Bhuel, the forums at Greann.com are coming along faster than I thought. (This Ireland-like damp weather is certainly helping to speed things along!)
Greann.com should be ready in a few days for Irish language students of all ages & abilities. We've got a logo anois, and I've experimented with the moderation features (moving threads & posts to more appropriate places).
There's also a private forum for Minnesota Gaeltacht members.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Nua! Fóram ag Greann.com
Coming Soon! The forums at Greann.com. "Greann" means "fun" in Irish, and Greann.com will be the fun way of learning the Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) language.
http://forums.greann.com
Currently Greann.com is in its testing stage. You can sign up and post there, but we don't have a logo yet and the forums may be rearranged and permissions may not work quite right, etc.
Within a few days I hope to have everything cleaned up and ready to go. When it's ready, I'll be deleting whatever posts are currently there (there's just a bunch of silly stuff there now; you can safely ignore it), and starting from scratch. So don't post the Great American (or Irish) Novel quite yet. Give me a week or so.
If you're interested in learning Irish Gaelic in a fun, stimulating environment then the forums at Greann.com are the way to go. It'll be a great environment for beginners, since we'll be very protective of members. We won't tolerate obnoxious users; it'll be a fun, nurturing environment.
And if you're an advanced student or teacher of Irish, we'd love to have you at Greann.com, too. We need experts as well as students.
http://forums.greann.com
Currently Greann.com is in its testing stage. You can sign up and post there, but we don't have a logo yet and the forums may be rearranged and permissions may not work quite right, etc.
Within a few days I hope to have everything cleaned up and ready to go. When it's ready, I'll be deleting whatever posts are currently there (there's just a bunch of silly stuff there now; you can safely ignore it), and starting from scratch. So don't post the Great American (or Irish) Novel quite yet. Give me a week or so.
If you're interested in learning Irish Gaelic in a fun, stimulating environment then the forums at Greann.com are the way to go. It'll be a great environment for beginners, since we'll be very protective of members. We won't tolerate obnoxious users; it'll be a fun, nurturing environment.
And if you're an advanced student or teacher of Irish, we'd love to have you at Greann.com, too. We need experts as well as students.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Céard atá "shuffled" ar do iPod?
Céard atá "shuffled" ar do iPod? - What is "shuffled" on your iPod?
I put my iPod mini on Shuffle mode tonight while making dinner. First it played "Bad Man's Song" by Tears for Fears, then Ceacht a Trí from Turas Teanga, then some Beethoven. What a mix!
Ar mhaith leat teacht chuig mo chóisir?
Ba bhreá liom, ach tá mé an-tuirseach. :-(
I put my iPod mini on Shuffle mode tonight while making dinner. First it played "Bad Man's Song" by Tears for Fears, then Ceacht a Trí from Turas Teanga, then some Beethoven. What a mix!
Ar mhaith leat teacht chuig mo chóisir?
Ba bhreá liom, ach tá mé an-tuirseach. :-(
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Iarla Ó Lionáird of Afro Celt Sound System
"Is maith liom Afro Celt Sound System, ach b'fhearr liom Iarla Ó Lionáird." - I like ACSS, but I'd prefer Iarla.
I was never one who's into vocals. Give me a good bass line and I'm happy.
However, ever since I went to Ireland and found out about sean-nós singing, I've had a new appreciation for vocal works. Sean-nós literally means "old style" or traditional. It's generally without any instruments other than the singer's voice. It's all "as Gaeilge" (in Irish; and no, that doesn't mean English with an Irish accent).
A small group of us from Monday night Irish language class went over to Ireland to take a week-long Irish language class in An Ceathrú Rua (Carraroe). I can't sing to save my life, so I considered worming my way out of one of our classes, which was dedicated to sean-nós singing. We were surprised and honored when Meaiti Jo Sheamuis (music director at Raidió na Gaeltachta) sang sean-nós live for our little Irish language class, and I was blown away by his singing. What a huge amount of emotion and nuance put into the singing. I was hooked.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a copy of his CD in the US. In the meantime, I was surprised to find out that the Afro Celt's lead singer actually has a sean-nós singing background.
Iarla Ó Lionáird is the lead vocalist of Afro Celt Sound System. I first heard them (and him) in a duet with Sinéad O'Connor while listening to the Celtic Melt radio station at Live365.com. It just seemed different at first. But after a few listenings, I felt compelled to buy the album. Best thing I ever did. Of course, I now own all their albums, up through Anatomic (Vol. 5) which is truly their crowning glory. Their compositions and execution have really matured over the last few albums.
So after really getting into ACSS, I heard about Iarla's solo albums. They got rather mixed reviews on amazon.com. So I went to his web site (link in sidebar at right), and listened to "Aobhinn Crónán (The Humming of the Bees)" and over the course of week decided it was definitely worth trying out the album. His solo stuff is nothing like ACSS--except the outstanding voice, of course. The great thing is that his solo work really accentuates his great voice in a way that most ACSS songs don't.
To see a free video with one of his songs (that does have some musical accompaniment), click on the "Iarla Ó Lionáird" link on the sidebar at right, then click the "Audio & Video" link on Iarla's web site. Then click on one of the video downloads for "Aoibhinn Cronan (The Humming Of The Bees) Live".
It's a song that, while seemingly simple at first, will grow on you.
I can't play it enough. Enjoy.
I was never one who's into vocals. Give me a good bass line and I'm happy.
However, ever since I went to Ireland and found out about sean-nós singing, I've had a new appreciation for vocal works. Sean-nós literally means "old style" or traditional. It's generally without any instruments other than the singer's voice. It's all "as Gaeilge" (in Irish; and no, that doesn't mean English with an Irish accent).
A small group of us from Monday night Irish language class went over to Ireland to take a week-long Irish language class in An Ceathrú Rua (Carraroe). I can't sing to save my life, so I considered worming my way out of one of our classes, which was dedicated to sean-nós singing. We were surprised and honored when Meaiti Jo Sheamuis (music director at Raidió na Gaeltachta) sang sean-nós live for our little Irish language class, and I was blown away by his singing. What a huge amount of emotion and nuance put into the singing. I was hooked.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a copy of his CD in the US. In the meantime, I was surprised to find out that the Afro Celt's lead singer actually has a sean-nós singing background.
Iarla Ó Lionáird is the lead vocalist of Afro Celt Sound System. I first heard them (and him) in a duet with Sinéad O'Connor while listening to the Celtic Melt radio station at Live365.com. It just seemed different at first. But after a few listenings, I felt compelled to buy the album. Best thing I ever did. Of course, I now own all their albums, up through Anatomic (Vol. 5) which is truly their crowning glory. Their compositions and execution have really matured over the last few albums.
So after really getting into ACSS, I heard about Iarla's solo albums. They got rather mixed reviews on amazon.com. So I went to his web site (link in sidebar at right), and listened to "Aobhinn Crónán (The Humming of the Bees)" and over the course of week decided it was definitely worth trying out the album. His solo stuff is nothing like ACSS--except the outstanding voice, of course. The great thing is that his solo work really accentuates his great voice in a way that most ACSS songs don't.
To see a free video with one of his songs (that does have some musical accompaniment), click on the "Iarla Ó Lionáird" link on the sidebar at right, then click the "Audio & Video" link on Iarla's web site. Then click on one of the video downloads for "Aoibhinn Cronan (The Humming Of The Bees) Live".
It's a song that, while seemingly simple at first, will grow on you.
I can't play it enough. Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
