Noncredit Irish Language Workshop set for April 12
The Center for Irish Studies will continue its decadelong association with Gaeltacht Minnesota, an organization that promotes the Irish language through noncredit classes, programs and events, by jointly sponsoring “Ceardlann 2008.”
“Ceardlann 2008” will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Saturday, April 12, on the university’s St. Paul campus.
“Ceardlann” is Irish for "workshop." Similar workshops have been held for a number of years, providing instruction and practice in the Irish language for students at all levels.
Faculty for the workshop include Fintan Moore, who teaches Irish Gaelic in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and Eddie Kelleher, who is an Irish-language assistant at St. Thomas this year through the Fulbright program. (St. Thomas is one of five American universities for which the Fulbright Commission funded such positions this year.)
Classroom activity begins at 9 a.m. and will end at 4:30 p.m. (probably with a few songs). For beginners, the workshop offers a chance to get a taste of the language. Beginners learn how the alphabet works, how to pronounce things they see written in Irish, and how some of the basic grammar works. More importantly, they start working with conversation right away.
For more advanced students, the workshop offers a rare opportunity to use Irish language skills in conversation with others at a similar level of ability.
To learn more about the workshop, visit the Gaeltacht Minnesota Web site, or call Jim Rogers, Center for Irish Studies, (651) 962-5662.
Students and others with a UST ID may attend free.
