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Coming Home: One man's return to the Irish Language
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‘Some part of me believed I would become a more complete person if I spoke Irish, more in tune with my roots, my identity, my very being.’
‘A hugely enjoyable linguistic travelogue that is also a sort of love story: full of passion, lightness, but, also, commitment. McCaughan’s engaging prose is a joy to read. Discover the Sex Pistols’ connection with Cúil Aodha and many
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This was an inspiring read for me as I have been working at learning Irish on my own for 3 years now and sometimes wonder why I carry on. The author provides some great examples from his own lifelong journey to learn Irish and made it feel very accessible. I haven't read too many books about learning languages so I don't have anything with which to compare this, but it meant a great deal to me and has inspired me to carry on.
It's been 20 years since I spent time learning Irish, so my awareness of the place of Irish in the world is that much outdated. This book was a revelation. Even aside from his very commonsense recommendations for how to go about working on language study, he runs all over the island talking to people about Irish and looking into how people are learning it.
Irish is making tremendous strides in the north, across sectarian lines, as talented organizers and educators set up language schools and evan ...more
Irish is making tremendous strides in the north, across sectarian lines, as talented organizers and educators set up language schools and evan ...more
I bought and read this book while on vacation in Ireland because it was recommended by a friend. I like travel literature, am a huge language nerd, and knew nothing about Irish, so I thought it might be fun vacation read. McCaughan did not disappoint! He's an engaging writer and storyteller. Not only did I learn a lot about Irish people's relationship to and struggles with their language, but I also got a lot out of the book in terms of Irish history and contemporary society/politics. It was fas
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It's an odd but satisfying mixture - part personal odyssey, part history of the language, part survey of the contemporary scene. Above all, I think that anyone engaged in the joyful struggle to learn this language will find it encouraging and inspirational - especially those of us who were rugadh agus tógadh in Ireland, and feel that we're struggling to learn our own language!
Highly recommended to anyone with even the slightest interest in the Irish language.
Highly recommended to anyone with even the slightest interest in the Irish language.
Enjoyable read with some very useful insights into the current state of Irish language education while giving glimpses of hope to anyone who would like the language to remain alive.
This personal account of one man's journey back to the Irish Language is part autobiography, part celebration of a cultural revival. As well as an honest reflection on the social history of the language, and the reality of the Irish language in modern Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
I was particularly taken by the brief description of dúchas, and what they meant historically and how Irish speakers often still refer to them. Dúchas are tendencies or traits - Skills, weakness, etc,. we inherit from ...more
I was particularly taken by the brief description of dúchas, and what they meant historically and how Irish speakers often still refer to them. Dúchas are tendencies or traits - Skills, weakness, etc,. we inherit from ...more
Mar 20, 2019
Linda
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Shelves:
_global_reads,
biographic,
european,
irish,
language,
language_learning,
memoir,
nonfiction
Interesting but not great, at least not for me. I'm sure if I were Irish or had some previous knowledge of the Irish language, it would have been an easier and more rewarding read for me. There's a great deal of Irish vocabulary throughout, which the author clearly expects that you're going to be familiar with it, probably from taking Irish classes in school or from being a member of Irish culture. I'm not really the intended audience for this book.
The author describes his methods and motivation ...more
The author describes his methods and motivation ...more
Bought this book following a talk by the author at Dundalk's Book Day this year.
As I was reading it while travelling the West, it felt quite interesting to live through his exploration while road-triping among the Gaeltacht of Donegal and seeing some of the schools he was writing about. Part personal journey through the lerning, part snapshot of what it means to be speaking the language and the difference between the different ways of handling the revival, I found it easy to read, accessible an ...more
As I was reading it while travelling the West, it felt quite interesting to live through his exploration while road-triping among the Gaeltacht of Donegal and seeing some of the schools he was writing about. Part personal journey through the lerning, part snapshot of what it means to be speaking the language and the difference between the different ways of handling the revival, I found it easy to read, accessible an ...more
A bit of a love letter to the Irish language, McCaughan does a wonderful job setting out his personal journey and interspersing it with historical information of how/when/why the Irish language stopped being spoken regularly.
He doesn't shy away from the multitudes of people who have varying feelings, positive and negative, towards the language, and he lays out historical context for the conflicted feelings many Irish people have towards Irish.
He doesn't shy away from the multitudes of people who have varying feelings, positive and negative, towards the language, and he lays out historical context for the conflicted feelings many Irish people have towards Irish.
Inspirational book for those people, like me, who say that can't learn languages.
Pleasurable and inspiring read for anyone studying another language (I'm learning German). Also lots to learn about Ireland, its history and culture. The author proves the point that it's never too late to learn a new language and shows the way for anyone who wants to follow his steps. A great guide for someone trying to learn Irish and a great inspiration for people trying to learn any other language as well.
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