Is Síneach é Yu Ming. Tá sé ina chónaí agus ag obair sa tSín, ach tá brón air ansin. Foghlann sé Gaeilge agus téann sé go Baile Átha Cliath in Éirinn. Tá sé ag labhairt Gaeilge ansin, ach ní thuigeann aon duine atá á rá agat. Tá brón ar Yu Ming arís. I teach tábhairne buaileann sé le seanfhear. Foghlann Yu Ming nach labhaireann na daoine i mBaile Átha Cliath Gaeilge ach Béarla! Sa Gaeltacht labhaireann siad Gaeilge. Téann Yu Ming chun na Gaeltachta agus tá áthas air faoi dheireadh!

Dia dhaoibh! Máire is ainm dom. Is Gréigeach agus as Aithin mé. Tá mé fiche a ceathair bliana d’aois. Níl deartháir nó deirfiúr agam, ach tá col ceathracha ionúine agam. Is mac léinn mé. Tá mé ag staidéar innealtóireachta leictreach. Tá mé i mo chónaí in árasán in Ambelokipi san Aithin. Tá an Aithin príomhchathair na Gréige. Tá an Ghréig sa deisceart na hEorpa. Ar fud na tíre tá an aimsir go maith de gnáth. Tá an geimhreadh bog agus an samhradh te.

Dimitra is ainm dom. Is Gréigeach mé. Tá mé tríocha a cúig bliain d’aois. Rugadh mé i mí na Bealtaine. Tá mé i mo chonaí in uimhir tríocha a hocht, Sráid Dimitracopoulu san Aithin. Tá do sheomra leapa ann agus parlús. Tá deartháir agus deirfiúr agam. Tá mo deartháir pósta. Níl mé féin pósta. Tá nia agam. Tá sé naoi mbliana d’aois. Nasos is ainm de. Is leanbh maith é. Seo í m’uimhir theileafóin: a do, a haon, a náid, a trí, a sé, a trí, a naoi, a dó, a haon, a seacht. Is teicneoir mé agus tá mé ag obair i gcomhlacht teicstíleacha CLOTEFI. Tá mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge is é Damian atá an t-ainm ar mo mhúinteoir. Is breá an aimsir í san Aithin. Tá sé te agus tirim de ghnáth.

Apart from Athens, Greece, where else is Irish being taught on the European continental mainland? There are various lists on the internet, some of which seem to be out of date, such as the Daltaí listing and the an even older Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (SMA) list, which in effect is a history of Irish-language teaching in Europe since the early 1990s.

Below is a list (by no means definitive) of Irish courses currently on offer:

Czech Republic

• The Centre for Irish Studies of the Department of English and American Studies of the University of Prague offers Irish language courses, taught by Síle Ní Bhroin. The course is funded by the Ciste na Gaeilge of the Irish Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, a fund which supports the teaching of Irish at third-institutions outside of Ireland.Students sit the TEG examinations upon completing the course, and the most successful students are provided with scholarships to intensive summer courses in Carraroe, Co. Galway.

Germany

• Marcus Metz of DIGRIM (Deutsch-Irische Gesellschaft Rhein-Main e. V.) holds regular crash courses in Irish in the Rhein-Mein area.

• The Studienhaus für Keltische Sprachen und Kulturen (SKSK) in Königswinter also offers Irish courses, taught by Dr. Elvira M. Veselinović among others.

Luxembourg

• The Cumann Gaelach Lucsamburg organises Irish classes, taught by Oilibhéar Ó Braonain.

Spain

• The La Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Madrid – Jesús Maestro offers an Irish class, taught by Patrick Donnellan.

Adult learners of Irish can now prove their proficiency in the language by taking the new TEG (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge/The European Certificate in Irish) examinations, which are linked to the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework for Language Assessment.

At the moment, the exams are only being offered in Ireland (Maynooth, Donegal, Galway and Cork), which, unfortunately, means that foreign learners of Irish would have to travel to Ireland to sit the examination. As exams have to be held on the same day, perhaps the difficulty in holding the examinations abroad is one of logistics.
In any case, all six Greeks learning Irish in Athens are very interested in the exams and are very keen on taking them. As it costs €100 to sit the exam , surely the combined fees (€600) in this case would go most of the way of paying an examiner to come to Athens!

Yolanda is ainm dom. Oibrím sa Roinn Gnothaí Eachtracha na Gréige san Aithin. De ghnáth, éirim ar a seacht a chlog, agus ithim bricfeasta. Ar a hocht a chlog téim amach agus siúlaim go dtí an Roinn. Táim i mo chónaí i lár na cathrach, agus níl an Roinn i bhfad ar shiúl. Tosaím ag obair timpeall a hocht a chlog agus chríochnaím ar a sé a chlog thráthnóna, agus tar éis sin, téim go minic go dtí an phictiúrlann. Taitníonn go leor liom an phictiúrlann. Ach má tá tuirse orm, téim abhaile agus léim, éistim le ceol agus féachaim ar an teilifís.

