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The Gaelic Placenames of Belfast

by Aodán Mac Póilin and Róise Ní Bhaoill

This brochure explores the Gaelic origins of  Belfast placenames. Some are mythological - the old name for Belfast Lough was Loch Lao ' the lough of the calf', a reference to a bovine deity. Others recall the tribes that lived in the area - Taughmonagh is Tuath Monach 'the tribe of Monaigh', a Cruthin people originally from Leinster.  Many describe features which have been lost, e.g. Belfast is Béal Feirste,  'the approach to the sand-bank ford', a ford which once crossed the River Lagan.

The brochure is free of charge. Printed versions are available from the Visitor Centre at Belfast City Hall, the Belfast Welcome Centre and the Ultach Trust.

To download the PDF version, please click on the image on the left. 		 

Bás in Éirinn / May you Die in Ireland

In eagar ag / edited by  Aodán Mac Póilin agus Róise Ní Bhaoill

The seven stories in this collection are by leading authors of the short story form in modern Irish Literature. They include key writers such as Liam Ó Flaithearta (better known as Liam O’Flaherty), Pádraic Ó Conaire, Séamus Ó Grianna, Seosamh Mac Grianna and Daithí Ó Muirí. The stories are accompanied by parallel English translations which will help readers practice and improve their reading skills in Irish without having to constantly refer to a dictionary. The glossary at the end of the book will help with any non-standard Irish words or usages. This bilingual reader is ideal for students of Irish as well as lovers of literature who wish to broaden their appreciation of the work of modern Irish language writers. The authors’ treatment of death, the theme of this collection, runs the gamut of emotions, sometimes bleak, sometimes matter-of-fact, and sometimes surprisingly comic.

Tá seacht scéal sa bhailiúchán seo ó chuid de na gearrscéalaithe Gaeilge is mó clú i litríocht na Nua-Ghaeilge; Liam Ó Flaithearta, Pádraic Ó Conaire, Séamus Ó Grianna, Seosamh Mac Grianna agus Daithí Ó Muirí.Cuideoidh an téacs comhthreomhar Béarla leis an léitheoir cleachtadh agus forbairt a dhéanamh ar a chuid scileanna sa teanga gan a bheith ag síorthagairt don fhoclóir. Beidh an ghluais ag deireadh an leabhair ina chuidiú maidir le húsáid na teanga nó le leaganacha neamhchaighdeánacha focal. Fóirfidh an bailiúchán seo don fhoghlaimeoir, agus don té ar suim leis an litríocht agus ar mhaith leis cur lena thuiscint ar shaothar scríbhneoirí na Nua-Ghaeilge. Agus iad ag tabhairt faoin bhás – téama an bhailiúcháin – siúlann na húdair raon leathan mothúchán, ón duairceas go dtí an fhuarchúis go dtí an greann féin.

  
Praghas/Price: GBP 10 

Available from amazon.co.uk and www.litriocht.com



  

Taisce Focal: Scéaltaí Beaga do Dhaoine Móra

 

le Róise Ní Bhaoill agus Gordon McCoy

ISBN 978-0-9555081-0-3

 

Seo rogha scéaltaí a scríobhadh don iris idirlín BEO! le cúpla bliain anuas. Tá said bunaithe ar shaol an lae inniu agus tugann siad léargas maith don fhoghlaimeoir ar leaganacha cainte agus struchtúir dhúchasacha. Tá an stíl breá nádúrtha agus furasta teacht i dtír uirthi agus tá ceathrar as Rann na Feirste á léamh ar dhá dhlúthdhiosca. Beidh ráchairt mhór ar an leabhar agus na dlúthdhioscaí ag daoine atá ag iarraidh Gaeilge Thír Chonaill a shealbhú.

Taisce Focal is aimed at adults who already speak the language but who wish to improve their grasp of Irish idiom. The stories in this book provide a range of modern scenarios, from the first day at a new job  to the college party. They focus on dialogue, using the natural everyday idiom and speech patterns of the native speaker. They are written in a natural, accessible style and each story has a comprehensive glossary to explain unfamiliar terms and words. The book also includes two free CDs on which four native speakers from Ranafast in the Donegal Gaeltacht read the stories. This package successfully bridges the gap between the written and the spoken word.

Supplementary notes and a full translation of the Irish of Taisce Focal are to be found on the Learners section of this website.

Praghas/Price: GBP 10.00

Available from amazon.co.uk and www.litriocht.com

Amra Cholum Chille: Dallán's Elegy for Columba

 Edited and Translated by PL Henry                                                          

Paintings by Brian Ferran                                                                      

Colmcille in conjunction with ULTACH and the Gaelic Arts Agency

 

The elegy for St Colmcille (St Columba) was composed by Dallán Forgaill shortly after the saint’s death. It is the oldest dateable poem in the Irish language and was written in an archaic Old Irish which is very difficult to translate. The poem is illustrated by a series of paintings by Brian Ferran.

