Latest news with #Gaeltacht
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Dáithí Ó Sé loves all things Donegal
TV presenter Dáithí Ó Sé has spoken of the natural kinship between Kerry and Donegal folk, as the two Gaeltacht strongholds do battle in the All-Ireland Final today. And the Kerry native said he can only dream of being as popular as one of Donegal's most famous sons. Ó Sé told he has 'always had a soft spot for Donegal and the people of Donegal', and recalled the last championship final involving the counties in 2014, when they both contested the minor final too. 'There were people from Donegal next to me and a Kerry friend of mine [in Croke Park],' the broadcaster remembered. 'But we had a few pints together after the minor match we had a few pints at half time in the senior game, and we had a few pints after as well. 2014 GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Final, Kerry v Donegal. Pic: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE 'So the two bunches of supporters, they're probably unique in that they really get on well together and there's a huge amount of respect between the two teams and their supporters.' Kerry came out on top in both games that day, the Donegal seniors unable to reproduce the heroics that had brought them a second-ever All-Ireland title two years earlier. Ó Sé said his wife Rita once asked him, as he set off to an event in Tír Chonaill, if 'people in Donegal love you the way people in Kerry love Daniel [O'Donnell]?' The Rose of Tralee host laughed that his answer was: 'I would love to think someday that I'd reach that level of admiration – in any county.' While the 'final that loads of people have been waiting for' is too tight to call, Dáithí is predicting a 39th title for Kerry after a 'cracker' of a game. 'I think Kerry's last two games [convincing wins over old foes Armagh and Tyrone] will really stand to them,' he reasoned. Pic: Instagram/ Daithi O'Se 'What I was really impressed with after two really, really hard games was that they were still full of energy. There was no one cramping. 'They're a very slick-looking outfit at the moment. Now, Donegal are exactly the same, but I just think Kerry will have an edge on them.' The presenter is no relation to his county men Páidí, Darragh, Tomás and Marc Ó Sé, the An Ghaeltacht dynasty with 24 All-Ireland inter county medals between them. But he is related to another An Ghaeltacht man who starts for Kerry today. Half-back Brian Ó Beaglaoich – who was full-back during that 2014 minor final against Donegal – is Ó Sé's second cousin once removed. Croke Park. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile He said of Ó Beaglaoich: 'He'll go at it all day long. He's not afraid to go forward as well and break through. Just a fantastic footballer.' And the 49-year-old Today presenter said recent talk of Kerry pundits – and their famously demanding supporters – being too quick to get on the team's back is just 'par for the course'. He said: 'People have opinions, and they have opinions because they love it. 'Darragh Ó Sé [who criticised manager Jack O'Connor for not developing the squad] loves Kerry football. 'Jack O'Connor [who shot back that the former midfielder would 'be better off doing a bit of coaching himself'] loves Kerry football. And the love for Kerry football is what unites people at the end of it. 'But I think that has shown Kerry's strength this year – that [criticism] has been happening in the background, people were unhappy with the way they were playing, and then they come out and they blow Armagh and Tyrone out of the water.' Aside from their similarly rugged coastlines, strong Gaeltacht traditions and long journeys to Croke Park, Kerry and Donegal even have the same flag, and their strip was virtually identical for most of the GAA's history. Donegal favoured a mostly green jersey with a gold hoop in the centre right up to the 1990s. After beating Mayo in the 1992 All-Ireland semi-final in a mostly yellow strip – worn to avoid a colour clash – Donegal decided to stick with that winning kit in their first-ever final, against Dublin. Since then they have favoured a mainly yellow jersey with green sleeves and trim.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘It's the end of an era' – Major blow as the only post office in one of Ireland's most scenic spots is set to close
A MAJOR blow is on the way for hundreds of locals as the only post office in one of Ireland's most scenic spots is set to close. The last post office on the Fánaid peninsula in Advertisement 2 Baile Láir Post Office is at risk of closing due to rising costs Credit: RTE 2 The spot is located on Donegal's scenic Fánaid peninsula Credit: RTE Situated on the edge of the northwest coast, Fánaid is a remote stretch of land known for its rugged beauty, golden Baile Láir Post Office has served this tight-knit Gaeltacht community since 1872, operated by the McElwaine Running the post office and attached grocery shop, Wendy and Ronan McElwaine say they can no longer keep it going under the current financial pressures. And after 150 years, the Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY The area's population