Podcasts about motherfocl

With thanks to the Bram Stoker Festival, the Motherfoclóir Podcast was resurrected for one afternoon in October 2022 to discuss the translation of Dracula into Irish by Seán Ó Cuirreáin. In this recording of last year's live show Darach is joined by Peadar and Siún as they consider the different motives of the politicians who commissioned the translation and the writer asked to carry out the work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek talks to Darach about the Motherfoclóír podcast, the continued rise in popularity of the Irish language, his two books, his father and his daughter's roles in his writing, the intricacies of the language, Flann O'Brien and 'Point Break'!

Thank you for your support over the last four years.  Thank you for inviting us into your headphones and into your head. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.  Thank you to Brian and Kirsten for making each episode look and sound amazing. Thank you to Éimear, Clodagh, Caitlín, Siún and Ola, and all the members of the extended Motherfoclóir family.  Thank you to our guests for teaching us so much. Much love to anyone who sent us messages of encouragement.  Go raibh míle maith agaibh.  --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: Darach - @theirishfor Gearóidín - @GaRoDean Peadar - @TheKavOfficial Kirsten - @KirstenShielART --- Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/jZSJZKN2 --- Want to record your own podcast?  Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

Every artistic/visual representation of Cúchulainn presents him as a hulking, ultra-masculine figure. But is this interpretation justified by the text? In the Táin, Cúchulainn is frequently described as a small lad, girly in some ways, a person who has to change his appearance to present as a "normal man" but does not wear this disguise when he does not have to.  In today's episode of Motherfoclóir, Darach talks to Masters student Finn Longman about queer readings of the Táin. Once we suspend assumptions about binary genders when considering a work of literature that predates this construction, we are free to engage with the deeper meanings of the Táin. Why is the "pillow talk*chapter only in one version of the Táin? What is the significance of Cúchulainn's relationships with Ferdiad and Laeg? And why does this Irish legend talk about bodies and feelings so much?  --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: whatsapp - +353894784713 twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org --- Want to record your own podcast?  Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

The re-release of Professor Terence Dolan's Dictionary of Hiberno-English didn't happen by accident, but was nudged into existence by a writer who also happens to be one of the most seminal and relevant voices in Irish podcasting. And he's our guest this week!  Before we folded the podcast forever, we are delighted to bring you this conversation between Darach and Blindboy Boatclub, one half of the Rubber bandits and author of two collections of short stories. Blindboy talks to Darach about the Dictionary of Hiberno-English, the idea of resistance in language through dialect and satire, the origin of his love of Flann O'Brien and the future of Irish podcasting.  Check out his books and his podcast! --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: whatsapp - +353894784713 twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org --- Want to record your own podcast?  Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

Four years ago we started this podcast off with a discussion of the letter V. There's been much water under the bridge since then and while we always meant to give the other seven “forbidden” letters their own episode, there was always something a bit more urgent to attend to. Like translating smutty novels and so forth.  But on today's episode, Dr McEvoy and Mayor Pete assist Darach in a whistle stop tour of the letters J, K, Q, W, X, Y and Z. Where do they come from and what do they want? Can they ever truly belong? Are they the Casa Amor new arrivals in the Love Island villa that is the Irish language, fighting for inclusion by pushing an incumbent letter out of the way? Does it even matter? What happens if you need to put a séimhiú on karma? Are Darach and Peadar in a musical? All this and more in today's visit to the wild and wonderful world of Motherfoclóir. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: whatsapp - +353894784713 twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org --- Want to record your own podcast?  Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

Labhraíonn Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh le Seán faoina shaol sa pholaitíocht, mar Mhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath Theas i mbliana agus mar Chomhairleoir Contae. Insíonn sé do Shéain faoina phobal dúchais i gCluain Dolcáin, na rudaí a spreag é ó thaobh na Gaeilge de agus an méid atá déanta aige sa chraoltóireacht le 10 mbliana anuas. Faighimid léargas iontach ar an Pop Up Gaeltacht a bhunaigh Peadar le hOsgur Ó Ciardha agus faighimid amach faoi bhuaicphointí agus na cuimhní is fearr atá ag Peadar ón podchraoladh Motherfoclóir.