St Colmcille is a powerful symbol of the shared Gaelic heritage of Ireland and Scotland. He was born in 521 into the aristocratic Uí Néill (O’Neill) family of Donegal and died in 597 on the island of  Iona, off the Scottish coast. Among his many achievements were the introduction of Christianity to Scotland and the mutual toleration of Christianity and traditional Gaelic culture.

Praghas/Price: Hardback GBP 20  Softback GBP 12

 

Ulster Gaelic Voices / Bailiúchán Doegen                                                                                                                                                                   Ulster Gaelic Voices presents a unique record of 1930s native speakers from the lost Gaeltachts of Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Derry, Louth and Tyrone, as well as recordings of renowned storytellers from the Donegal Gaeltacht. The recordings provide a fascinating insight into the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of another day - its folklore, myth, legend and song. Each recording is accompanied by a transcription, an English translation and a brief introduction.

Is beag rud atá chomh híogair le guth duine; iompraíonn sé ceol, scéalta agus mianta na ndaoine. Bheir na guthanna sa bhailiúchán tábhachtach seo léargas dúinn ar bhlas agus chiútaí cainte na Gaeilge fud fad Chúige Uladh. Beidh siad ina ndíol spéise go háirithe acu siúd ar suim leo canúintí oirthear Uladh. Tá léargas luachmhar ann ní amháin ar shaibhreas teanga ach ar chomharthaí sóirt mheath teanga chomh maith. Tá réimse leathan ábhair ann ón traidisiúin béil a bhéas ina acmhainn luachmhar ag scoláirí teanga agus béaloidis.

Ulster Gaelic Voices, Bailiúchán Doegen 1931, Róise Ní Bhaoill, ISBN 978-0-9555081-1-0, 366pp, Praghas/Price GBP 22

Ulster Gaelic Voices is now available on amazon.co.uk and litríocht.com
Now available from An Ceathrú Póilí, An Chultúrlann (the Irish language bookshop in the Cultúrlann, Falls Road, Belfast) and The Bookshop at Queen's, University Road, Belfast.

 

Aithne na nGael/ Gaelic Identities

(eds) Gordon McCoy with Maolcholaim Scott (2000)

Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies and ULTACH, 161pp,   ISBN 0 85389 766 2  Praghas/Price: GBP 9.50

 

 
Scottish and Irish Gaelic share the same roots yet have been separated for a long time. The aim of this inspiring book is to contribute towards renewing this link. The work provides insights into the Gaelic worlds of Ireland, Scotland, and Man. Both experts and the general public will find the study interesting. Gaelic Identities is a timely and accessible study which provides an insight into the different linguistic communities from antiquity to the contemporary period. Language activists, journalists, historians, and experts on religion, law, and the arts explore the history of the languages and efforts to revive them in the last century. There is a particular focus on Scotland in the new era of devolution, which will become a point of comparison for Gaelic speakers in Ireland and Scotland.
 

Presbyterians and the Irish Language

Roger Blaney (1996)

Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation in association with ULTACH Trust, 246pp, Praghas/Price: GBP 9.99

Available from www.booksireland.org.uk
This book traces the Presbyterian Irish-speaking tradition from its early roots in Gaelic Scotland through the Plantation and Williamite War periods to its successive revivals in the late decades of each of the 18th, 19th, and most recently 20th centuries. It includes detailed biographies of influential Irish-speaking Presbyterians, clerical and lay, whose love of the language helped ensure its survival.


Tonn Rúraí: Legends of Dundrum Bay

 Aodán Mac Póilin (2001) 

 Belfast: Ultach Trust, 24pp  Praghas/Price: GBP 3.00

This book consists of English language translations of some of the ancient tales of Dundrum Bay. The examples are all from the heroic saga literature, and were written down between the 7th and 15th centuries, although their origins go back to pre-Christian times. 


The Irish Language and the Unionist Tradition

ed. Pilib Mistéil (1994)

Belfast: Ulster People's College/ ULTACH Trust, 44pp Praghas/Price:  GBP 1.50

 

 
This pamphlet contains the text of the lectures presented at the third seminar on the Irish language organised by the Ulster People's College, Belfast, entitled The Irish Language and the Unionist Tradition. The transcriptions include a lecture by Dr. Christopher D. McGimpsey, then honorary secretary of the Ulster Unionist Party. There is also a contribution by William Smith, a voluntary worker with the Woodvale Resource Centre and an active trade union member. Canon Coslett Quinn also gives his perspective on the language. He had translated the New Testament into Irish and also produced Irish language versions of the Church's prayer book and hymns. There is also a lecture by Breandán Ó Buachalla, who published I mBéal Feirste Cois Cuain (1969), a definitive study of the cultural life of Belfast in the nineteenth century.

