Announcing a new series: Filíocht Fridays
There is no better way of exploring the Good, the True and the Beautiful in Irish cultural history than through Gaeilge agus Filíocht.
Filíocht Fridays
From now on, hopefully as long as this substack exists, I will be publishing a detailed analysis of a classic dán as Gaeilge every Friday.1 I will provide the article as Béarla, as well as Gaeilge, as well as the poems. I will provide the poem as it was originally published, as Gaeilge and unedited (bar some minor tweaks to help intelligibility for nua-Ghaeilge, as well as a poetical translation as Béarla. More often than not these poetical translations will be from James Clarence Mangan, who—although not a Gaeilgeoir—was very much racy of the soil, as the famous Young Ireland maxim went.
The purpose of this project, other than simply for the fun of it, is two-fold:
To promote an teanga: if I have even convinced one more person to learn or improve their chuid Gaeilge, my mission is successful!
To further explore the Irish poetic metaphysic: in many ways, one can be a Gaeilgeoir, play GAA, play a trad instrument, etc—and nonetheless lack the aesthetic and cultural soul of the Gael. Only poetry can illuminate that.
Another positive is that I will be able to focus on more long form content, minimising the risk of slop.
Starting tomorrow at 12:00, I will be exploring a dán from Aogán Ó Rathaille, I hope you enjoy it!
To my paid subscribers.