isn't it easier to listen to a CD and practice by yourself?

However, despite the problems I've mentioned I would recommended, as the course overall covered far more than the language, it was all about the context. And the sun shone on us all, so it wasn't all bad....

Ar an Luan - On the Monday

Today is Monday, so a little about how to say Monday in Irish

Ar an Luan - on the Monday

Dé Luan - the day of Monday


Oíche dé Luain / Oíche Luain - the night of Monday

Dé Luain comes from the Latin "luna" for Moon. So Dé Luain means  Moon Day

Seasonally effected - 24 April

Dublin or Baile Atha Cliath?

I'm really quite excited, the podcast from this month's seasonally effected is already available to hear. Do you want to listen? There's an eclectic mix of poetry, history, sound experiments, animation and surreal fantasy. You can download it here

My piece explored the history around the 24th April, 1916. It's an important date in history for me, and for many Irish people as that is the date that Pádraig Pearse read out the declaration of the Irish republic on the steps of the General Post office in Dublin.The Easter rising ended 6 days later on 29th April 1916 - Pádraig Pearse had given the order to surrender.The aftermath was as bloody as the fighting.

I read out a couple of poems I had written about the Irish women who were present, the women who seem to have dropped off the face of the earth as far as a lot of historians are concerned (if you hear about anyone it's usually Constance Markievicz, the first women ever to be elected as a British M.P.) So just to spite them I wrote a poem. That'll show them!

So, the next Seasonally effected will be on 29th May 630pm-9pm. Will you be there?

Should I go back? Back where?

Where's my pot of gold, then?

I haven't been back home back to Ireland since 1998. And here the difficulty begins. How long ago was it, really? I count back through the weddings I didn't attend. Was it really 1998, or am I remembering someone else's trip? It was my first (and only so far) visit to Galway, and I loved it. The more I think about it, the nice the place gets and was there really music around every street corner, or am I adding that retrospectively?

Do I call Ireland home, now? I used to, when I went back with my family. When are you going home to visit, my cousins asked? My mum easily said it, but I can't. Quite. Even thinking about how long it's been is strange, like a reconstruction. Am I remembering things that really happened or reimagining it? Is it all becoming a Robert Flaherty documentary in my head? I haven't quite got to remebering the time I went fishing for basking sharks, but give it time...

When I go back of course, things will be different. Buildings, families, even the road signs.

Ireland becomes Éire
Dublin becomes Baile Átha Cliath
County Galway becomes Contae na Gaillimhe

It will be a different country altogether. Or will it be me?

St Patrick day parade - first meeting

So, it's our first planning meeting for the proposed parade tomorrow. We'll be meeting up at the St. Mary's social club from 7pm.

There are a lot of ideas, and a lot of people interested but it's a question of 1) where we will be allowed to go - will it be accessible to everyone? 2) How many people will be prepared to help with the boring admin work? and 3) Who will turn up?

I'm massively excited though.... the first of its kind in Medway...

Tá sásta orm - Manchester Turf

Turf, fresh from the Manchester fields ;-)
Image credit: SM Jenkin

Tá sásta orm - I am happy (The happiness is on me if you want to be more literal about it)

I managed to get away to Manchester for their St Patrick's day parade last weekend. Their celebration was out of this world; a full two weeks of music, literature and culture culminating in a parade that stopped traffic in Manchester city central.

Many of the people up in Manchester originated in the wild west of Éire, county Maigh eo (Mayo to all you Sasanach out there!) are you enjoying the view of the lovely turf to the right there? Someone was selling it as incense at Albert square... there were many tractors on display that day

It got me thinking, how happy I was to be there. Proud about my Irish heritage yes, but also proud of my English heritage that could celebrate the Irish language and culture with us. I love how the happiness is "on" me, rather than me being the emotion. It's a recognition that the feeling won't be me, won't last forever. And on that thought..... slán!

St Patricks day - parade

So, it looks like the St Mary's social club might be interested in our parade idea...

Image credit: slezer44 (morguefile.com)

There's a hidden story to the Irish in Medway. When I say hidden, I mean untold. So we're going to start celebrating it, big time, starting from next year.

Wanna be in our parade?