has declined over the decades, and the owners said the footfall isn't enough to cover the cost of running the post office year-round. Residents are now faced with a 15km journey to Kerrykeel or Carraig Airt for basic postal services. Local schoolteacher Gráinne Uí Dhubhthaigh told RTÉ that the community is heartbroken, calling the likely closure a huge loss to the area. And with Advertisement MOST READ IN MONEY She said: 'People and business in the area depend on the post office. The heart is being pulled out of the area. "If you get the Local Link bus to Kerrykeel some 20kms away, you will have to wait another 2 hours to return." Celebrity chef closes down seaside restaurant after 16 years Farmer Dónal Ó Siadhail told RTE that Fánaid once had 17 shops and a bustling local economy - a time when his milk rounds included a stop at the McElwaines'. He said: 'Now there are only two or three shops in the peninsula. It is the end of an era, without a doubt. Advertisement "Everything is closing down" Tourism has become more important to Fánaid in recent years, with the local lighthouse drawing thousands of visitors each Grínne Nic Suibhne, who works at the lighthouse, said they depended on the post office to send off visitor packages and merchandise. She said: "Now we will have to bring all that to Kerrykeel to send" Advertisement 'VERY REAL PROSPECT' They said: "Ballylar like most post offices in run by a Postmaster - an independent contractor who provides post office services for the people of that part of the Fanad peninsula. "An Post has been trying to find an alternative contractor to provide post office services here. We have been actively seeking a new business partner to take on the vacant contract, advertising the vacancy and canvassing local business. "No applications have been received to date, and we are in the process of advertising the vacant contract position a second time. Advertisement "We are facing the very real prospect of the post office closing in the coming months. "It is looking like that closure will take place in October and we will transfer customers to Kerrykeel post office which is some 14km away. "The closure, if it happens, is much regretted by An Post but right now we will continue trying to find a new contractor.' "It is not the case, as cited in local media that some action of An Post cased the current situation. Advertisement "Postmasters generate their income on the basis of transactions carried out with customers to the office. Their income is fixed to that level of transactions."
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
TD calls for mandatory Gaeltacht course to be introduced to Leaving Cert
Fianna Fáil's education spokesperson and Tipperary North TD Ryan O'Meara has called for a mandatory Gaeltacht course to be introduced for all Leaving Certificate students. He has asked the Minister for Education to begin exploring how to change young people's attitudes to the Irish language by incorporating a mandatory course into the curriculum. Advertisement Mr O'Meara said the step is "essential" not only for improving language skills, but to transform how young people see the Irish language. "This isn't just about exams or fluency, it's about changing attitudes. Right now, too many students associate Irish with pressure, boredom or frustration, and not with pride or identity," he said. "At the heart of this is a question we've all heard: 'How can someone go through 14 years of education and still be unable to hold a basic conversation in Irish?' That shouldn't be the case. What I'm proposing may seem ambitious, but that's where this conversation needs to begin. We are witnessing a cultural renaissance in Ireland, with a newfound Grá for our native language, and we need to support and harness that momentum." He said he has formally asked the Minister to initiate departmental planning for the introduction of compulsory Gaeltacht stays, suggesting it could become a key part of the Leaving Cert curriculum. Advertisement "Currently, many students view Irish as just another subject, something they're required to study, rather than something they feel connected to. For too many, Irish evokes a groan or a huff, not a sense of pride or enthusiasm. That needs to change." 'We need to create more immersive experiences so that young people see Irish as a living language, something they can use and enjoy in real life, not just a subject confined to the classroom," he added. 'By ensuring all students have access to a Gaeltacht course, we offer them a chance to hear the language spoken naturally, use it in daily situations, and to develop a genuine connection to it. Immersion is the best way to learn and gain a Grá for our language.' 'If Irish is going to remain a core subject in our education system, then we have an obligation to ensure students aren't just learning about it, but living it.' Advertisement 'This is about more than language. It's about our national identity, our heritage, and our future. We cannot accept a system where, after over a decade of learning, students are still unable to speak our national language. Something clearly isn't working, and we need to change that.'
