Throwback Thursday: Are you pronouncing Na Piarsaigh wrong?!

THE teaching (and learning) of Irish in mid-20th century Ireland continues to bring in a lively correspondence from readers of Throwback Thursday.

Frank Desmond refers back to features we ran a year ago, when he told us of a certain ‘Dantro’ (more properly, Riobárd Ó hÚrdail) who was a revered teacher at Coláiste Chríost Rí .

“I went to Coláiste Chríost Rí in the 1970s, when he was teaching Irish,” said Frank, “I was one of his students for several years.

“It was said that in his Monday morning classes, the sound of a pin dropping was very bad because, as a result, he would punish the entire class. He wanted dead silence! For all but the best students, he could be terrifying, though fortunately for me when I was there in the 1970s, his worst days were behind him (and, thankfully, behind everybody else too!).

On the other hand, he was brilliant teaching the best students, especially debaters.

Ah, so that’s where the Coláiste got its sterling reputation for turning out unbeatable arguers and persuaders, against whom all other schools were as chaff beneath the flail.

“The ‘purity’ of the Irish language has also been mentioned,” continues Frank, “which brings me to one particular point on which Mr O’hUardail insisted on being pedantic.

“I presume you have heard of the Cork GAA team known as Na Piarsaigh? The problem is that that team name is universally mispronounced, presumably even by the team itself.

“Spelt in English, everybody says ‘Peer Shig’. However, that ‘h’ should NOT be there and the name is ‘Peer Sig’.

“So, although Mr O’hUardail is presumably correct, he is also unique and that particular ‘purity’ of the Irish language must die with him.”

For himself, says Frank, “I simply stuck with Irish as long as I had to, which meant the Leaving Cert.

“I got honours which helped get me into college, I suppose, and that was that in terms of my ‘life-long’ relationship with the language.”

In broader terms, though, he queries that he has seen no mention in Throwback Thursday of an actual love of Irish. “There surely must be SOME people who love the language for itself?

However, although you can FORCE somebody to use the language, that, if anything, is the opposite of liking, let alone loving the language.

“Even if the effort to make the population speak the language actually worked, that would mean that people both spoke and hated it!”

Yes, a bit of a problem there, Frank.

It reminds one of Eastern European countries which were taken over by the Soviet Union, and forced to learn Russian as their main language. Today, when those countries are once again independent, you will not hear a word of Russian spoken. They have, one and all, returned forcefully and determinedly to their own native tongue. (And you may be asking for trouble by speaking Russian in some places there, believe me.)

Here in Ireland, perhaps Éamon de Valera felt that the liking and appreciation would come in time. But it took a lot longer than he had anticipated.

However, the signs are there. Ger Fitzgibbon, who had no happy memories of his own experience with Irish, has found that the change is indeed coming.

“After that contribution to Throwback Thursday, I was having a follow-up conversation with one of my grandchildren - a Dublin city 20-year-old from a posh-ish school. She told me that for her generation (i.e. her immediate friends and acquaintances) Irish had become quite cool, and a very high proportion of her class had done higher level Irish (voluntarily!) in the Leaving Cert.

That surprised me a bit, but it was very pleasant to hear. Perhaps it takes several generations?

And then we heard from Eilish O’Brien, who tells us without hesitation that she has very happy memories of “foghlaim na Gaeilge i nDubhros Iarthar Chorcaí.”

“I grew up in Durrus and went to Carraig Buí NS and secondary school in Bantry in the 1960s,” said Eilish.

“I loved Irish as did my three siblings. Bean Uí Ghallchóir was our teacher in Durrus, hated by most, but I loved learning new words and phrases, so I was her ‘peata ranga’.

“She gave me a great grá for Irish, which I have to this day. We left Durrus school with a standard of Gaeilge comparable to Arts Degrees in UCC now.

“I still recall getting two pennies (tuppence) from Bean Uí Ghallchóir for remembering all the points she gave us (daily on one particular week) on the duties of the working horse, capall na feirme! Twas like a Lotto win to me!”

Oh Eilish, you must share those duties of the working horse with us. If you got tuppence for learning them back then, you surely can remember them now? Write immediately and tell us!

“I have a few Ciorcal Ghaeilge here and there,” says Eilish. “The best group of all is Gaeilgeoirí Cois Laoi, started in 2009, courtesy of the Clarion/Clayton hotel, who gave me a special ‘cúinne na Gaeilge’ every Monday and still going strong!

“Sean Óg Ó hAilpín launched us with Brenda Ní Shúilleabháin of TG4. 

I have to say, Seán is one of the greatest ambassadors of the cúpla focal wherever he goes!

