Category Archives: Education

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Walking tour – Revolutionary Women

The good folk at the Sinn Fein shop in Dublin have an amazing walking tour that they offer, that they call the Rebel Tour. I highly recommend it for people who are interested in Irish history – and even people who know a lot about it already are guaranteed to learn something new on the walk. ( The Rebel Tour )

That being said, I would do almost anything to be able to fly over the puddle and meet Dr. Mary McAuliffe this weekend for her own walking tour. Her tour is based on the revolutionary women who helped shape Ireland’s history – but who are often times reduced to a footnote in it. This is an insult that must be addressed in all the history books of all nations, but this year Ireland is doing a lot to remedy it. Perhaps it is due to the hundred year anniversary of Cumann Na mBan and the renewed interested in the female rebels, or maybe it is just because it’s time to acknowledge the women warriors. Either way, things like this walking tour make me very happy and I hope both men and women get involved in it. I am very sad that I am too far away to experience it.

If you aren’t, please join this tour on Sunday – and report back to the rest of us who cannot.

Rebel Women Walking Tour

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Learning Irish

English not preferred or spoken here

English not preferred or spoken here

I beg the pardon of everyone who is a fluent speaker of Irish when I say that your language is damn near impossible and really, really HARD. Seriously. It’s enough to sometimes make me want to throw my lessons across the room and sometimes I just want to rock back and forth and cry.

I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there who has ever participated in the San Francisco Irish Immersion weekend to help with the learning. It seems pretty awesome but it is expensive, so if there’s anyone who has done it or may be interested in going and learning one of the most frustrating (sorry) languages ever, let me know or register here:

http://www.onesourcegraphics.com/Gaeilge/
CinnLine_nios-mo

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Irish Studies Programs – Updated

Yesterday’s post about the best schools to get your Irish Studies programs needs an update. I went straight for the online program – the only in the world – based in Galway because I’m a non-traditional student who can’t quit any of her 3 jobs for class time. The list I posted yesterday shows a partnership for that program with a U.S. school in Colorado but the links didn’t work when I tried them. I contacted the school in Ireland and while there used to be a partnership, it no longer exists, and you have to sign up for the program through Galway directly.

No problem – I’m still totally excited. Except for one thing – a whopping €12,750.00 per year international student fee….which applies since the partnership isn’t valid anymore. That is on top of the class fees and things that are needed to complete the course – which I thought was definitely update worthy, since U.S. students can’t get federal aid for those courses either. Alas.

It makes me sad, as the idea of an online program really opened some doors in my brain – but I will have to just table that again. I will continue to study as I have for the last 20+ years and be satisfied without a paper that tells other people that I’ve done so. For those of you that can take traditional classes – or afford nearly 13,000 euros, still check out that list since there are options. The Galway link was so enticing – and if you could manage that – the class looks as if it’s extensive and lovely.

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On the off chance

that there are any  of you in the USA looking to further your Irish studies as I am, here’s a great resource. I find it incomprehensible that there are no studies programs here in San Francisco and unfortunately, you must be far richer than I to go to Berkeley or any of the other main schools that this lists, but it’s still a great chance to explore the options. Thanks Irish Central!

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/education/The-definitive-list-of-Irish-Studies-programs–United-States-and-Canada-.html