Nuacht Mhall. Príomhscéalta na seachtaine, léite go mall. * Inniu an 17ú lá déag de mhí Iúil, 2021. Is mise Ella Hassett. Tar éis ceithre bliana agus beagnach céad is ochtó eagrán, críochnóidh an podchraoladh cáiliúil Motherfoclóir ag deireadh an tsamhraidh seo. Fógraíodh an nuacht ar Twitter oíche Dé Luain an tseachtain seo. Dúirt bunaitheoir an phodchraolta Darach Ó Séaghdha go bhfuil an grúpa fós ina gcairde ach go mbeadh siad ag obair ar thionscnaimh nua as seo amach. Go bunúsach, is é téama an phodchraolta focail, focail Ghaelacha agus focail ón Éirinn, ach pléitear réimse an-leathan ábhar ann le hiomad aíonna éagsúla ón Éirinn agus thar lear. Cé go bhfuil an podcraoladh i mBéarla amháin, tá baint aige le hathbheochan na Gaeilge atá ar siúl le blianta beaga anuas. Tá Coiste Téarmaíochta Fhoras na Gaeilge díreach tar éis focal nua a ghlacadh don fhoclóir oifigiúil ar tearma.ie – duine de dhath. Mhol Ola Majekodumni as Baile Átha Cliath an focal nua seo. Is craoltóir, iriseoir, scríobhneoir agus ball de chumann Fhoras na Gaeilge í. Dúirt sí go bhfuil an focal ‘duine de dhath' níos oiriúnaí sa tsochaí il-eitneach atá in Éirinn faoi láthair ná na focail ‘duine gorm' nó ‘duine dubh' a úsáideadh go dtí seo. Dúirt Donncha Ó Cróinín, an príomhthéarmeolaí le Foras na Gaeilge, go bhfuil áthas orthu an focal nua sin a ghlacadh mar léiríonn sé éabhlóid na gcoincheap. Ar an Domhnach seo caite, chuaigh an billiúnaí Richard Branson agus a fhoireann go himeall spáis i roicéad darbh ainm Unity. D'fhág an roicéad an domhan ó New Mexico agus thaistil sé ochtó cúig ciliméadar suas go himeall spáis. D'fhan an roicéad in áit ar feadh cúpla nóiméad agus thóg Branson físeán ina léirigh sé a mhothúcháin. Bhí a fhoireann le feiceáil sa chúlra ar foluain san aer. In 2004, bhunaigh Branson an comhlacht spáis Virgin Galactic chun eitiltí trádálaí go spás a bhunú. Dúirt Branson gurbh eachtra a shaoil í an eitilt ar an Unity. * Léirithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge i Londain. Tá an script ar fáil i d'aip phodchraolta. * GLUAIS bunaitheoir - founder athbheochan - revival sochaí il-eitneach - multi-ethnic society éabhlóid na gcoincheap - evolution of concepts comhlacht spáis - space company eitiltí trádálaí - commercial flights

Well, it couldn't last forever; Motherfoclóir will be ending forever before this autumn. Before we go on our separate ways, we'd like to bring you some topics and guests that we always meant to, but put on the long finger because we wanted "do more prep" or "wait until X was available" or some other excuse. Anyway, there's no time to procrastinate anymore… First up, our Gearóidín tells Darach all about her PhD thesis in advance of a viva. What's a viva? What's a thesis? We will explain. Gearóidín explains how certain concepts recur in how minority language users and people with disabilities interact with the legal system in general and policing in particular.  Are there digressions? Yes, one or two.  --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: whatsapp - +353894784713 twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org --- Want to record your own podcast?  Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

Harps, shamrocks, hands, crowns, swords, mythical female embodiments of Éire: all Irish symbols and all up for discussion in this episode, in which Tim and Naomi are joined by Darach Ó Séaghdha of the Motherfoclóir podcast to discuss Irish flags past, present, and future. We consider the merits and perils of the different symbols as debate begins to stir on whether a new flag might be required if Northern Ireland were to ever unify with the Republic. Tim runs through the history of flags and their association with the nation state, Darach explains why the colours of the Irish flag have special names in the Irish language, and Naomi talks through some international examples of countries that have debated changing their flag. To see images of the flags we are discussing, follow this link: https://www.theirishpassport.com/2021/04/07/flags-discussed-in-our-latest-episode/ This is a bonus Halfpint episode made specially to thank our Patreon supporters. All our bonus episodes are available at Patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PassportIrish. If you enjoyed this episode, do give us a good review in your podcast app and share it with your friends.