Eilish says she has worked tirelessly in Munster for the promotion of Irish, “but lately I have lost heart slightly, as I find it an uphill battle. I can’t explain my grá for Irish, but my three siblings had it too. My dear brother Donie, who sadly left us last year, did his Gárda Siochána work through Irish in Breac-Gaeltacht areas in Kerry, and going through his papers, we found some reports he wrote in Irish. He never spoke about it really, a very jolly humble soul.

“My mother had so many Irish phrases, blessings (and a few curses!) as she was from the Borlinn valley, quite near Ballingeary.

And there are other signs of a love of Irish too, so don’t lose heart, Frank Desmond!

How about Mary Rose and her popular Cupla Focal café in the English Market? And An Cruiscin Lan in Ballyvourney, where a sign over the counter reads ‘Is Fearr Gaeilge Briste na Bearla Cliste’. (Better broken Irish than twisted/clever English.) True for you, Cruiscin!

And we have heard from other pupils of the old Model School, after we ran the photo of the class of 1956 where you could see the turf store.

Pat Kelly writes to say: “I remember when that photo of the Model School was taken. I knew the boys in my class, which consisted of 4th class and 3rd class. I am somewhere in the picture, but as yet I cannot find myself there!

“The names that I remember are Billy Heaphey, Pat Ward, Niall Brett, Teddy McGarry, Terry Slattery, Connie Draper, Jim Slye, Teddy Bourke, and Michael Keohane.

“My brother, Jim, had gone to Sean Cronin’s pub in Crosshaven, and the picture was on the wall there. It brought back so many, many memories.

“I and my brother, Jim, were the third generation that had attended the Model School. My mother’s father had been there in far, far different times; my uncles had attended, and my first cousins too. 

The Confirmation class had their photo taken too, by the father of one of the boys, Niall Brett. His father was also Niall Brett, who was a professional photographer.

“Sadly, I seem to have lost my Confirmation photo, but keep up this great Throwback Thursday where we can exercise our memories.”

Frank Roche sent us a great picture (left), saying: “The recent columns mentioning the Model School reminded me of the attached photo.

“The stove - by then fired with coal - had a guard added as a nod to Health & Safety. Otherwise, the main fabric of the building was probably not much altered since it opened in 1865.”

And Marie Cotter writes to say: “Just a memory… I was in the Model in 1956, but as regards learning Irish, I’d say it was only the boys got the ‘Fianna’. If you were in early, you got the job to go and bring up the turf in a bucket for the class... two girls to a bucket.

“When we were in 6th class, Fr O’Flynn of The Loft fame would come down every week to us to sing Amhrann Gaeilge linn. I think Bean Ui Bhrian was a friend of his.”

Well it’s very nice to hear from one of the girls who attended the Model School, Marie. Thank you for writing in.

Joan McCarthy has sent us a lovely picture (above) of the Cork Iron & Hardware football team of 1948, with her beloved father, Owen, second from the right standing.

“Though it was taken 75 years ago, and many of the men in it would be well into their 90s by now, some readers might recognise a beloved father or grandfather,” says Joan.

Indeed they might, and thank you for sharing it with us, Joan. Take a look, avid Throwback Thursday readers, and see if you know any of those faces.

And finally, some marvellous memories of childhood from Willie O’Sullivan, who describes himself proudly as a Northsider through and through.

“We lived in Kilnap Place. At first, we’d been with the grandparents in Rathpeacon, but my parents put their name down for a house and we got the one in Kilnap Place, where we lived all our lives until we kids all got married and moved out.

I’ve been up in the Glen now for a long while, and what a place that is, with such history.

Willie’s principal enemy was the Schools Inspector, a Mr Clifford, who was mobile, the better to do his job.

“He had a Honda 50 for chasing around, looking out for truants. He used to chase me everywhere because I couldn’t go to school - I suppose it’s more true to say I wouldn’t go to school - and he was always tracking me down.

“In the end, though, we made a deal. I was mad to be a butcher at that time, and he said if I got work for four or five days a week, he would get me into the One Day a Week up on Wellington Road, and that’s what he did.

“I went to work for Munster Meats - it might have been Denny’s back then.

“But I was always working, as far back as I can remember. One of my earliest jobs was selling the Echo outside Sunbeam when I was a kid. I’d be there, sitting on the grass outside in the evening with a bundle of a hundred copies or more, and when they all came pouring out, they would throw their pennies down and take a copy. It was the easiest job I ever had! They all knew me, and I didn’t have to do anything but sit there with the big bundle of papers.”

There will be more of Willie’s recollections next week! In the meantime, send us your own memories of younger days and times past.

Email jokerrigan1@gmail.com. Or leave a comment on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/echolivecork.