Has this been worth it? To be honest I don’t know. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn’t. Have I made a difference — even a wee bit? You decide. But right through January and February I've written these weekly posts — eight of them so far! Through March I want to think about the future … Continue reading Can you make a difference? Even a wee bit?
Gaeilge
Unfended: Thran survival isn’t enough! From finding our feet to finding our future.
"Ulster Scots is a linguistic paradox. It is undefended, having been abandoned by the halls of power for prestige; it is undefeated, surviving in the mouths of the folk and the rhythms of the Ards; and until now, it has been undefined, lacking the very vocabulary—like diglossia or translanguaging—needed to explain its own existence."
When Perception Isn’t Reality
When I was young — in all honesty I could have said — Irish doesn’t exist. But how? I knew no one who spoke Irish. I knew no one learning Irish. I knew no one with any interest in Irish. I knew no one with an opinion on Irish - either good or bad. And though that was my lived experience — it wasn’t correct — because Gaeilge did exist — it just didn’t exist in my context.
My mother wanted to be a writer…but she died.
I know she wanted to write because I have the creative writing course she bought for herself. I don’t remember my mum being grand or self indulgent — hatefully she knew her place — curse knowing your place — so if she splashed out on anything it must have been something she really wanted. So I can only conclude she really wanted to write. I can’t actually remember when this was, it could have been before she was sick or it could have been afterwards, but I’ve got the books and I’m going to stop writing and go and see if I can find a date.
Lost Words and Losing Words
If you’ve ever found something — it’s because someone lost it — quite possibly yourself! That twenty pound note blowing down the street — it didn’t magically appear — someone else is twenty quid down! Other things stay lost a long time before being found — normally when your looking for something else! While at … Continue reading Lost Words and Losing Words
A Bearna fae the Leid: Bridging the Linguistic Gap
In Irish, Barnish means a gap—a place you can travel along. When a local family collated their unique vocabulary into a small book thirty years ago, they unknowingly created a bearna for the Ulster Scots Leid. Exploring the link between land, language, and the "seismic" impact of seeing one's mother tongue in print, this article reflects on how a niche publication became a vital act of cultural preservation.
Owning the Words We Speak: Language as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
So what does a win look like? I don’t mean a fantasy win — six numbers on the lottery or a huge inheritance from an unknown relation. So again — what does a win look like in the context of language? A win is an improved understanding and acceptance of language, accompanied by a sympathetic … Continue reading Owning the Words We Speak: Language as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
A Shared Urgency: What Manchán Magan Taught Me About Preserving Ulster Scots
A while back I came across Manchán Magan — but I’d no idea who he was. I’d no notion about his books, RTÉ documentaries, lectures, environmentalism or public speaking — it was just the odd short video clip here and there on social media — but he seemed like a pretty nice fella. But … Continue reading A Shared Urgency: What Manchán Magan Taught Me About Preserving Ulster Scots
The Week after Leid Week
I hate the week after Ulster Scots Leid week. It is so depressing. But it isn’t the low after the high. It’s the week that optimism and opportunity evaporates. Every year you get the feeling this could go somewhere quare and positive — but it never does. It’s like after Christmas — the decorations are … Continue reading The Week after Leid Week
The Creative Act of Presentation
Often, I merely describe my creativity as: “I make stuff.” This is simultaneously self-deprecating and true. I do make stuff - both in the physical and literary sense. I put words together to tell stories. I put lines and colours together to make pictures. I put images together to make films. And now I’ve put … Continue reading The Creative Act of Presentation
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