Tomhas na Teanga

July/August 2007

 

Ó am go chéile, ní mór dom an fógra seo a dhéanamh, mar bíonn baill nua againn i gcónaí.  From time to time, I need to make this announcement, as we always have new members.  Tá gach alt ón gcolún seo ar fáil ar an idirlíon ag http://www.scoilgaeilge.org/t_na_t/, ón dtosach, breis agus cúig bliana ó shin, muise.

Every article from this column is available on the internet at…, from the beginning, more than five years ago, by golly.

Táim tar éis úrscéal stairiúil a scríobh (beidh níos mó agam anseo faoi sin ar ball, le cúnamh Dé).  I have just written an historical novel (I will have more here about that eventually, God willing).  Mar sin, rinne mé mórán taighde chuige.  Therefore, I did a lot of research for it.  Léigh mé cúpla leabhar an-suimiúil, agus molaim iad.  I read a couple of interesting books, and I recommend them.  Scríobh Thomas Keneally, an duine a scríobh Schindler’s List, scríobh sé leabhar faoin nginearál Dan Sickles, dar teidil An American Scoundrel:  The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles.  TK, the person who wrote…, he wrote a book about the general DS, called… Duine iontach tábhachtach sa chogadh cathartha ab ea Sickles, go háirithe ag cath Gettysburg.  Sickles was an extremely important person in the civil war, especially at the battle of Gettysburg.  Ach rógaire a bhí ann, freisin.  But he was a rascal, too.   Tá an leabhar seo an-mhaith ar fad.  This book is really quite good. 

Leabhar suimiúil eile is ea Irish Rebel:  John DeVoy and America’s Fight for Ireland’s Freedom, le Terry Golway.  Another interesting book is…by… Bhí na Gael-Mheiriceánaigh an-tábhachtach i stair na hÉireann, agus insítear an scéal sin sa leabhar seo.  Irish-Americans were in the history of Ireland, and that story is told in this book.  Bhí baint ag John DeVoy le beagnach gach aon eachtra réabhlóideach a rinneadh lena linn.  John DeVoy was involved with almost every revolutionary event that was done in his time.   Tá mórán eolais sa leabhar seo, agus molaim go hard é.  There is a lot of information in this book, and I highly recommend it.

Thosaigh DeVoy chun bheith ina réabhlóidí mar gheall ar rang Gaeilge a nglac sé páirt ann i mBaile Átha Cliath.  DeVoy started to be a revolutionary on account of an Irish language class he took part in in Dublin.  Ní féidir a sheachaint go bhfuil baint láidir idir an teanga agus féiniúlacht agus féinmheas na nÉireannach.  It is impossible to deny that there is a strong link between the language and the self-knowledge and self-respect of the Irish.  Fós féin, is minic a úsáidtear an teanga mar chomhartha nó shiombail nó maisiúchán, seachas mar theanga bheo.  Just the same, it is often that the language is used as a token  or a symbol or an ornament, instead of as a living language.  Tugadh Gaeilge bhriste ar an eagraíocht Clann na Gael [sic] sa naoú aois déag, mar shampla.  Broken Irish was used to name the organization C na G in the 19th century, for example.  Clann na nGael a ba chóir a bheith ann, dar ndóigh.  It should be…of course.

Leabhar eile a léigh mé, moladh sa nuachtán seo é.  Another book I read was recommended in this newspaper.  Sin Anthracite Lads:  A True Story of the Fabled Molly Maguires, le William H. Burke.  That is…by…  Scríobh sé i stíl úrscéil é, agus cé go bhfuil an scéal casta go leor, tá sé an-suimiúil, agus rinne sé an-jab leis, dar liom.  He wrote it in the style of a novel, and although the story is plenty complicated, it is very interesting, and he did a fine job of it, in my opinion.  Níorbh é san iarthar amháin go raibh an saol fiáin san aois sin, cinnte.  It wasn’t only in the west that the world was wild in those days, for sure.

Roimhe seo, léigh mé leabhar an-suimiúil eile a dhéanann ath-mheas ar an stair chonspóideach, Tweed's New York:  Another Look, le Leo Hershkowitz.  Before this, I read another very interesting book which re-evaluates controversial history…by…  Glactar de ghnáth leis an scéal coitianta go raibh “Boss” Tweed go dona, gur gadaí é, srl.  The common story that “Boss” Tweed was bad, a thief, etc., is generally accepted.  Ach cosúil leis na scéalta faoi na Mollies, is beag an bunús a bhí ann.  But like the story about the Mollies, there isn’t much basis there.  Rinneadh an rud céanna dósan agus a rinne do na fir in Pennsylvania – triail sna nuachtáin, agus éagóir sa chúirt.  The same thing was done to him as was don the the men in PA – a trial in the newspapers, and injustice in the court.  Cara do na hÉireannaigh agus do na Caitlicigh a bhí ann in Tweed, agus ní léir go ndearna sé aon rud olc, i bhfírinne.  Tweed was a friend to the Irish and to the Catholics, and it is not clear that he did anything bad, in truth.  Is fiú an leabhar seo a léamh, freisin  This book is also worth reading.  An t-aon locht amháin a fuair mé ar an leabhar seo ná go ndearna sé botún faoi Dan Sickles!  The only fault I found in this book was that he made a mistake about DS!

            Léigh mé leabhar as Gaeilge le déanaí, freisin, leabhar dar teidil Úlla, le Seán Mac Mathúna.  I read a book in Irish recently, too, a book called Apples by…  Bailiúchán gearrscéalta is ea é.  It is a collection of short stories.  Tá pictiúr de bhanana ar an gclúdach, agus insíonn sin rud faoin leabhar.  There is a picture of a banana on the cover, and that says something about the book.  Ba mhaith liom roinnt de na scéalta, na cinn faoin fíor-shaol go háirithe.  I liked some of the stories, the ones about the real world, especially.  Ach b’ait liom roinnt díobh.  But some were strange for me.  An-ait.  Very strange.  Is minic a bhíonn scríbhneoirí na linne seo ag iarraidh a bheith nua-aimseartha agus turgnamhach.  Often writers these days ar attempting to be modern and experimental.  Agus tá sé sin go maith, in amanna.  And that’s good, at times.  Ní raibh mé ró-thógtha leis na cinn sa stíl sin sa leabhar seo.  I wasn’t too keen on the ones in that style in this book.

            Fuair mé carn mór leabhar eile as Gaeilge le déanaí, agus tá leabhair go leor le léamh agam fad eile mo shaoil.  I got another big stack of books in Irish recently, and I have plenty of books to read for the rest of my life.  Dar ndóigh, ní chuireann sin aon bhac orm níos mó a fháil…  Of course, that doesn’t prevent my from getting more…  Is galar é.  It’s a disease.  Tá súil agam go mbeidh deis agam roinnt díobh a léamh sa samhradh seo.  I hope that  I get a chance to read some of them this summer.  Ach amháin Anthracite Lads agus na cinn as Gaeilge, fuair mé na leabhair eile go léir a luaigh mé thuas ón leabharlann, agus mar sin, ní raibh mé chomh dona sin!  Except for AL and the ones  in Irish, I got all the other books I mentioned above from the library, and so I wasn’t all that bad! 

 Bíodh samhradh maith agaibh!  Have a good summer!  Tá súil agam go léifidh sibhse cúpla leabhar maith, freisin.  I hope that you will a few good books, too.