17ú de mhí Iúil 2024
Chuaigh dháréag ó Turas go Contae Chiarraí i mí Iúil. Is turas bliantúil é seo agus bhí áthas an domhain orainn go raibh muid in ann bualadh lenár gcairde ó Chorca Dhuibhne arís i mbliana.
Thosaigh muid ár dturas ó Bhéal Feirste go Dún Chaoin maidin Dé Sathairn agus i ndiaidh turas fada, bhain muid Brú na Gráige (ár lóistín don tseachtain), amach ar a seacht a chlog oíche Shathairn. Chuir muid ord ar ár seomraí leapa agus shuigh muid síos cois tine chun cúpla amhrán a chanadh, cúpla scéal a insint agus chun cúpla deoch a ól!
Cuireadh tús leis na ranganna Gaeilge ar a deich a chlog maidin Dé Domhnaigh. Mar chuid den chéad rang, bhí deis ag na foghlaimeoirí fáil amach faoin Bhlascaod Mhór agus faoi na scríbhneoirí cáiliúla a tháinig ón Bhlascaod. Bhí an t-eolas sin iontach luachmhar don rang mar chuaigh siad chuig an Bhlascaod an tráthnóna sin. D’fhág muid Cé Dhún Chaoin sa bhád bheag bhídeach is ar aghaidh linn chuig an Bhlascaod Mhór. Thug treoraí de chuid Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí ar thuras muid. D’fhoghlaim muid faoi stair an Bhlascaoid agus thug muid cuairt ar thithe scríbhneoirí an Bhlascaoid.
Chaith muid maidin Dé Luain ag foghlaim Gaeilge agus ansin, chuaigh muid ar chamchuairt na háite. Thug muid cuairt ar an Ghalláras. Seo seanseipéal agus deirtear má tá tú in ann dul tríd an fhuinneog chaol sa Ghalláras, beidh spás curtha in áirithe duit sna flaithis! Níor éirigh ach le beirt dul tríd an fhuinneog i mbliana ar an drochuair!
Thug muid cuairt ar ár gcara Áine arís i mbliana agus shuigh muid síos chun ceardlann ealaíne a dhéanamh le chéile. Bhí cúpla ealaíontóir maith i láthair i mbliana agus bhí cúpla duine eile ann … a rinne iarracht mhaith! In ainneoin sin, bhí drogall orainn imeacht mar bhain achan duine an méid sin suilt as an tseisiún agus bhí daoine fós ag péinteáil trí uair an chloig i ndiaidh dúinn toiseacht!
Bhí achan duine ag súil go mór lenár dturas go Raidió na Gaeltachta Dé Máirt. Bhain muid Baile na nGall amach agus bhí Helen Ní Shé ag fanacht linn ag doras an stáisiúin. Tháinig muid isteach, shuigh muid síos sa chistin agus cuireadh an citeal síos ar ár son. Is ansin a tháinig Helen isteach agus císte ollmhór aici dúinn! Nuair a bhí muid ag ól cupán tae, bhí deis againn éisteacht le Sláine Ní Chathalláin, iriseoir le Raidió na Gaeltachta agus í ag labhairt faoi thábhacht Raidió na Gaeltachta sa cheantar áitiúil, faoi na cláracha a dhéantar i mBaile na nGall agus faoina taithí féin le hOireachtas na Samhna. Nuair a bhí an tae ólta againn agus an císte ite againn, chuaigh Linda, Stiofán agus Brian faoi agallamh mar chuid den chlár bheo, An Saol ó dheas.
Agus muid ag ithe ár ndinnéar oíche Mhairt, tháinig ár gcara isteach doras an Bhrú, sin An tAthair Tomás Ó Murchú. Thug Tomás cuireadh dúinn teacht chuig Corca Dhuibhne don chéad uair seacht mbliana ó shin agus tá muid ag teacht achan bhliain ó shin. An lá dár gceann, chuaigh muid ar thuras bus a threoraigh an tAthair Ó Murchú. Thug muid cuairt ar theach Pheig, ar shuíomh ‘Ryan’s Daughter’, agus ar uaigh Pheig fosta.
I ndiaidh na ranganna Déardaoin, chuaigh muid chuig ceolchoirm sa Díseart atá lonnaithe i nDaingean Uí Chúis. Bhí deis againn ár rogha rud a dhéanamh sa tráthnóna. Chuaigh cúpla duine chuig seisiún ceoil sa Daingean agus bhí craic agus cuideachta ag an chuid eile ar ais i mBrú na Gráige.
Nuair a bhuail muid le hÁine ag an cheardlann ealaíne oíche Luain, luaigh sí go mbíonn ciorcal comhrá ar siúl achan seachtain ina teach féin agus go mbeadh fearadh na fáilte romhainn teacht. Thapaigh muid an deis agus d’fhreastail muid ar an chiorcal comhrá. Nach raibh an t-ádh orainn agus muid ag éisteacht le muintir na háite ag labhairt Gaolainne.
