An mhí seo d’oibríomar le cuid dár n-eagarthóirí Gaeilge iontacha ag University Times chun luascadán dátheangach a thabhairt dár léitheoirí dílse. Tá gach aighneacht Béarla aistrithe go Gaeilge agus a mhalairt, agus an t-ord ina gcuirtear gach teanga i láthair ag braith ar an dteanga a roghnaigh na scríbhneoirí a chur isteach inti.
This month we worked with some of our brilliant Irish editors at University Times to bring our wonderful readers a bilingual pendulum discussion. All English submissions have been translated to Irish and vice versa, with the order in which each language is presented corresponding with the language writers chose to submit in.
Tá sí | Yes
Anyone who claims that Irish is wholly useless has fundamentally misunderstood what the function of language is. In a world where there are no longer any monoglot speakers of Irish, is Irish useful for communication? No. However, the Irish language is strongly rooted in the physical landscape of Ireland, with countless words describing the environment and atmosphere of the country. Learning Irish is learning to love Ireland, specifically the land of Ireland, and at a time when the world is facing the biggest ecological crisis we’ve ever seen, being able to love the land we live on seems useful to me!
Astrúchán | Translation:
Táid siúd a ndeireann gur teanga mí-úsáideach í an Ghaeilge tar éis míthuiscint iomlán a bhaint as feidhm teanga. I ndomhain gan gaeilgeoir aonteangach amháin fágtha, an bhfuil an Ghaeilge úsáideach don chumarsáid? Níl. Ach, tá an teanga Gaeilge daingnithe go láidir le tírdhreach na hÉireann, le fuíollach focail againn a ndéanann cur síos ar thimpeallacht agus atmaisféar na tíre. Is ionann foghlaim na Gaeilge agus foghlaim conas grá a bheith agat ar Éire, oileán na hÉireann ach go háirithe, agus i dtréimhse ina bhfuil an domhain ag dul i ngleic leis an ngéarchéim éaceolaíoch is dona atá feicthe againn ariamh, braithim gur rud an-úsáideach é bheith in ann grá a bheith agat ar ár dtír cónaithe.
– Ella , Oifigeach Meáin Shóisialta UT | UT Social Media Officer
“Canathaobh a bhfuilimidne ag úsáid slat tomhais na husáideachta don Ghaelainn? Bíonn neart rudaí sa tsochaí atá luachmhar, cé nach bhfuil siad “úsáideach” nó ina mbealach is éasca chun rudaí a dhéanamh.
Chomh maith leis sin, más gá an tslat sin a úsáid, cruthaítear úsáideacht na teangan agus daoine á húsáid i ngach gné den shaol. Rud í sin is gá a shaothrú go leanúnach, toisc nach mairfidh an teanga dá nglacfaí léi mar dhéantán mistiúil gan cothabháil déanta uirthi. Dá dtréigfí í anois de bharr a mhí-úsáidí is atá sí, is cinnte nach n-éireoidh sí níos úsáidí amach ansin.”
Astrúchán | Translation:
“Why are we using the measuring stick of usefulness for Irish? There are plenty of things in society that are valuable that aren’t “useful” or the easiest way to do something.
As well as that, if it’s necessary to use that measuring stick, the usefulness of a language is created by people using it in every aspect of their lives. It is something that needs to be cultivated continuously, as the language will not survive if it is assumed that it is a mystical artifact, without the need to maintain it. If it is now abandoned because of how useless it is, it certainly won’t become more useful in the future.”
– Pól, Oifigeach Comaitéireachta | Commuters Officer
Is amhlaidh atá an Ghaeilge úsáideach má mhaireann tú do shaol tríthi mar a dhéanaim féin. Is trí Ghaeilge amháin atá an chuid is mó de na cairdis atá agam. Déanaim mo chuid gnó ar fad leis an stát trí Ghaeilge. Is iomaí uair a sháraíonn comhlachtaí stáit an dlí, ach leanaim orm cibé ar bith. Mura mbeadh sí úsáideach, ní bheinn in ann aon ní a dhéanamh tríthi. Ba mhaith liom a bheith in ann mo shaol ar fad a chaitheamh trí Ghaeilge, agus is faoi rialtas na hÉireann atá sé sin, ar an drochuair–rialtas atá tar éis a thaispeáint nach gcreideann siad gur cheart an deis sin a bheith ann. Má deir daoine nach bhfuil sí úsáideach, tá siad ag déanamh neamhshuim de na mílte agus na mílte duine a bhaineann úsáid aisti gach lá le haghaidh gach ruda, agus is ionann sin agus meon forlámhais Béarla.