Ola Majekodunmi is a Freelance journalist and writer,RTÉ 2FM researcher, Irish language broadcaster,public speaker,board member for Foras na Gaeilge and Mother Tongues Ireland and a voice-over artist. Ola started presenting a radio show with Raidió na Life in 2014, presenting Seinnliosta an tSathairn and Afra-Éire. She is a frequent guest contributor on other radio shows on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ 2FM, and RTÉ 2XM. She is also one of the core contributors to the Motherfoclóir podcast hosted by Darach Ó Séaghdha. She has been nominated for National Student Media Awards in the Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge category and for the Student Achievement Awards Ireland in the feachtas bliain na Gaeilge category. She was the MC of the Dance Zone at the 2018 Africa Day in Dublin. She was one of the featured guests on RTÉ Radio 1 show Pantisocracy, hosted by Panti. In 2018, Majekodunmi directed the short film What does Irishness Look Like?, which examined the issues around prejudice and national identity in Ireland.She is a co-founder of Beyond Representation, which seeks to bring together and celebrate women of colour in Ireland. Majekodunmi has spoken about issues relating to racism in Ireland, and about the problematic terminology in Irish relating to black people. In November 2020 Majekodunmi was appointed to the board of Foras na Gaeilge for a four year term. Twitter: @olamajekodunmi1 Instagram: @w.majek Youtube: https://youtu.be/kp75aEf95cQ https://youtu.be/EqWKR7eq-CQ   Print: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/that-s-not-my-name-why-getting-the-pronunciation-right-matters-1.4500208%3fmode=amp       Support us!

Every few weeks, a story goes viral in Ireland: a letter, addressed to someone like "that lady with the yellow baseball cap who owns a cat the size of a dog and a dog the size of a cat" is posted and finds its intended recipient. It's a tribute to the affection and esteem with which Irish people regard their postal service. It hints at one of a number of reasons why Ireland resisted postcodes for so long - because our postal workers had such deep local knowledge that they didn't need them. It's a family affair this week on Motherfoclóir as we welcome Gearóidín's Dad, Colm McEvoy, to the show. Colm tells us about how postal workers interpret ambiguous addresses, deal with defensive dogs and all the other little tricks that are known to the people who get your post to you. There's also chat about Irish language envelopes, bilingual addresses, rural Post offices and much more.And this week's favourite Irish word is a cracker! ---Support Motherfocloir on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darach Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/ ---Contact the show:whatsapp - +353894784713 twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishforemail - motherfocloir@headstuff.org ---Want to record your own podcast? Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

Greetings agus Salutations, I am Motherfoclóir, prince of words, Irish, Irish words and words from Ireland. I have a very special request to make of you. If you listen to this podchraoladh about spam as Gaeilge, I will send twenty millionty squillion US Dollars in gold bullion into your earphones. Please send me your bank details by WhatsApp voice note to +353 89 478 4713 and tell me I'm pretty. Seriously, though. Don't answer spam emails. --- Support Motherfocloir on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darach  Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: whatsapp - +353894784713 (https://wa.me/353894784713) twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org (mailto:motherfocloir@headstuff.org) --- Want to record your own podcast?  Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie Or do it online at https://remotely.fm/?coddle 

Welcome to the I Love This Band Christmas Special! In this episode, I'm talking about Christmas music. A variety of friends talk about their favourite Christmas songs and I ask the question, what is the purpose of Christmas music really? Featuring contributions from folk from Motherfoclóir, Muses, Nothing Is Real and Juvenalia. Scripted, Edited and Hosted By Jennifer QuigleyGuests FeaturedDarach O'Seaghdha (Author, Motherfoclóir, Goin' Back by Dusty Springfield)Danny Kilmartin (Journalist, I Love This Band co-host, Jona Lewie- Stop The Cavalry)Chanty Lemieux (Muses Podcast, Dent May- I'll Be Stoned For Christmas)Jason Carty (Nothing Is Real: A Beatles Podcast, Paul McCartney- A Wonderful Christmas Time)ICE POP- (Musician, Jinx Lennon- Don't Lose A Stone For Christmas)Alan Maguire (Juvenalia Podcast, Surfjan Stevens, The Child With A Star On His Head)Social Media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilovethisbandpodInstagram: @ilovethisbandpodSoundtracked:Epidemic Sounds for Creators Other Songs:ICE POP - Last Christmas Instrumental CoverDent May- I'll Be Stoned For ChristmasPatreonI Love This Band Patreon