Tháinig muid ar áis ón Chiorcal comhrá sin agus bhuail muid le cara eile dár gcuid, Breandán a thug caint dúinn faoi chuid de na logainmneacha a bhaineann leis an cheantar áitiúil.
Shuigh muid síos le chéile agus d’ith muid béile deireanach na seachtaine (buíochas le Paul a rinne béilí deasa dúinn an tseachtain ar fad) agus ina dhiaidh sin, bhog muid cois tine, d’inis muid scéalta agus chan muid cúpla amhrán le chéile.
Mhúscail muid go luath maidin Dé Sathairn, chuir muid achan rud sa bhus agus ghlan muid an brú ó bhun go barr. D’fhág muid slán le Brú na Gráige agus lenár gcairde ar feadh bliain eile agus thosaigh muid ar ár dturas ar áis go Béal Feirste.
Go dtí an bhliain seo chugainn!
Turas Gaeltacht trip to Corca Dhuibhne
17th July 2024
A dozen learners and members of staff from Turas went to County Kerry in July. This is an annual Gaeltacht trip and we were delighted to be able to meet with out friends from Corca Dhuibhne once again this year.
We began our joruney from Belfast to Dún Chaoin on Saturday morning and after a long trip in the bus, we arrived at Brú na Gráige, our accomodation, at 7 o’clock on Saturday evening. We unpacked and sorted out our beds for the next week and then sat down by the fire to sing a couple of songs, to tell a few stories and to have a few drinks!
The classes began at 10 o’clock on Sunday morning. As part of the first class, the learners had an opportunity to learn about the Great Blasket island and about the famous writers that came from the Blasket. This information was particulary useful for the class as they were able to go to the Great Blasket that afternoon. We left the Dún Chaoin quay in a little fishing boat and off we went to the Great Blasket island. A guide from the Office of Public Works took us on a tour were we learnt about the history of the Blasket islands and we visited the houses of the Blasket writers.
We spent Monday morning learning Irish and then we went on a tour of the area. We visted the Galláras. This is a old chapel and it is said that if you are able to fit through the small window at the back of the chapel, you will have a space in Heaven reserved for you. Unfortunately, only two of us managed to fit through the window this year!
We visited our friend Áine again this year and we sat down to do a art workshop together with her. We had a few good artists present this year within our group and a few others that … made a great effort! Despite that, everyone enjoyed the session so much that we were relunctant to leave with some people still painting three hours after starting!
Everyone was looking forward to our trip to Raidió na Gaeltachta on Tuesday morning. We reached Ballydavid and Helen Ní Shé, a radio presenter from Raidió na Gaeltachta, was waiting for us at the door of the station. We came in, sat down in the kitchen and the kettle was put on for us. Next thing Helen comes in with a massive cake for us all! When we were drinking a cup of tea, we had the opportunity to listen to Sláine Ní Chathalláin, a journalist from Raidió na Gaeltachta, talking about the importance of Raidió na Gaeltachta in the local area, the programes that are made within Ballydavid and her own experience competing in Oireachtas na Samhna. When we had drank our tea and eaten our cake, Linda, Stiofán and Brian were interviewed as part of the live programme, An Saol ó Dheas.
As we were eating our dinner on Tuesday evening, our friend came through the doors of Brú na Gráige. That was Father Tomás Ó Murchú. Tomás invited us to come to Corca Dhuibhne and to stay in Brú na Gráige for the first time 7 years ago and we have been coming every year from then on. The following day, we went on a bus tour guided by Father Ó Murchú. We visited Peig’s house, the site of Ryan’s Daughter and Peig’s grave as well.
After the classes on Thursday, we went to a concert in the Díseart that is located in Dingle. We had the opprotunity in the afternoon to do whatever we wanted with some people going to a music session in Dingle and others having a bit of craic back in Brú na Gráige.
When we met with Áine on Monday evening at the art workshop, she mentioned that she has a conversation group every week in her house and that we would be all more than welcome to attend. We grabbed the opportunity with both hands and attended the conversation group. We were so lucky to listen to locals in full flow speaking beautiful Munster Irish.
We came back from the conversation group and we met with another friend of ours, Breandán, who gave us a talk on some of the placenames associated with the local area.
We sat down together and ate our last meal of the week (thanks to Paul who made great meals for us the entire week) and after that, we moved across to the fireside, we told a few stories and sang a few songs together.
We woke up early on Saturday morning, put everything back into the bus and cleaned the Brú from top to bottom. We said farewell to Brú na Gráige and to our friends for another year and started or journey back to Belfast.
Until next year!