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
One of Kerry's best players is hardly known, much less garlanded
When Brian Ó Beaglaoich won his first and still solitary All Ireland medal three years ago, his was the 50th medal to find home in our club, Cumann Caide na Gaeltachta. It was fitting that such a landmark medal should be his and that, on the day, he should be wearing the iconic number 5 jersey immortalised by other Gaeltacht wing backs, Páidí and Tomás Ó Sé. In the period since that All-Ireland win of 2022, Brian has had his ups and downs with injuries but there have been signs throughout 2025 that he has returned to the irresistible form of 2022 when he became the main option from squeezed kickouts for Shane Ryan. Heading into Sunday's All-Ireland final, Brian has that sense of being in the groove again as a footballer and of having the wind at his back. He has always been a player who had the maturity not to take these things for granted anyway. During the bloodletting in the aftermath of Kerry's defeat in Tullamore earlier this summer, their list of absentees was presented as a possible reason for Kerry's poor showing against Meath. Seánie O'Shea, Barry Dan O'Sullivan, Paudie Clifford, Diarmuid O'Connor and Paul Geaney's absences were all mentioned in mitigation but it was very surprising for some of us that Brian Ó Beaglaoich was rarely name-checked in these debates. Our chief line-breaker, a constant presence as an outlet on the wing and a dog of war if ever there was one, Ó Beaglaoich has somehow eluded us. Ruaidhrí Ó Beaglaoich, Caoimhghín Ó Beaglaoich agus Brian Ó Beaglaoich in the dugout together after a game in August 2020. The first time the three brothers played together for the Gaeltacht Even now that Kerry have reached another final, it is almost as if Ó Beaglaoich has arrived by stealth. In all the conversations about the game and despite him having the season of his life, our fella very rarely gets a mention. It was always thus and it was always so because that's exactly the way he would want it. There is a theory abroad in the Gaeltacht that Brian's family name is part of the reason for his relative obscurity. We've often marvelled and sometimes despaired at some of the pronunciations of our own 'little hero's' (for that is the origin of the Ó Beaglaoich name) surname. Most Irish people can manage the 'beag' part but the 'laoch' part catches them. The trick is to put the beag part and the laoich part together. Think 'beag' and by the banks of my own lovely 'Laoi' and you've got it. Those on the other side of Cnoc Bréanainn from us here in the Gaeltacht will say that the football came from the Lynch's side or Brian's mother's side of the family in Caslegregory. A few years before Brian was born, his uncle Seán Lynch won a county minor championship with a West Kerry team for whom his father, Brian's grandfather, the late Johnny Lynch was selector. Johnny knew football, respected footballers and had a deep love of the game. If you go to any of our home games in Gallaros, Johnny Lynch's daughter, Brian's Mom, Elaine will be the first to greet you at the gate selling our club lotto tickets. Living just a few hundred yards from our pitch at Gallaros, Brian and his family have worn a path to the pitch for a long time. Even though he is following in the footsteps of our two great wing backs, Páidí and Tomás, and despite being related to another iconic Gaeltacht half back, the famed broadcaster, Micheál Ó Sé, those who went to primary school with Brian will tell you that Marc Ó Sé as number 2 was the one Brian looked up to all along. Most of his formative years were spent in the full back line and the younger Ó Sé, then at the peak of his powers, was the exemplar in those final years in Scoil na Muirí. You never forget your first trainer at the club either and another Ó Sé, Joe Bán, is often credited by Brian as giving him those vital early words of encouragement and wisdom. In 2008, Brian's final year in primary school, Scoil na Muirí reached the final of the two-teacher schools competition under Cumann na mBunscol. Their opponents were Bonane National School and it was to be the first time he would cross paths with a fourth class pupil, Seánie O Shea. A classic contest ensued and a mutual respect between kindred spirits was moulded that day. Schoolmates PJ Mac Láimh, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Ciarán Ó Beaglaoich (Brian's Dad) and Alastair Mac Gearailt taking in a game in Gallarus As Brian progressed through the underage ranks in the Gaeltacht, coaches such as Seán Mac an tSíthigh and the late lamented, Tomás Ó Conchúir, noticed the freedom presented by a transition from one hop and one solo to full rules. The slaloming solo runs, his stock and trade as a minor full back, were beginning to take shape. Coming under the guidance of Éamonn Fitzmaurice in Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne helped hone his skills and develop an end product for some of those runs. His performances during the two miraculous Hogan Cup winning campaigns of 2014 and 2015 are still spoken about more than a decade later in town and back west. I was over 20 years older than many of the Gaeltacht's Pobalscoil players when I got involved in management with Marc Ó Sé, Conall Ó Cruadhlaoich and others in 2017 and, given the age gap, I sought Fitzmaurice's advice on some of his former charges at Pobalscoil. — 'Cén sórt é Brian Ó Beaglaoich?', what kinda fella is Brian? — 'Hugely intelligent, has a real edge to him and he's deep- tá sé doimhin' — 'How do you mean deep?' — 'Bottomless' The more I have seen of Brian these last eight years, the more I appreciate Fitzmaurice's take on him. I have observed him on his own, running at pace with a ball during the off-season in Gallaros in 2020 and 2021 after Kerry's defeats to Tyrone and to Cork. Brian played wing forward on that strangest of evenings on Leeside. For two winters he did the same run on the stand side, by the sea in Gallaros, over and over and over again, ball in hand, running hard and kicking in full flight from the right hand side with the right leg. He had it down to a fine art by 2022 and nobody does it better in 2025. The left legged point against Armagh (not his first one) is indicative of a player still with the capacity to surprise. Tomás Ó Sé presenting a young Brian Ó Beaglaoich with one of his first underage medals The quiet determination or 'diongbháilteacht' he showed as a kid is still there. He still doesn't let you in easy on or off the field and the inscrutability Fitzmaurice spoke of, will always be there. Tá san sa dúchas ann. He is, however, very much a player 'istigh leis féin', happy in his own skin and well aware of what he brings to the team. Even though he would recoil at the attention, posters have been going up all week on the road into Dingle in support of Brian, the other Beaglaoich on the squad, Cathal, and selector Aodán Mac Gearailt. All three attended Scoil na Muirí, a stone's throw from their homes. All are proud Gaeltacht men this weekend. After ten years in the green and gold, Brian Ó Beaglaoich (beag Laoi), the kid with the worst possible birthday for an underage player, idir dhá Nollaig and an even worse nickname — Bubba (don't ask) — still hangs out with his old friends from school. Facing into his fifth All Ireland final on Sunday, he could well be handed the huge task of tracking and negating Shane O'Donnell. If that is the case, the quiet man from Carraig who always eschewed the spotlight may have to take centre stage. Back here in the Gaeltacht, we think he'll be alright.