For our last episode of the year, we take you to a supermarket in the Dublin suburbs in 2006. We also discuss a string of mysterious explosions at Polish grocery stores in the Netherlands, doing a deal with Viktor Orbán, and the secret to happiness in Europe. This week's beautiful story was written by Richy Craven, read by Darach Ó Séaghdha, and produced by Katz Laszlo. If you enjoyed it, please consider donating to Barnardos. You can check out Darach's podcast, Motherfoclóir, here, and listen to the sweet sounds of Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O'Brien here. Other music from Lena Orsa and Timbre at Freesound. This week's Isolation Inspiration: The Great, Catherine The Great, The Romanovs, Handel's Messiah from VOCES8, To Catch A Thief and ÜberWeihnachten. Thank you so much for listening to The Europeans in 2020. We've loved making the show. If you'd like to help us keep going in 2021, you can chip in a few euros/dollars/pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Podcasting is an ever-expanding medium, seeing massive growth in the last few years, but making a podcast during a pandemic creates a whole new host of challenges. Co-host of the Motherfoclóir podcast Peter Kavanagh speaks about the power of the spoken word, gives some tips for people starting a podcast for the first time and how the COVID-19 pandemic effected their production. Emma Kennedy, Managing Director of The Echo Newspaper, speaks about the challenges over the past few months and how through the Local Voices podcast, a new way of informing Echo readers was found.

In this week’s episode, Peadar and Darach are visited by Manchán Magan, the creator of the Gaeilge Tamagotchi project, Gaeilge Amháin and author of “Thirty Two Words For Field”, his new book about the Irish language and the ecological and social wisdom contained in its precise vocabulary, wisdom that would be lost if the language is lost too.  Manchán tells the lads about his travels, his encounters and even those plays he wrote. It's pure wild stuff so be sure to subscribe!  --- Support Motherfocloir on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darach  Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org (mailto:motherfocloir@headstuff.org) --- Want to record your own podcast? Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie

Back in episode #74, Darach and Clodagh discussed Scots Gaelic in general and a book of transgressive verse called “An Leabhar Liath” in particular. One poem they shared - Bhruadair mi leat a-raoir - got a particularly huge response from listeners and the wider twitter community. Nearly eighteen months later, Motherfoclóir has finally managed to track down the poet who created it. Niall O’Gallagher/Niall Ó Gallchóir is a journalist for BBC Alba by day and a poet by night, as well as being Glasgow’s poet in residence (Bard Bhaile Ghlaschú) In today’s episode, he talks to Darach about his decision to write in Scots Gaelic and not to translate his own work. He describes the process of having his work translated and translating the work of others. He talks about the different issues faced by artists creating in Irish and those creating in Scots Gaelic, the enduring relevance of folklore, placenames and plant names… and the importance of having a correctly-stocked bookshelf when broadcasting from home during a pandemic. You can find out more about Niall here: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/niall-o-gallagher/  And you can check out his poems and essays here:  https://www.clar.online/artist/niall-o-gallagher  --- Support Motherfocloir on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darach  Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org (mailto:motherfocloir@headstuff.org) --- Want to record your own podcast? Check out our studios at https://thepodcaststudios.ie

