It must be said that Geraghtys supermarket in Carna never was, in my experience, a great place for Irish conversation, as it usually had to be dragged out of them. In that they were not alone of course, as there are many other places in Conamara just as bad. Thankfully I know the good and the bad, so I can choose where to spend my money.
But now that Geraghtys is owned and run by Asians, without any Irish, is this kind of thing not defeating the purpose of the reservation, oops tá brón orm, Gaedhealtacht ?
This appears to be just another part of the problem of foreigners buying land in Gaedhealtacht areas, I happen to know personally quite a few Europeans, none of them with the slightest interest in aquiring Irish, but living in Conamara, two of them since the late sixties, agus gan focal Gaedhilge acu !
This is probably going over well trodden ground, but it would still be interesting to hear opinions.

I suppose we can forgive foreigners for not wanting to learn Irish. As they don't actually need it to communicate because everybody in the Gaeltacht is multilingual. If they lived in Poland for example they'd have to make an effort to learn Polish. Not all foreigners in Ireland are like that, a lot of them do try to learn Irish.
But it is disheartening and shameful that natives of Carna don't want to speak Irish.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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You must remember that "Class divide" is rife in Ireland a legacy from our history.It is still here alive and breathing .The shop in Carna you listed was never "Native language Friendly" and visited it often when based in Maoinís, on a Translating course in Carna which was run by GMIT.
Is dóigh go bhfuil a gcuid airgid déanta acu agus dhíol siad amach.Bhí mise bunaithe i Maoinís ó 2008/2009

I would like to see an Irish exam/requirement of some sorts for those who wish to live in a Gaeltacht area. This is even more important for someone who is providing a service to the local community. I have a very good friend, born and bred in another country, who moved to Ireland well into adulthood. She wanted to teach here. At the time, you needed to pass an Irish exam to teach in second level schools here (I think that requirement may have gone now). She took up Irish classes and passed her exam.

To have an Irish language requirement for a Gaeltacht area is not a racist approach, it is a pro-Gaeilge approach. Everyone should be welcome to live anywhere, but with a language in danger, there should be more stringent steps taken to help it to survive and thrive, if possible.

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I understand. It's kind of a dilemma, looking racist or helping the language to survive...

There was something like that in Wales too, communities where those who don't speak Welsh aren't allowed to settle in.
It's a dilemma... I'm not racist at all and at the same time I don't want Welsh or Irish to disappear. One could sat that those who don't speak the language could well go and live a few kilometres further, it wouldn't make any difference to them, while it would make a difference for the future of the language...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

For example, you yourself would be an asset to any Gaeltacht community - as long as it is in Gaoth Dobhair; otherwise you'd scare the bejaysus out of the locals!!!

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I thought there was some kind of rule limiting property sales in Gaeltacht areas to fluent Irish speakers? Did that not go over?

Redwolf

I can remember the Gaeilge going down fast - where there were a few there are now none - even the children raised with Gaeilge prefer to speak English to each other - I hate to say it, but I think our Gaeilge is in serious trouble... I thank God I speak Irish - I was lucky - but I thank him even more that I have English without which I could not communicate in modern Ireland.

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Bí cinnte de go nglacfaidh triúr le gach aistriúchán a thabharfar.
Be sure to get three in agreement with a translation given.

I'm not sure it was forbidden for non-Irish-speakers to settle in Gaeltacht areas. I heard of a place in Donegal where the new priest had no Irish. Within a few years almost everybody stopped speaking Irish. And now, when you speak Irish in the supermarket there, people understand but they are surprised (I know, I went there). That's the way languages die. That's more or less the way it is in Brittany. In my area, almost all people over 60 y.o. know Breton and can speak it, but few of them still use it. Many people that are about 50 y.o. understand Breton but don't speak it. Teenagers and children don't know nor understand a word of it (and most of them don't care at all about it).

I hope it won't be like that in the Gaeltachtaí in a few years...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

That is so sad. You'd think as they are ruled by France that they'd appreciate their own culture even more.


Redwolf - I'm not sure exactly what the law is at the moment. Or was it really ever a law.
Builders who build housing estates are supposed to make sure a certain percentage of the houses are bought by Irish speakers. But who is going to force them or test the owners.
County Council housing is different as they belong to the government. So they can't ignore the legislation as easily. The new CC housing estate near me has all (afaik) Irish speakers, locals in them. But the CC housing estate built years before has a lot of English speakers. Whoever was on top of the housing list got them (Gaeltacht maybe but not necessary Irish speaking).
I don't think the legislation ever applied to single private houses being built or outsiders buying private houses from locals. That could complicate things for second generation English speaking Conamara people living in England or America wanting to built on family land.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
___________________________________________________________