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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
81
Course content
The Early Irish course, which is taught through the medium
of English, covers the history of the Irish language from its
first appearance on the Ogam inscriptions at the dawn of the
Christian era in the fifth century, to the highly polished language
of the sagas and law texts preserved in the medieval manuscript
collections held in the libraries of TCD, the Royal Irish Academy
and the National Library, all within a five-minute walk of the
Arts building. The Celtic and Indo-European origins of Irish will
be investigated. You will come to know the great characters of
Early Irish literature, including the tragic Deirdre, the doomed
Conaire, the irresistible but irritable Cú Chulainn, the hopelessly
infatuated Muirchertach and many more. The Pagan and/
or Christian character of the literature will be investigated as
will topics such as kingship, the heroic biography and the
sovereignty goddess.
The Freshman years
In the first two years you will study the basics of Old Irish.
At this stage most literature is read in translation but you will
be introduced to the original texts gradually and you will see
how the language emerged and developed through the early
Christian period.
The Sophister years
In the Sophister (third and fourth) years the horizons are
expanded; your study of the history of the language will take
you back to its Celtic origins and forward to the dawn of Modern
Irish. At this stage you will be reading prose and poetry as well
as law and history in the original language, and a special course
in palaeography will teach you how to read the manuscripts
themselves. Junior Sophister (third year) students may opt to
spend a term in Aberystwyth learning Medieval and Modern
Welsh.
Assessment
Assessment is by exercises and essays submitted during the
year, as well as end-of-year examinations. In the final year you
will also research and write a dissertation.
Career opportunities
Some students of Early Irish pursue independent research in
the subject with a view to teaching at third-level. Most follow
a career in teaching or journalism, especially Irish-language
related media. Library archiving, the public service, marketing,
business, interpreting and translation all figure in the profiles of
past students.
An Nua-Ghaeilge
Is féidir Nua-Ghaeilge a dhéanamh i dteannta le hábhar eile sa
Mhodhnóireacht Dhá Ábhar (TR001) nó i dteannta le Luath-
Ghaeilge sa Mhodhnóireacht aon-onóra (EMI TR022). Sa dá
chóras seo déantar staidéar ar an dá ábhar ar feadh trí bliana
agus roghnaítear ceann amháin den dá ábhar don cheathrú
bliain. Bronntar céim onóra sa dá ábhar.
An é seo an cúrsa duitse?
Má bhaineann tú taitneamh as Gaeilge a labhairt, a scríobh
is a léamh, agus más mian leat barr feabhais a chur ar do
chumas sna réimsí sin, beidh an cúrsa seo oiriúnach duit. Is í
an Ghaeilge teanga oibre Roinn na Gaeilge. Tá an-cháil ar an
Roinn seo as a bheith cairdiúil. Bíonn líon na mac léinn beag
go leor le nach mbíonn sé deacair ag na mic léinn aithne a chur
ar a chéile. Tá Cumann Gaelach na mac léinn an-ghníomhach
ar fad; tá scéim chónaithe lánGhaelach a bhfuil an-tóir uirthi
sa Choláiste. San iomlán, is geall le mionGhaelacht i lár na
príomhchathrach sinn.
Ábhar an chúrsa
Is trí mheán na Gaeilge a mhúinfear do chúrsa. Foghlaimeoidh
tú faoi gach gné den Nua-Ghaeilge: ón bhFiannaíocht sa 13ú
haois go Máirtín Ó Cadhain agus Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill sa lá
atá inniu ann. Cuirfidh tú go mór le do chumas i labhairt agus
scríobh na Gaeilge, agus déanfaidh tú staidéar foirmiúil ar
cheartúsáid na teanga. Beidh deis agat freastal ar léachtaí faoi:
scéalaíocht na seanré, stair shóisialta na teanga, an béaloideas,
filíocht na scol, an Fhiannaíocht agus an nualitríocht ar fad, .i.
gearrscéalta, drámaíocht, úrscéalta, dírbheathaisnéisí agus
filíocht. Caithfidh tú dhá mhí sa Ghaeltacht in Éirinn mar chuid
de do chúrsa. Sainghné speisialta de chúrsa na Nua-Ghaeilge
i gColáiste na Tríonóide ná gur anseo amháin a bheidh seans
agat trí bliana a chaitheamh le Gaeilge na hAlban (a’ Ghàidhlig).
Beidh seans agat, más mian leat, tréimhse a chaitheamh i
nGaeltacht na hAlban freisin.