After almost half a year of negotiations and political maneuvering, Ireland finally has a government. It's unlike any that has come before it, and it doesn't include the party that got the post votes in the last election, Sinn Féin. In this livestreamed podcast, Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney answer listener questions with special guests Aoife-Grace Moore, political correspondent with The Irish Examiner, and Darach Ó Séaghdha of the Motherfoclóir podcast. Is the new government's policy programme really the greenest ever? Why are people calling this the end of the Civil War politics? Are the Green party falling into a trap, and will Sinn Féin ultimately benefit? The new coalition is made up of old rivals Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the support of the Green party. The new Taoiseach is Micheál Martin, who is supposed to be in office until the end of 2022 when he will step aside to let outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar assume the role. Watch the video version of this live podcast here: https://youtu.be/E8dnapYnmig To access our full archive of bonus content head on over to our Patreon page and sign up to support the podcast www.patreon.com/theirishpassport If you liked this podcast, do share it with your friends, give us a nice rating in your podcast app, or connect with us on social media. We're @PassportIrish on Twitter and Facebook. Support this podcast

Kelly and Dermot set sail for the time of Vikings and jerkiness dwarfs! They discuss the differences of similarly-shaped seafaring vessels, Lochlanns, Fr. Dineen's Irish dictionary, the intersection of Viking and Celtic cultures in Ireland, torcs, tomahawk, the horrors of 14th c. Dublin, famine, plague and slaughters, the story of the time a pod of cetaceans washed ashore in medieval Dublin, the story of the time the Liffey froze over and people grilled on top of it, Stephen as a changeling, Stephen momentarily becoming displaced in time, and Stephen's attempt to construct an Irish identity.Steve Carey of Bloomsday in Melbourne drops by to chat about how to put on a Bloomsday theatre production in the time of Covid.  **Now accepting submissions for our Bloomsday 2020 episode. ** Sweny's Patreon helps keep this marvelous Dublin landmark alive. Please subscribe! On the Blog:Decoding Dedalus: Galleys of the Lochlanns Bloomsday in Melbourne:Bloomsday in Melbourne - the official site for Bloomsday in MelbourneBloomsday 2020 - Facebook group where Bloomsday in Melbourne's performances will be broadcast Social Media:Facebook|Twitter Subscribe to Blooms & Barnacles:iTunes| Google Play Music| Stitcher Further Reading:Carver, C. (1978). James Joyce and the Theory of Magic. James Joyce Quarterly, 15(3), 201-214. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25476132Dwyer, F. (2013, May 7). Medieval Dublin; a tale of two cities. The Irish History Podcast. Retrieved from https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/medieval-dublin-a-tale-of-two-cities/#sdfootnote10ancDwyer, F. (2014, Dec 11). Cannibalism, famine & fun - 4 ferocious medieval winters. Irish History Podcast. Retrieved from https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/cannibalism-famine-fun-4-ferocious-medieval-winters/Gifford, D., & Seidman, R. J. (1988). Ulysses annotated: Notes for James Joyce's Ulysses. Berkeley: University of California Press.Kelly, M. (2001). ‘Unheard-of mortality’.... The black death in Ireland. History Ireland. Vol 9 (4). Retrieved from https://www.historyireland.com/medieval-history-pre-1500/unheard-of-mortality-the-black-death-in-ireland/McGreevy, R. (2018, Jul 26). Maps reveal scale of economic devastation in 14th century Ireland. The Irish Times. Retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/maps-reveal-scale-of-economic-devastation-in-14th-century-ireland-1.3576962Ó Séaghdha, D. (2017). Motherfoclóir: dispatches from a not so dead language. Head of Zeus: London. Rickard, J.S. (1999). Joyce’s book of memory: the mnemotechnic of Ulysses. Duke University Press: London. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/yxt9jfujSugg, R. (2018). Fairies: a dangerous history. Reaktion Books: London. Retrieved from https://longreads.com/2018/06/08/fairy-scapegoats-a-history-of-the-persecution-of-changeling-children/Tuchman, B. W. (1978). A distant mirror: the calamitous 14th century. Ballantine Books: New York.  Music:Noir - S Strong & Boogie BelgiqueTommy Makem - The Minstrel Boy/ Let Erin Remember 