How to Broadcast the Irish Language in Northern Ireland: Irish language broadcasting and the Belfast Agreement

Don Anderson (1999)

Belfast: ULTACH Trust, 25 pp, ISBN 0-9516466-5-6 Praghas/Price: GBP 1.50

 

 

This report examines the implications of the commitments given in the Belfast Agreement of 1998. It summarises present provision for Celtic language broadcasting in the UK, outlines the options, and suggests a framework which could deliver the promises of the Agreement effectively. The report makes a compelling case for the establishment of an Irish Language Broadcasting Fund for Northern Ireland.

Conas an Ghaeilge a Chraoladh i dTuaisceart Éireann: Craolachán agus Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste

Don Anderson (1999)                                                                                  

Béal Feirste: Iontaobhas ULTACH, 25 lch, ISBN 0-9516466-5-6, 

Praghas/Price: GBP 1.50

 

Irish language version of the above.

Irish-medium television in Northern Ireland

Aodán Mac Póilin (1997)

Belfast: ULTACH Trust, 34 pp, ISBN 0-9516466-2-1, Praghas/Price: GBP 1.50

 

 
This bilingual pamphlet makes the case for a modest investment in a training and production package for Teilifís na Gaeilge - the Irish-language channel set up in the Republic of Ireland in 1996 - which would give the Irish language community in Northern Ireland a more comprehensive service than that for Gaelic speakers in Scotland for a fraction of the cost of the Gaelic service. It argues that Teilfís na Gaeilge provides the UK government with a major opportunity to show its commitment to cultural diversity within Northern Ireland, enhance cross-border cooperation and provide new employment opportunities.

TG4 Ó Thuaidh: Extending TG4 in Northern Ireland–Clearing the Copyright Hurdles.

Don Anderson (2003)                                                                                 

Belfast: ULTACH Trust, 44pp, Praghas/Price: GBP  1.50

 
TG4, the Irish language television station, was not widely available in Northern Ireland, particularly in the Greater Belfast area, for many years. The process of extending the signal ran into one major snag, copyright. This report, written by an expert for non-expert readers, examines the complexities and outlines, in plain, non-technical language a number of ways in which the difficulties could be resolved. The work is presented in a bilingual format.


Oidhreacht Oirghiall, a bibliography of Irish literature and philology relating to the south-east Ulster-north Leinster region: printed sources

Peter Smith (1997)

 Belfast: Iontaobhas ULTACH, 132 pp, ISBN 0-9516466-1-3, Praghas/Price: GBP 6.00
Peter Smith has drawn from a wide variety of sources to compile this bibliography, which focuses on the historic Oriel, but also draws on material from surrounding counties. The vast body of printed material identified in this book relates mainly to the early modern and modern period, from the sixteenth century to the present day. It is an essential resource for the study of Gaelic civilization in the south-east Ulster-north Leinster region.

Available on Amazon.co.uk


Protastúnaigh an Lae Inniu agus An Ghaeilge/Contemporary Protestant Learners of Irish.                                                                 

Gordon McCoy and Róise Ní Bhaoill.

Belfast: Iontaobhas ULTACH,   48 pp. Praghas/Price: GBP 3.00 

This publication presents a range of the experiences of Protestant learners of Irish in Northern Ireland. Case studies of individuals and groups are used to explore various themes, including learning strategies and religious and political identities. It is demonstrated that class background and home district are powerful influences on how Protestants perceive and learn Irish. The work is published in bilingual form, so will be of benefit to learners of Irish, especially at an intermediate or advanced stage.  

 ÁISEANNA TEANGA I nGAEILGE CHÚIGE ULADH

LANGUAGE RESOURCES IN ULSTER IRISH


Abair Leat! Leibhéal 1, Cuid 1

Siuán Ní Mhaonaigh, Éamonn Ó Dónaill (1999)

Béal Feirste: Iontaobhas ULTACH, 166 lch., Praghas/Price: GBP 15.00

 

Is cúrsa ranga é seo do mhúinteoirí ar mian leo Gaeilge a theagasc do dhaoine fásta. Tá se dírithe ar ar fhoghlaimeoirí a bhfuil an méid atá sa chéad leabhar (féach thuas) déanta acu.