Ar an Satharn, éirim ar a deich a chlog agus téim go dtí an caife le mo chairde. Ar ball, téimid go dtí an bhialann. Bímid ag damhsa oíche Sathairn,. Ar an Domhnach bím ag siúl ar maidin.

Vici Christi is ainm dom. Is Gréigeach mé. Is as an gCipir mé, ach tá mé i mo chónai i bPireas, in uimhir 52, Sráid Skilitsi. Seo í m’uimhir theileafóin: a dó, a haon, a náid, a ceathair, a haon, a dó, a sé, a seacht, a sé, a ceathar. Is iriseoir mé. Tá mé ag obair san Athens News Agency.

Is mise Eilís Ní Dhiolúin. Is leath-Greigeach agus leath-Eireannach mé. Is as Corinth mé, ach tá mé i mo chonaí san Aithin anois. Is mac leinn mé. Tá mé ag staidéar an dlí. Tá mé i mo chonaí in uimhir a sé, Sráid Omirou. Tá sé i gKipseli. Seo í m’uimhir theileafóin: a dó, a haon, a náid, a trí, a sé, a hocht, a sé, a seacht, a cúig, a ceathair.

IRISH classes in Athens will commence on Wednesday, September 26, at the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies, which is located at Odos Notara 51a in Exarchia.

Two levels will be on offer: new students may participate in the Beginner’s Class (Wednesdays, 6.00-7.30) and the students who completed last year’s course may take part in the Intermediate Class (7.30-9.00).

Duration/Cost

Each lesson will last 90 minutes and the course will run weekly until June. We will of course be taking the usual holidays (Christmas, Easter, bank holidays, etc.)

The cost of each lesson will depend on how many people enrol, but I’d imagine it would be between €10-15 per class. I would ask that students pay for a month (i.e. four classes) in advance.

Textbook

For new students, the course textbook will be:

• Diarmuid Ó Sé and-Joseph Shiels, Teach Yourself Irish, 4.rev ed., London: Teach Yourself Books, 2003, ISBN: 978-0340870730 (approx. €11.50)

(Note: We could try and order this book locally. If this is not possible, it is available from Amazon UK. I suggest that I order all the copies we need to save on postage and packaging.)

Dictionary (available at Eleftheroudakis)

• Collins Gem Irish Dictionary: small size, small print, costs approx. €7.50

• Collins Express Irish Dictionary: large size, large print, costs approx. €14.90

Day

As it would be impossible to find a day that suits everyone who would like to learn Irish, I’ve chosen Wednesday. It also suits me much better. However, if you cannot attend and would really like to learn Irish, please let me know the day and time that would best suit you on the form below and maybe we can work something out:

Teacher:

The classes will be taught by Damian Mac Con Uladh.

REGISTRATION

If you’d like to take part in the class, please fill this form out (you can cut and past it into you email program) and return it (by leaving a comment to this message) before Friday, September 22.

Name:

Address:

Telephone: (home) (mobile)

Level: Beginners [ ] (Wednesdays, 6.00-7.30)

Intermediate [ ] (Wednesdays, 7.30-9.00)
Alternative suggestions for day/time (if any):

Ar 16ú Meitheamh 2007 bunaíodh líonra de ghrúpa Gaeilge ar an Mhór-Roinn na hEorpa, Gaeltacht Europe, ag comhdháil in Frankfurt na Gearmáine.

On Saturday, 16 June 2007, Gaeltacht Europe, a network of Irish-language groups based in mainland Europe, was founded at a conference in Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

Ba é Glór na nGael, i gcomhar le grúpa Gaeilge in Frankfurt, DIGRM, a d’eagraigh an ócáid.

Glór na nGael and the Frankfurt German-Irish Society DIGRM organised the event.

Tabharfaidh Gaeltacht Europe seans do ghrúpaí Éireannacha san Eoraip atá ag plé le forbairt na Gaeilge san AE bualadh lena chéile agus a dtodhchaí a phlé le heagraíochtaí deonacha Gaeilge agus stáit na hÉireann.

Gaeltacht Europe will give Irish-language organisations in mainland Europe the chance to come together and to discuss the future with language-support bodies and the Irish government.

Cé nach raibh fios ag Rang Gaeilge na hAithine faoin gcomhdháil, tá muid ag tnúth le nuacht a fháil agus teagmháil a dhéanamh le dream na Gaeilge san Eoraip.

Although the Athens Irish Class was not aware of the meeting, we are looking forward to hearing from and establishing contact with like-minded organisations across the continent.