Welcome to a brand new episode of I Love This Band for Spring 2020. In this episode, I'm talking to Clodagh McGinley of Motherfoclóir about her love of Lady Gaga. We talk about Gaga's rise to fame in the late 00s, comparisons to Madonna, career highs and lows and why we think Gaga is more powerful than she's given credit for. Scripted, Edited and Hosted By Jennifer QuigleyI read the book Gaga by Johnny Morgan and used the fansite Gagapedia.My guest was Clodagh McGinleyFollow the playlist I Love This Band: Songs We Talked About on Spotify for songs and artists mentioned in the podcast. Follow Clodagh:Twitter: @clodaghmcginley // @zintwotonguesInstagram: @clodafoto Follow Motherfoclóir:Twitter: @Motherfocloir // @theirishforInstagram: @MotherfocloirPodcast: https://www.headstuff.org/motherfocloir/ I Love This Band:Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilovethisbandpodInstagram: @ilovethisbandpodMusic:Epidemic Sound for Creators:Dayon- Don't Take To Me That WayBrendan Moeller- Sunshine RainNickolas Jones- Flower CrownFranz Bengtsson- Fashion Freak 5 Purple Dive- BlossomSture Zetterberg- Waste Of My Love

Non-fiction is a different beast to fiction, and in this episode Sam Blake chats to Darach Ó Séaghdha, the Irish writer, podcaster and Irish language activist. The author of Motherfoclóir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language (Head of Zeus, 2017), and Craic Baby (Head of Zeus 2018) Darach won Ireland AM Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year in the 2017 Irish Book Awards with Motherfoclóir. Revealing how his Twitter account @TheIrishFor grew into a book, driven by his personal journey and relationship with his father, a gifted linguist, Darach reveals the key issues with taking an online presence into print. Sam Blake delves into the writing process and deciding what exactly goes into a book. Brought up in an Irish speaking household, Ó Séaghdha's father and mother used to speak Irish together but spoke English to their children. When Ó Séaghdha's father became very ill, Ó Séaghdha became interested in learning Irish and used Twitter to share interesting Irish phrases and words he came across.  Ó Séaghdha describes Irish as "the amazing buried treasure". In his writing he wants to show people how they, through Irish, can make sense of the world around them, through words and phrases that do not exist in the English language.  He runs the popular Irish-language-trivia Twitter account The Irish For. He is also the main host of the podcast Motherfoclóir, part of the Headstuff Podcast Network, a fascinating podcast focusing on elements of the language. The follow-up to Motherfoclóir, published in 2018, Craic Baby: Dispatches from a Rising Language, explores the very new and very old parts of the Irish language from a personal perspective, covering the topics multilingualism, Brehon Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brehon_Law) , Gaelscoils (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelscoil) and especially lexicon. Behind the Bestseller is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network (https://www.headstuff.org/behind-the-bestseller) Music by Tim Nerney

To keep you all going during these strange times, here is Motherfoclóir's own Darach Ó Séaghdha in conversation with Sam Blake on another HeadStuff Podcast, Behind the Bestseller (https://www.headstuff.org/behind-the-bestseller/) .  Stay safe and well. .. Non-fiction is a different beast to fiction, and in this episode Sam Blake chats to Darach Ó Séaghdha, the Irish writer, podcaster and Irish language activist. The author of Motherfoclóir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language (Head of Zeus, 2017), and Craic Baby (Head of Zeus 2018) Darach won Ireland AM Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year in the 2017 Irish Book Awards with Motherfoclóir. Revealing how his Twitter account @TheIrishFor grew into a book, driven by his personal journey and relationship with his father, a gifted linguist, Darach reveals the key issues with taking an online presence into print. Sam Blake delves into the writing process and deciding what exactly goes into a book. Brought up in an Irish speaking household, Ó Séaghdha’s father and mother used to speak Irish together but spoke English to their children. When Ó Séaghdha’s father became very ill, Ó Séaghdha became interested in learning Irish and used Twitter to share interesting Irish phrases and words he came across. Ó Séaghdha describes Irish as “the amazing buried treasure”. In his writing he wants to show people how they, through Irish, can make sense of the world around them, through words and phrases that do not exist in the English language. He runs the popular Irish-language-trivia Twitter account The Irish For. He is also the main host of the podcast Motherfoclóir (https://www.headstuff.org/motherfocloir/) , part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network, a fascinating podcast focusing on elements of the language. The follow-up to Motherfoclóir, published in 2018, Craic Baby: Dispatches from a Rising Language, explores the very new and very old parts of the Irish language from a personal perspective, covering the topics multilingualism, Brehon Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brehon_Law) , Gaelscoils (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelscoil) and especially lexicon. Check out all the Behind the Bestseller episodes here (https://www.headstuff.org/behind-the-bestseller/)