I measc na nithe atá sa chúrsa seo tá: ábhar do chúrsa deich seachtainí; pleananna do gach rang sa chúrsa; míniú simplí ar chuid de na pointí is lárnaí gramadaí; splanc-chardaí agus ábhair is féidir a fhótachóipeáil; dlúthdhiosca ar a bhfuil na frásaí is tábhachtaí sa chúrsa agus gníomhaíochtaí éisteachta don seomra ranga.

Abair Leat! is a course book for teachers of Irish, it provides the materials necessary to teach a ten-week course, including roleplay, class plans; flash cards; and a CD.

Abair Leat! Leibhéal 1, Cuid 2

Siuán Ní Mhaonaigh, Éamonn Ó Dónaill  (1999)

Béal Feirste: Iontaobhas ULTACH, 166 lch. Praghas/Price: GBP 15.00

 

 

Is cúrsa ranga é seo do mhúinteoirí ar mian leo Gaeilge a theagasc do ghlantosaitheoirí. Tá sé fóirsteanach do mhúinteoirí atá ar bheagán taithí chomh maith leo siúd a bhfuil roinnt mhaith taithí acu. Tugtar tús áite do Chanúint Uladh ach is féidir leis an té a dteastaíonn uaidh canúint eile a mhúineadh úsáid a bhaint as na pleananna ceachta agus as na pictiúirí atá le fáil i ngach aonad.

I measc na nithe atá sa chúrsa seo tá: ábhar do chúrsa deich seachtainí; pleananna do gach rang sa chúrsa; míniú simplí ar chuid de na pointí is lárnaí gramadaí; splanc-chardaí agus ábhair is féidir a fhótachóipeáil; caiséad ar a bhfuil na frásaí is tábhachtaí sa chúrsa agus gníomhaíochtaí éisteachta don seomra ranga.

Abair Leat! is a course book for teachers of Irish, it provides the materials necessary to teach a ten-week course, including role play, class plans; flash cards; and an audio-tape.








Enjoy Irish: A Course for Beginners

Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair (2009)

An enjoyable foundation course for the beginner, offering structured lessons and clear grammatical explanations. Role-plays along with humorous illustrations make it easier for the beginner, while the accompanying CD provides the learner with an opportunity to listen to native speakers.


Praghas/Price: Euro 15.00   ISBN 978-0956319517

Available from the Oideas Gael shop (www.oideas-gael.com/siopa/). 

 

Tús Maith: Cúrsa Féinteagaisc Gaeilge D'Aosaigh/ A Self-Instructional Course in Irish for Adults

Risteard Mac Gabhann (2002)

Ar fáil ó / Available from Ogmios, 10 Bóthar Dhún an Chreagáin, Doire BT48 OAD (e-mail: ogmios@talktalk.net)

or www.litriocht.com. Praghas/Price: GBP 20

This course includes a course book and CDs of recorded support material. The course book contains the text of twenty lessons with convenient and clearly presented explanatory notes, beginning with a useful introduction to the Irish sound and spelling system. Each lesson is presented in units of study and includes practice and test materials covering the most common structures in Irish based on a carefully selected vocabulary.

Tús Maith: Cúrsa Féinteagaisc Gaeilge D'Aosaigh Cuid a Dó / A Self-Instructional Course in Irish for Adults Part Two

by Risteard Mac Gabhann (2004)           

 

                                                             

 

Ar fáil ó/Available from  Ogmios, 10 Bóthar Dhún an Chreagáin, Doire BT48 OAD.  (e-mail: ogmios@talktalk.net)

Praghas/Price:GBP 20

Second part of the course, including 20 more lessons.

Tús Maith: Cúrsa Féinteagaisc Gaeilge D'Aosaigh Cuid a Trí / A Self-Instructional Course in Irish for Adults Part Three 

by Risteard Mac Gabhann (2008)

  

Ar fáil ó / Available from  Ogmios, 10 Bóthar Dhún an Chreagáin, Doire BT48 OAD. (e-mail: ogmios@talktalk.net)

Praghas/Price: GBP 20

Third part of the course, including 20 more lessons.

Speaking Irish / An Ghaeilge Bheo
 Take your language skills beyond basics
by Siuán Ní Mhaonaigh & Antain Mac Lochlainn


 
Speaking Irish is a unique opportunity to improve listening and conversational skills. Filmed in location throughout Ireland, The DVD features authentic, unrehearsed interviews with more than twenty Irish speakers, representing all three regional dialects. The companion book provides a transcript and English translation of all the interviews, plus extensive exercises and notes on vocabulary, grammar and regional variations.

Praghas/Price Euro 29.99 GBP 19.99

Available from www.litriocht.com and Cló Iar-Chonnachta ( www.cic.ie )

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