Living and Learning in Connemara
– By Chip Costello
I love the Kingdom (Kerry), but I will have to come clean and admit that I really, really like Connemara. Taking an immersion program for a month sponsored by the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange was not only challenging but also entertaining. The locale, the faculty, abundant opportunities for Irish conversation, and the enthusiasm of fellow students enabled the program participants to improve their listening and speaking skills in a very supportive environment.
The program was run by the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) in Carraroe. The landscape in the area included diverse geography ranging from harbors, islands, and bogs to stark stony expanses. From my perspective as a learner, I couldn’t imagine a nicer place. When I was in town, I could go to the grocery store, post office, or tavern and conduct my business in Irish. At first, I was a bit tentative but grew in confidence the more I used the language. By the third week, I even mumbled responses at Mass as a real native.
One extraordinary benefit of the program was living with an Irish speaking family. The fear an tí and the bean an tí (the man and woman of the house) were extremely friendly and became great friends of ours. There were eight other students in the house from Canada, Germany, and the US. We ate our meals and made progress with the language over the course of the month. At night, we frequently sat in the dining room, drank tea, and spoke Irish with our hosts.
The highlight of my time in Connemara was going with the fear an tí and house mates to an abandoned island where the fear an tí had been raised. Each year a mass had been celebrated in Irish and people with a connection to the island came back and met with family and friends. The island was beautiful and quiet on the day we visited by currach. Everyone was welcomed by the fear an tí’s mother who was well into her eighties. After the mass, music, and conversation, the currachs took people back to the mainland. Sometimes we don’t realize how blessed we are. I knew it at that point though. I felt the ocean spray hitting my face, saw moonlight casting silver rays over the surface of the water, and listened to the boat splitting through the waves. Then the fear an tí’s mother started singing traditional songs in a low and beautiful voice. Although the island had been abandoned, none of us would forget the tremendous sense of community, family ties, and language that we experienced that night.
Our formal schooling took place on Monday through Saturday where we reviewed grammar and practiced speaking. Our teacher was great in getting every student involved. He spoke quickly and clearly, forcing you to concentrate. Each of us became very aware of the richness of the language and of distinctive regional expressions.
There were opportunities for travel in the area, and we spent a day on the Aran Islands, learned more about Pádraig Mac Piarais by visiting his cottage in Ros Muc, and ambled through Galway which was in the midst of a three week arts festival.
Having the opportunity to live with an Irish speaking family and house mates for a month in Connemara provided a first rate learning experience, new friends, and an enhanced appreciation for this area of Ireland. We all felt that we had been very lucky. As we all went our separate ways, I headed for the Kingdom.