“Basic Structure of an Irish Fairytale:  Don’t do the thing Does the thing Death”     Do you understand what mythology is, and its role in the way all stories are told and heard? Do you understand what TikTok is and why teenagers are spending hours preparing nine-second one-person plays in their bedrooms? How could these two things possibly be linked? Fortunately today we have a guest who can explain both. Donegal’s Róisín McNally is an accomplished TikTok-er with a degree in Celtic Civilisation. She tells Éimear and Darach about how Deirdre of the Sorrows is just your typical goth teenager surrounded by disappointing adults, how Irish mythology is full of women discovering their potential when they are left alone by men, and the influence of Celtic Woman and Enya on Gen Z cosplayers. This is the final episode of Motherfoclóir’s Season 2 - we’ll be back soon! Thank you for all your support. You can find Róisín on TikTok and Insta at @roro_the_terrible --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge -https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/ --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. That’s a quote attributed to the Roman senator Publius Syrus, who also said that a good reputation is more valuable than money.  We hear a lot on the radio and in the news about how much Irish costs. But what do costs mean outside the context of value? We know that a car or house might be insured for one amount, sell for different figure and be taxed based on a third value. If value is so uncertain for something so physical, how do we measure it in something as abstract as a language?  Placing a value on intangible assets - goodwill, a brand name, the difference between a print and an original - is tricky but not necessarily impossible. In today’s episode, Darach, Clodagh and Peadar welcome Osgur Ó Ciardha back to the Motherfoclóir studio. He explains some of the valuation concepts used in business for such intangibles, especially when they are linked to the unique selling point of another entity, such as tourism or the existence of the state. And as the concepts of cost and value are intimately connected to the idea of private ownership, we ask if Irish belonging to all of us actually makes it more precious. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge -https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/ --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

What a year. What a week. What a decade! It’s Christmastime again and Darach, Peadar and Gearóidín have met up to reflect on the passing of time. In this week’s episode they look at the 2010s as the decade when the Irish language and social media became acquainted with each other, starting with the #sneachta hashtag and ending with an election in our neighbouring state that has made hitherto hypothetical questions about identity and Irishness more urgent. We consider the memes and Irish words of the decade, the beginnings of @theirishfor and Pop Up Gaeltacht and the traditions of activism, community and dialogue that informed the big changes of the decade in this island, which have been a part of Gaeilge all along. We also remember Iris Robinson and the men who surrounded her, the first viral story of a decade bookended by DUP humiliations. And Niall Horan, who our Laois Legend may have met and completely forgotten. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge -https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/ --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

If this episode of Motherfoclóir is exactly as long as your psychotherapy session, maybe that’s not a coincidence. Poor old Podcast Dad Darach is on the couch this week, whining like a man-baby about his terrible, afflicted adolescence at a Jesuit school. The experience gave him a lifelong suspicion of the order and their academic output, up to and including the jewel in the crown of the Irish Texts Society - Foclóir Gaeilge Béarla by Father Patrick S. Dinneen.  In this week’s episode, Peadar and Darach discuss the Rathmore priest’s game-changing foclóir, a marvel in publishing with two first editions (one on either side of the formation of the Free State). They share some best-loved entries, consider his Brubdignagian feud with Padraig Pearse and reflect on the influence of the Typewriter-Stenography School industrial complex on the content of subsequent dictionaries. Oh, and there’s kissing. A whole lot of kissing. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge -https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/ --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

After five years of preparation and development, the RIA have released “A History of Ireland in 100 Words” in 2019. The book looks at the stories behind words found in the Academy’s Dictionary of the Irish Language (http://www.dil.ie) in an accessible way. Naturally, it was ony a matter of time before the Motherfoclóir team hunted them down! In today’s episode, Éimear and Darach chat to Sharon Arbuthnot, one of the three authors of this book. She talks about the collaborative writing process, how people in the middle ages were not so different from ourselves and about putting herbs in your ears when you go for a swim. You can buy “A History of Ireland in 100 Words” at good bookshops and see their word of the week at http://www.dil.ie  --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge -https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/ --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

