The Irish Tongue

The Irish language is beautiful and fluent. It is spoken only in the smallest, Gaeltacht, communities here. They are far and few between in this wondrous country. These communities attempt to keep the Irish language alive. I was honored to attend two Gaelic language classes as part of an Irish Culture Seminar and was able to further appreciate the Irish culture through the Irish tongue. It was beautiful to listen to and very difficult for me to speak. In the second language class, I saw a film about a poet, Michael Hartnett. It was beautiful listening to Irish poetry and it is no wonder why so many excellent pieces of writing have come out of this wondrous country.

William Butler Yeats has a great poem, To Ireland in the Coming Times, it is eloquent and beautiful to read. "While still I may, I write for you...The love I lived, the dream I knew." The Irish language is beautiful, and although Yeats writes in the English language here, he was very appreciative of his homeland. Also, his descriptions of the Ireland, in general, are amazing. They aid in my wanting to live here longer!