Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

Friday, April 2, 2021

10 Good Friday Traditions in Ireland

 

Good Friday and Christmas were the only days of the year that pubs closed in Ireland until legislation was passed in 2018 to allow pubs to open.  In this The Irish Times story, you will learn about some of the old traditions associated with Good Friday, a text which is recommended for C1 students and above.  

The report also includes a short 2':55" video where some publicans and local customers talk about the closing of pubs on Good Friday in the village of Drumconrath in Co Meath. The video, without subtitles, and with strong local Irish accents is recommended for C2 students.

In the article you will come across words like: to liven it up, uneventful, a foreboding, guilt-ridden [religious observations], the Stations of the Cross, a retreat, repository, a cluster of [interesting observances], to guard against [headaches], to draw [blood], a bald patch, drips, a rafter, disrespectful, to unhook, fltches [of salted bacon], to nail to the timber, blacksmiths, carpenters, idle, a saw, a hammer, to drive a nail, to cleave [cleft], shrubs, bushes, to thrive, to dig [potatoes], seed, to set [their seed potatoes], spud, the cuckoo, cabbages, turnips, to sow, oats, to rot, cattle, tapeworm, to cast off, [to go] barefoot, thorns, bleeding, a sore, clergy, Maundy Thursday, to ward off [sickness], Lenten [fast], [to lay] laid [eggs], to rub, best-before date, to go off, a plea, to have [a plea] granted, the congregation, the altar, black fast, dairy, Lent, cradle, Ash Wednesday, Spy Wednesday, sowens, to soak, oatmeat, mashed potatoes, drab, gruel, nettles, herring, seaweed, shellfish, to carve, carrageen, laver, limpet, droves of [children], the swallow, the heron, the robin, a switch, a remnant, tax returns, to be submitted, liminal, to grab, a spade, verruca, corn, to queue up, a collation, heritage.

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

St. Patrick's Day

With social restrictions in place because of COVID19, St. Patrick's Day is going to be celebrated differently again in 2021, but, it is still going to be a worldwide online celebration.  To join in the fun, and feel the spirit of Paddy's Day, here you can watch a selection of videos and a quiz.

The first video comes from The Economist, and it explains the history and relevance of St. Patrick's Day as a celebration of the brand "Ireland" and "Guinness", Ireland's main export to the world. The video is only 2':22" long, the pace of the narrator's voice is not fast, and there are good subtitles, so it is suitable for B1 students and above.


For a more institutional version of the "Ireland" brand, you can watch this serious 2021 video produced by the Irish Foreign Ministry, which lasts 3':06", and has subtitles, but whose language and background music, make it more suitable for B2 students and above.

SmarterTravel shows a tourist view of St. Patrick's Day celebration in the streets and pubs of Dublin back in 2018, in this 1':13" video with big, simple text and no voice, which is also suitable for B1 students.

C1 students and above can visit the webpage of the Irish Times and do a general knowledge test about Irishology.

And finally, to rejoice your heart, you can tap your foot to the catchy rhythm of an Irish song and enjoy this cute video by Jess Glynn, published in 2014, which can be recommended for B1 students and even for lower levels. Happy Paddy's Day!

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The 50 Best Irish Films Ever Made

 

This article from The Irish Times draws up a list of the 50 best Irish films ever made.  After an introduction that discusses what can be considered an Irish film and what not, the critic describes briefly the plot or the performance of the actors in each film.  The density of information and the rich vocabulary give little context for the English learner to understand new words, so this text is recommended for C2 students. 

You will come across words like sane, to claim, a parlour game, to be set, fanciful, loose(r), to score, jerry-rigged, to shoot a film, it gets you a long way down the road, stand-in, to be up for [consideration], to lure, to settle, to play hardball, a fleeting mood, to qualify [for this list], a bunch, to make [Irish films] happen, a space probe, weed, a peddler, offload, to pit [them] against, a kingpin, unabashedly, thrall, interweaving [urban stories], abrasive, to buzz about, heighthened, to snatch, a toddler, unsettling, to light out, a minor-key gem, ailing, to stumble, to befriend, a saviour, inner city, sparse, lead performance, sterling support, selkie, an informant, ailments, overdue, a shoestring [production], to soar, on the brink of, upheaval, blarney, hoodlum, a coup d'etat attempt, a treatise, a portrait, turmoil, gorgeously rich, to stick in the memory, to segue, curveball, to stalk, to carve out a niche, a masterpiece, to be fuelled, masterly, on the run, backward, a depiction, stunning, to permeate, a boffin, to rage, to ponder [human life], an asylum, a carer, overlooked, disabled, to tend to [their dying mother], a newsreel, annus mirabilis, to boss [the Oscars], winningly [absurd], boosted by  stirring performance, deserving winner, to skirt, to fall for firebrand [Maureen O'Hara], dowry, sime wave, to be muted as, to drift towards, to tweak, holy kismet, scoundrel, stately composition.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Morgan Bullock, an African American, Irish Dancer

Morgan Bullock is a 20-year-old African American from Richmond, Virginia, who uploaded an Irish dance version of Beyoncé's "The Savage Remix" on Tik Tok, which went viral. Many people loved her artistic performance, but there were some who accused her of "cultural misappropriation".  If you want to find out the end of the story you can click on the following BBC link to watch a 4:15 video of the story with subtitles, which could be accessible to B2 students: bbc.in/30p2Y6w

But if your level of English is higher, you can try the full BBC video report below, which is 10:51, and has no subtitles


Saturday, June 27, 2020

Galway's Craic

This superb BBC description of Galway's "craic" (which is a kind of light-hearted, mischievous approach to life) portrays the atmosphere of the streets, pubs and people in that Western Irish, bohemian town. In only 12 slides and a video, you will come across words like bustling pubs, freshly poured pints, lilting music, fiddle, mischief, craic, a local, promenade, odd, damp, to strip down to swimsuits, to plunge into, roiling waters, shivering, dripping, wont, to go with the flow, gale-force winds, counterweight, to breed, laid-back spirit, to foster, layout, an out-of-towner, low-key, to pervade, buskers, winding streets, a month goes by, to distil, pretention, uncontrivedness, breakdown, to edge in, to clutch, to connect with other people, to settle for something

The text is short, but the vocabulary is very descriptive, so it is suitable for C1 students, although B2+ students can also enjoy the pictures and get the gist of the text.

Music & Craic in the Streets of Galway


If you want to feel the "craic" of Galway from your own home, even if your level is B1, you can watch this You Tube video of some Galway buskers performing Hit the Road Jack:

But if you prefer something more Celtic, this video of Irish folk music and dance is for you:

Here, you can find some buskers playing an anthem, Song for Ireland by James Gallagher:

If you like an unpretentious, young, hippy style, try this cover of The House of the Rising Sun:

More street talent with a fiddle and some Mexican flavour: 

This video shows the largest performance of the song Galway Girl in the streets of Galway in 2016: 

I hope you have enjoyed Galway's "craic" wherever you are, 

But if you still want some more, you can watch this tourist documentary which includes, at the end, 20 minutes of Irish  music from the pubs and streets, with visuals of Galway, the Connemara region and the Cliffs of  Mohair. 

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