le Dóirín Ó Suilleabháin
Chuaigh mé chuig Oideas Gael i nGleann Cholmcille i nDún na nGall den chéad uair in 2022. Cuireann siad cúrsaí teanga agus cultúir ar fáil do dhaoine fásta. Is Breac‑Ghaeltacht í Gleann Cholmcille; ní bhíonn cúrsaí ar fáil ann do pháistí cosúil le Gaeltachtaí eile a bhíonn plódaithe le páistí gach samhraidh. Bhain mé an‑sult go deo as an gcéad seachtain a chaith mé ann. Rinne mé cúrsa teanga an uair sin agus d’fhoghlaim mé a lán Gaeilge. Bhí ranganna ar ocht leibhéal ann ó thosaitheoirí go hidirmheánach agus go foghlaimeoirí líofa. Bhí suas le 35 uair de theagmháil ar fáil.
Bhí na múinteoirí ar fheabhas. Bíonn an‑bhéim ar líofacht a chothú trí fhuaimniú cruinn, leaganacha cearta cainte agus méadú ar stór na bhfocal.
Gach oíche eagraítear imeachtaí siamsaíochta – damhsa, ceolchoirmeacha, nó tráth na gceist mar shampla, agus ina dhiaidh sin bailíonn daoine sa teach tábhairne le haghaidh ceoil, craic, cainte agus óil.
Chuaigh mé ar ais an bhliain sin agus rinne mé cúrsa teanga arís. Ach in 2025 chuaigh mé ar ais chuig an scoil samhraidh chun teanga agus cultúr a dhéanamh. Tá an cúrsa seo ar fáil seachtain amháin gach samhradh agus cuirtear gach áit in áirithe go tapa. B’aoibhinn liom é. Gach maidin bíonn ranganna Gaeilge le hocht leibhéal éagsúla. Thig liom dul i ngleic le gnéithe difriúla de chultúr na nGael um tráthnóna agus bhí rogha gníomhaíochtaí ar fáil ag plé le hábhair mar sheinm ceoil, an damhsa seite, an siúl sléibhe, an drámaíocht, an stair, an amhránaíocht ar an sean‑nós, staidéar ar an timpeallacht agus a leithéid.
Bíonn imeachtaí siamsaíochta gach oíche mar a bhíonn i rith na seachtaine teanga, agus dar ndóigh an chraic sa teach tábhairne ina dhiaidh sin.
Molaim go láidir an tseachtain seo i nGleann Cholmcille. Bhí sé ar fheabhas ar fad.
Is as Baile Átha Cliath í Dóirín Ó Suilleabháin ó dhúchas. Tá conaí uirthi i Queensland le blianta fada.
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I attended Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholmcille in Donegal for the first time in 2022. They provide language and culture classes to adults. Gleann Colmcille is a Breac-Ghaeltacht; they do not provide courses for children unlike other Gaeltachts that are full to the brim with children each summer. I really enjoyed the first week I spent there. I took a language course then and learnt a lot of Gaeilge. There were classes with eight levels available from beginners, to intermediate to fluent. There was 35 hours of contach (Teaching) available.
The teachers were great. There is a lot of emphasis on promoting fluency through accurate pronounciation, accuracy in spoken word and an increase in vocabulary.
In the evenings, there are fun activities – dancing, concerts, or a quiz night for example and afterwards we convene tp the pub for music, craic, conversation and drinking.
I returned again that year and did another language course. But in 2025, I returned to the summer school to do a language and culture course. This course is available for one week each summer and fills up quickly. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Each morning there are classes of eight levels. I got the opportunity to engage with various different aspects of the culture of the Gael in the evenings and there were many aother activities available such as music/song, set-dancing, hill-walking, drama, history and sean-nós singing, environmental studies and such.
There are fun activities each night, as there are during the language week, oand of course, craic in the pub afterwards.
I really recommend this week in Gleann Cholmcille. It was wonderful.
Dóirín is a native of Dublin and is living in Queensland for many years.
Tinteán 