I'm in the Gaeltacht and they actually do speak Irish!

Beidh mé ar ais...

It's mise!  Andy sa Ghaeltacht (That means 'Andy in the Gaeltacht' guys!).  I've loads of the lingo now and Raidió na Gaeltachta even have a programme about us!

I've had a sensass time.  Yesterday I bought a loaf of bread in the siopa and the girl behind the counter nearly smiled at me!  Finally, a community that might someday learn to love Andy Semple.  

Ar aon nós... I'd like to act like the war correspondent to all my non-Gaeilgeoir mates in Baile Átha Cliath.  The ancient-lingo speakers are really peeved and they are going to march on the Capital... I repeat, MARCH ON THE CAPITAL!

Their fadhb goes like this:

-  Some guy called Shaun Occurrence (not sure of the spelling) gave up his job because no one was listening to him.  I'm not really sure what he was supposed to be doing (didn't listen to that part) but ceapaim go raibh sé taking his job too seriously for the Government's liking. 

-  Some guy called Grinny McGinley is pretending to be a Gaeilgeoir but he is actually a master of disguise who is actively working with the forces of KAOS to dismantle Gaeilge. 

-  Some guy called Un Teeshock learned how to speak Irish fluently in order to infiltrate the community and break it from the inside. 

-  And finally: the historical overview (this is the most important part):  England conquered Ireland.  Then, just for a laugh one day, a few messers took over a post office and pretended to look for 'Irish Freedom', but, much to everyone's surprise, it actually worked!!!!! O mo Dhia, this piece of larkin around actually triggered events that gave most of the country freedom from the aul enemy!  AND THEN...

-  Oh, oh... now we actually had the option to speak as Gaeilge again, but this would mean a shit load of hassle, probably an economic disadvantage, and really, weren't we mostly English by now anyway?  Still... we had to seem like we wanted freedom after all that didn't we?  SO....

- We decided to make a ham-fisted attempt at Revival by forcing ill-equipped teachers to teach unenthusiastic students on how to learn a language that would be used nowhere in the public sphere... AGUS...

That's where we are now ceapaim.

Except...

These guys out here in the Gaeltacht ACTUALLY speak it!  It's not a joke!!!!

Anyway, I have my own deacrachtaí sa Ghaeltacht... I lost my house in Baile Átha Cliath and now myself and the missus agus an páiste óg, Shane Seosamh are spendin' our days and night's with Bridie's parents.  Tá sé pressure cooker.

I'll keep yez posted on what's goin on in the sticks.  It makes me feel like your man off the BBC... David Aiteann-ború.