As the familiar hum of students settles once again over campus this week, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of the cobblestones as you navigate around the chaos of freshers’ fair. Or, perhaps you are disgusted at the reminder of the return to lecture life, and especially at the close of a summer to be remembered by a tragic garden-hose ban. Well, fear not, for Cumann Gaelach will be pairing up with DU Dance and TradSoc on Monday, September 3rd, at 6.30pm, to help you jig your troubles away.
Why not take a trip down memory lane to the romantic and idyllic days spent in Coláiste na bhFiann, Lurgan or Rinn, when you were shipped off by your parents in the hope that you might crack the modh coinníollach, only to return having perfected the Baillí Luimní. Well, finally, you can put the rigorous training of those nightly céilís to good use at the Fleadh na Trionóide.
Taking cue from the wave of recent pop-up Gaeltachts, this “pop-up céilí” will hopefully give students an opportunity to “get together to socialise while talking Irish and enjoying the traditional music—whether people are fluent or only have cúpla focail”, says Cumann Gaelach public relations officer Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill in an email statement to The University Times. The society itself is something of a pop-up Gaeltacht, promoting the Irish language and culture all year through ambitious events such as this.
Fleadh na Trionóide, offering an evening of all things Irish, certainly points towards the kind of fun to be expected of Cumann Gaelach in the year ahead, with an emphasis on the centrality of traditional music and dance to the Irish language and culture. Of course, a big week for the society last year was Éigse na Tríonóide, during which the group organised a concert, nights out and yet another céilí, and Fleadh na Tríonóide will certainly carry echoes of the “craic agus spraoi” enjoyed at this annual Irish fest.
Following on from the intensity of those haon, dó, trís, Cumann Gaelach pair with TradSoc for some “refreshments” and music at the Pav at 7.30pm to have you all back on your feet and prepared for what promises to be a busy and exciting freshers’ week ahead.
As the beginning of class creeps ever closer and images of tantalisingly silent tutorials flash through your mind, escape to the world of Michael Flatley and lose yourself in a reel that would make your primary school teacher proud.
Ní Dhomhnaill was also sure to remind me that 2018 is in fact Bliain na Gaeilge, so what better way to set the tone of freshers’ week than with a traditional Irish flare? Plus, as she aptly pointed out, “who doesn’t love a good céilí?”
Energetic, craic-filled and a chance to reignite the spark of those awkward, pre-pubescent three weeks once spent in Connemara, Fleadh na Trionóide will certainly get freshers’ week off to a flying start.
