Blagaigí!

BilletesFuair mé r-phost le déanaí ó Oifigeach na Gaeilge in Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath. Tá siad ag déanamh urraíochta ar an gComórtas Blagadóireachta san Oireachtas arís i mbliana. Is dócha (agus cur i gceart mé má táim ar strae faoi seo) nach bhfuil comórtas blagála eile sa tír seo le duais chomh mór le bhuachan: €500.00 don bhuaiteoir! Cé tá ag tarraingt a bhfoclóir Uí Dhónaill amach ó chúl an chófra anois?! De réir na rialacha, áfach,

Ba cheart don scríbhneoireacht sa bhlag a bheith dúshlánach, spreagúil, corraitheach agus taitneamhach, agus insint agus stíl bhríomhar sholéite i nGaeilge nádúrtha a bheith i gceist. Maidir le hábhar, bheadh aon cheann de na seánraí seo a leanas inghlactha: prós; filíocht; dialann; gné-alt; tuairisceoireacht nuachta; tráchtaireacht spóirt/pholaitiúil/eacnamaíochta; léirmheastóireacht cheoil/drámaíochta/scannánaíochta; alt taighde nó eile (níl aon srian maidir le hábhar).

B’fhéidir go bhfuil níos mó béime sa chomórtas seo ar caighdeán, stíl agus cruinneas na scríobhnóireachta ná mar atá i gcomórtas eile blagadóireachta ach is mír den chomórtas liteartha den Oireachtas an comórtas seo. Ní aon íonadh an bhéim sin mar sin. Má tá tú ag smaoineamh ar iontráil a chur isteach ní leor tús a chur le blag i nGaeilge inniu (don bhliain seo ar aon nós!) Caithfidh do bhlag i nGaeilge a bheith beo agus tugtha suas chun dáta rialta go leor ó 30 Márta 2010 go 30 Meitheamh 2010. Is é an spriocdháta ar iontrálacha an chéad lá mí Iúil agus gheofar tuilleadh eolais i leith iontráil anseo.

Déanfar an blag a mheas maidir leis na critéir seo a leanas:

  • caighdeán na scríbhneoireachta tríd síos;
  • chomh húdarásach is atá an scríbhneoir agus é ag scríobh faoi pé ábhar atá roghnaithe aige/aici;
  • an méid a chuireann an blag leis an bpobal Gaeilge ar líne trí ábhar suimiúil a chur faoi bhráid a lucht léitheoireachta (idir thagairtí d’fhoinsí eile agus a c(h)uid scríbhneoireachta féin);
  • an tuiscint agus tiomantas a léiríonn an t-údar i leith úsáid na meán ar líne ar bhonn sóisialta agus na buntáistí atá anseo don Ghaeilge;
  • an méid idirphlé a chruthaíonn an blag agus an dóigh a spreagtar an t-idirphlé seo (mar shampla, spás do nótaí tráchta agus naisc le blaganna eile a bheith curtha ar fáil).

Feicim ó suíomh álainn nua an Oireachtais freisin go bhfuil comórtas nua acu freisin le cabhair ó Ionad an Léinn Cheiltigh i Má Nuad darbh ainm de Giob Geab do theachtaireacht téacs! Speisiúil!

Go n-éirí libh!
Is le Eric Caballeroan ghriangraf thuas (cc)

Flash Floods

My colleague tells me that there is flash flooding in South Dublin. You definitely heard it here first because I can’t find anything else about it online.
I know I haven’t posted in a while and you are not popping in now to hear me moan about the weather but it is depressing, really, really grim here at the moment.
However I found a blog (and you definitely didn’t hear this here first cos he has won a ton of awards) which really cheered me up. Good on ye Grandad.

I nuacht eile blagadóireachta, tá mo sheanchara an tImeall tosaithe ag podchraoladh i nGaeilge arís. Maith thú, Imeallóir!

And speaking of podcasts, if you have nippers and want to entertain them at night or if you are like Abs and find children’s stories extremely soporific, check out www.storynory.com. Garman was rapt listening to this on our last holiday and I have downloaded all the episodes in preparation for summer holiday no. 2. How very modrin of me!

Quelle surprise! Another letter given the cold shoulder by the Irish Times. I thought it was one of my better ones. Last year’s resolution to get a letter printed in the Irish Times didn’t come to fruition but I’m making a quick start this year. Here’s my first attempt:

A chara,

In his letter of December 28th Ferdie Mac an Fhailigh, Príómhfheidhmeannach of Foras na Gaeilge, refutes some comments made by your Irish Language Correspondent Pól Ó Muirí on December 20th. It is a sign of a healthy democracy when journalists can write without fear and when those written about can be assured of a fair hearing as well. Another sign of a healthy democracy is when the members of the public can ascertain exactly how their taxes are being spent and can use their vote to express their agreement or otherwise with this spending.

Ferdie Mac an Fhailigh, when refuting Ó Muirí’s statement about annual accounts not being published regularly, states that “[the] sponsor Departments … are in receipt of the relevant material to date from Foras na Gaeilge.” Mac an Fhailigh also goes on to say “that the relevant authorities have ratified all the other usual documents which regulate a body such as ours or we would not continue to have the full support of both the Irish and United Kingdom governments.” In a healthy democracy one of the “relevant authorities” is the public but in this case the public does not seem able to get access to “all the other usual documents”.

It is perhaps understandable that cross-border agencies experience particular difficulties achieving consensus on publications. While it is possible to obtain a copy of Foras na Gaeilge’s Corporate Plan 2005 – 2007 on their website as mentioned by Mac an Fhailigh it is not possible to get the North/ South Language Body Annual Report and Accounts for any later than 2000. Therefore it is not possible for the public to judge whether the millions of euro (“more than EUR8 million” for 2007 as Mac an Fhailigh states) should be considered a strangulation or an embrace.

Is mise,
Roseanne Smith

Coinnigh do mhisneach is right especially if you go on to read the response (sub required) that Ó Muirí got to his article in the Irish Times Waiting for detail of strategy on Irish:

“There must be an election coming; the Government is speaking about Irish. Many
people will greet the Government’s statement on the Irish language and its 13
(unlucky 13?) guiding principles with the usual mixture of weary cynicism and
dark optimism. Pól Ó Muirí struggles to raise a cheer for the Government’s
latest efforts on Irish”