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Irish Times
Going to the Gaeltacht as an adult: All of the giddiness of a teenage trip with none of the awkwardness
For many, the ritual of heading to the Gaeltacht as a teenager holds fond memories of craic, ceol and céilí – even if the actual Irish classes weren't overly exciting. With the recent popularity in Irish language and culture – owed, in part, to Belfast rap trio Kneecap – you may be kicking yourself for not paying more attention when you were sent off to Irish college to brush up on your skills. What many don't know, however, is that you can actually take up a course in the Gaeltacht as an adult, which is exactly where I found myself in late June. Myself and a couple of friends registered for Gael Linn's Gaeltacht course for adults in Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal , booked a wee cottage beside Teach Hiúdaí Beag – known for it's Monday night music sessions with the owner himself taking part – and were on our way. The week's schedule is split between classes, social events, cultural evenings and trips to get the know the area – including a boat trip to Gabhla island which, in 2022, had a population of just 15. READ MORE A short trek around the island is an experience in itself – looking at the abandoned homes, walking alongside sheep and, in the quiet moments between conversations, listening to corncrakes cry with the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. Hike to the north of the island and take in the views of the Sea Arches, which look like something out of the Algarve, as well as a memorial to two people who lost their lives in 9/11. The classes themselves, which are held in a University of Galway building in the area, are broken up into six different levels. You choose your ability and, if you feel it's not for you, moving between the classes is easy. In the evenings, locals and cultural figures tell stories, sing songs and talk about the history of the area. And, of course, afterwards it's to the pub to practice what you learned that day, get to know your classmates, listen to some local music or practice a few céilí dances. You'll find all walks of life on the course. In our group, there were children of Irish emigrants to England – proudly learning their mother tongue with an English accent – people from the likes of France or the US who found themselves living in Ireland and wanting to understand the national language, retirees, students from other countries who have picked up Irish and people like me, who work full-time but after the Leaving Cert , felt the ability to speak the language slipping away over the years. Seven sisters mountains The only shop Gabhla Island By the end of the week, you could be best of friends with someone decades your elder or from the other side of the country, exchanging numbers to keep in touch or share information about ciorcal comhrás and Irish-language resources. One of the week's highlights is a big course céilí on Friday night, where you'll be swinging out of people you've hardly spoken to and singing in front of a group of strangers despite not having a note in your head. Even this crow – or préachán, as Gaeilge – gave a rendition of Beidh Aonach Amárach with my new friend Colm and a bodhrán to accompany us. [ Grown-up Gaeltacht: 'The week I spent in Ring - the people I met, the culture - was the best thing I could have done' Opens in new window ] Yes, you will be pushed out of your comfort zone but who cares? With everyone there for the sole purpose of improving their Irish, there is no pressure or embarrassment if you get something wrong. As Ian Mac Gabhann, adult education officer for Gael Linn, put it on our last day, heading off to essentially a week-long summer camp is not something adults do. But, why not? Heading to the Gaeltacht as an adult has all the giddiness and none of the awkwardness of being a teenager, meaning you can brush up on your Gaeilge, make friends and have plenty of craic in the scenic setting of Donegal. Gael Linn's second adult Gaeltacht course of the season takes place in Gaoth Dobhair from August 10-16th, but it is booked out.
