4th Seamus Heaney Lecture

Dr Máirín Nic Eoin delivered the fourth lecture in the current Seamus Heaney Lecture Series in St Patrick’s College on Monday 2 February.  She argued in her lecture that Irish speakers today are active participants in, and manifestations of, an ever-evolving and increasingly hybridised Irish culture, with local, regional, national and global dimensions.  Both the biographies of Irish-language activists, and the work of Irish-language writers, demonstrate in their various ways how modern and contemporary Irish-language cultural identities need to be understood as complex and often vulnerable intercultural positions.  While particular Irish-speaking communities can be readily identified, as well as larger groups of Irish language supporters, the concept of ‘cultúr na Gaeilge’ is, in a contemporary context, much less clear. [Pictured with Dr Nic Eoin is Áine Lawlor, Teaching Council, who chaired the session]

Yet she argued in her lecture that Irish speakers do constitute a cultural group.  The language does provide a sense of solidarity, not so much because of predefined cultural content, but because of shared cultural experience, particularly the experience of counter-cultural struggle for recognition, for services, for resources.  She questioned however, if that sense of solidarity is enough to ensure the survival of the language, and who the main stakeholders are now.  She outlined various possibilities open to an Irish language community where the minority status of the language which has been seen as an obstacle in the past is being joined major European languages that are suffering domain loss.  The current climate offers an opportunity for the Irish-speaking community to reposition itself. A community that always welcomed and accommodated others from different backgrounds.

An audio file of the lecture will be available to listen back to shortly on www.spd.dcu.ie/shl

[Pictured below is Seamus Heaney who attended the lecture, in discussion with Pádraig Ó Duibhir and Máire Ní Bhaoill, members of the organising committee]

Thug an Dr Máirín Nic Eoin an chúigiú léacht i Sraith Léachtaí Seamus Heaney i gColáiste Phádraig ar an Luan 2 Feabhra.  Dúirt sí sa léacht gur cuid dhílis de bheochultúr comhaimseartha na hÉireann é pobal na Gaeilge, cultúr ilghnéitheach atá ag síorathrú agus a bhfuil toisí áitiúla, réigiúnda, náisiúnta agus domhanda ag roinnt leis.  Léirigh sí trí bheathaisnéisí Gaeilgeoirí, agus trí shaothar scríbhneoirí na Gaeilge, gur staid chasta idirchultúrtha í staid chultúrtha lucht labhartha na Gaeilge san am i láthair.  Cé gur féidir ‘pobail’ Ghaeilge a aithint gan stró, chomh maith le grúpaí eile a thugann tacaíocht don teanga, níl sé chomh héasca sin na tréithe a bhaineann le ‘cultúr’ comhaimseartha na Gaeilge a aithint ná a shainmhíniú.

Mar sin féin, d’áitigh sí sa léacht gur grúpa cultúrtha ar leith iad lucht labhartha na Gaeilge fós.  Tá dlús agus comhthuiscint ag baint leis an bpobal, dlús agus comhthuiscint a eascraíonn, ní as na tréithe ná as na gníomhaíochtaí cultúrtha a shamhlaítear leo, ach as an taithí chultúrtha chomónta a roinneann said lena chéile trí mheán na teanga, go háirithe an taithí atá acu ar an streachailt, ar an snámh in aghaidh easa, ar an ngníomhaíocht ar son aitheantais, ar son seirbhísí, ar son acmhainní.  Cheistigh sí arbh leor an chomhthuiscint sin bunaithe ar dhúshláin na mblianta le go mairfidh an Ghaeilge beo, agus cérbh iad na daoine ar cás leo an cheist seo.  Rianaigh sí na féidearthachtaí éagsúla atá ag pobal na Gaeilge agus an stádas mionlaigh atá ag an teanga.  Féachadh ar an stádas seo mar chonstaic tráth ach anois tá teangacha mhóra san Eoraip ag cailliúint cuid dá réimsí teanga.  Tá deis ann faoi láthair do phobal na Gaeilge iad féin a athshuigh.  Pobal a d’fháiltigh i gcónaí roimh dhaoine ó chúlraí éagsúla.

Beidh leagan taifeadadh de lacht ar fáil ar an suíomh idirlín www.spd.dcu.ie/shl go luath.

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Thursday February 26 2009