Astrúchán | Translation:
Irish is useful if you live your life through it as I do. Most of my friendships are solely through Irish. I do all my business with the state through Irish. State bodies often break the law in this regard, but I carry on anyway. If it weren’t useful, I wouldn’t be able to do anything through it. I would like to be able to live my whole life through Irish, and that is unfortunately up to the Irish government. If people say it isn’t useful, they are ignoring the thousands and thousands of people who do use it every day in all aspects of their lives, and that is a mindset of anglosupremacy.
– Pádraig Oifigeach na Gaeilge 2024/25 | Irish Language Officer 2024/25
Níl sí, ach… | No, however…
Ní sí ‘úsáideach’ sa tslí gur féidir leat maireachtáil in Éirinn gan í a labhairt, ach tá sí tábhachtach sa tslí go neartaíonn meas ar an dteanga nasc duine le hÉirinn agus a stair chultúrtha. Sa chaoi chéanna a bhféadfainn bheith go breá go teicniúil le Béarla amháin a labhairt agus mé ar mo thuras Erasmus i mBeirlín i mbliana (mar tá beagnach gach duine abálta Béarla a labhairt), ach chaillfinn amach ar an dtaithí agus an nasc leis an gcathair agus le muintir na háite mura ndéanfainn iarracht Gearmáinis a labhairt nó meas a bheith agam ar an teanga.
Astrúchán | Translation:
It’s not ‘useful’ in a sense that you can live in Ireland without having to speak it, but it is important in a sense that appreciation for the language strengthens your connection with Ireland and its cultural history. In the same way that I could technically get away with only speaking English while on my Erasmus in Berlin this year (because practically everyone can speak English), but I would miss out on the experience and connecting with the city and the locals if I didn’t make an effort to speak German and appreciate the language.
– Lily, Leas-Eagarthóir Tuairimí | Deputy Opinion Editor
Whilst it is probably a good thing that Irish is rising in popularity again, the question now arises of whether it is actually useful for Irish society. While it is one thing to have Luas announcements and street signs in Irish, I question whether it would be worth the time and money to implement the Irish language further, especially given that this would also serve to exclude large parts of the community in Ireland who do not speak Irish.
Astrúchán | Translation:
Cé gur dócha gur rud maith é go bhfuil borradh ag teacht ar shuim sa Ghaeilge, an cheist a dtagann anois ná más rud úsáideach í do shochaí na hÉireann. Is rud amháin é fógairtí LUAS agus comharthaí bóithre a bheith i nGaeilge, ach ní léir dom an fiú an t-am agus an t-airgead chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn a thuilleadh, go háirithe mar go ndéanfaidh sé seo eisiatacht ar mhórán an phobail in Éirinn nach labhraíonn Gaeilge.
– Tom, Dlí agus Gearmáinis | Law and German
It doesn’t need to be useful. Is English useful? Is German? Is French? Gaeilge is not valuable because it is widely spoken or because it spread across the globe, it’s the opposite. The value of Gaeilge is in it’s resistance, the ability of Gaeilge to survive despite British attempts to erase the language, and in that way mirrors the Irish people themselves. Irish is Irishness, and that’s where it’s value lies. Furthermore, why do we assign value to a langue based on usefulness, why assign a value at all? Nothing makes one language, and by extension one culture, more valuable than another. The need to assign values to languages and cultures betrays something tribalistic and outdated
Astrúchán | Translation:
Ní gá di bheith úsáideach. An bhfuil Béarla úsáideach? Bhfuil Gearmáinis? Bhfuil Fraincis? Ní rud luachmhar í an Ghaeilge toisc gur labhairtear go fearlathan í timpeall an Domhain, is a mhalairt atá i gceist. Tá luach na Gaeilge ina seasmhacht, i gcumas na Gaeilge chun maireachtáil in aineoinn iarrachtaí na Bhreataine chun í a scriosadh, le cosúlachtaí anseo le straichilt muintir na hÉireann iad féin. Is ionann an Ghaeilge agus an Éireannachas, agus is anseo a mhaireann a luach. Ina theannta sin, cén fáth a gcuirtear luach ar theanga bunaithe ar ché chomh úsáideach is atá sí, agus cén gá atá le luach teanga in aon chor? Ní dhéanann aon rud amháin teangacha, nó cultúir, níos luachmhara ná a cheile. Léireann an iarracht chun luach faoi leith a chur le teangacha agus le chultúir meon treibheach agus as dáta.
– Matthew, Sibhialtacht Clasaiceach | Classic Civilisation