Live from Dublin, the Irish Passport brings you the hidden history of the Irish capital with Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney. Comedian and author Tara Flynn discusses her favourite Dublin secrets. Tonie Walsh describes gay life in the city before the decriminalisation of homosexuality, and the furious anger at violence against gay people that fuelled the earliest Pride marches. Terry Fagan of the North Inner City Folklore Project recounts some of his favourite Dublin tales and takes us inside the lost red light district of The Monto. This live show was held at the Button Factory as part of the Dublin Podcast Festival. It was a double bill with our friends over at the Motherfoclóir podcast. You can hear their show and our crossover Q&A session here. Many thanks to Headstuff, to the brilliant Button Factory production team, and to Darach, Peadar, Gearóidín and Éimear. Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Support this podcast

It’s Dublin Podcast Festival time again! This year the Motherfoclóir gang appeared as part of a double bill with The Irish Passport at The Button Factory on November 17th. This episode is the live recording of that show, edited for brevity and clarity. In a world where so many TV and movie franchises have grinded to a halt or are on hiatus, Darach wanted to alert Hollywood to the fact that Irish history, literature and mythology has a wealth of untapped source material for them to consider for the Next Big Thing. In this episode, he talks to Peadar, Gearóidín and Éimear about the blockbuster potential of An Táin (served two ways), Georgian Dublin and the race against time that was the drafting of the constitution. The common link between all these stories appears to be a bunch of ‘rock lads absolutely sending it on their holiday in Thailand. A new epic poem, perhaps? The Motherfoclóir gang are joined by Tim McInerney and Naomi O’Leary from The Irish Passport for the Q & A at the end of this episode. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Support for this episode comes from Foras na Gaeilge -https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/ --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

It is a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible season. That's the view of Motherfoclóir's Clodagh McGinley, who is unimpressed by the golden leaves, soft sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes that mark the autumn months. In today's bonus episode she joins Darach to discuss some autumnal words, plant names and vegetarian vocabulary…. and that annoying ad with the guitarist at the laundrette. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Order from http://www.dropchef.com using the code “MOFO” mentioned in this podcast for a €15 discount --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

The changes in Irish self-identity in the 2010s hinge on the rise of social media, especially how those networks completely altered the way two perennial features of Irish society - emigration and Gaeilge - fed back into the national conversation. A generation of young people who left Ireland after the bank bailout were able to stay in touch with developments and debates in Ireland, culminating in #hometovote but also feeding into other discussions, such as “the way it's taught”. For many abroad, the Irish language connected deeply into feelings of identity and homesickness, leading to them reconsidering their relationship with it. One such fáinleog was Kirsten Shiel, a Dublin artist who found herself in Bolton and Manchester before her heroic return home. In today’s episode, Motherfoclóir’s artist talks about how she returned to Irish and to Ireland, the business of being an artist and the complicated geopolitics of the animation business and the role of translation. She also tells Darach about her work process for illustrating every episode of the podcast you love so much, and how every Gael online wants a Shiel original portrait. --- Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/  Order from http://www.dropchef.com using the code “MOFO” mentioned in this podcast for a €15 discount --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

It is our hundredth episode! We are delighted to still be here and even more thrilled that you, are listeners, are still here. To mark this august occasion, Darach, Clodagh and Peadar have dipped into the mailbag to see what’s vexing ye all this week.  Expect unusual chicken salads, terrified Slovenians, language learning tips and maybe even the occasional non-glottal stop. --- Please visit http://www.dropchef.com and use the promotional code given in today’s episode. Dropchef match your order with meals donated to children in need. --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

As the 2010s draw to a close, we’ll be looking back at one of the most significant decades in the Irish history since the Civil War. It is a decade that began and ended with wēijī (crisis-opportunity) moments for Ireland’s relationship with the European Union, as well as two landmark referenda that sparked a wave of activism. So who better to chat about all this with than Lisa Nic An Bhreithimh? Lisa works at European Movement, an NGO promoting the work of the EU in Ireland. She was also involved in the Irish language flanks of the referenda on Marriage Equality and on the Eighth Amendment. She tells Darach about being a critical friend to the EU, the opportunities Irish has created and its role in campaigning and the importance of language in creating tolerance and understanding. You can find out more about the European Movement at https://www.europeanmovement.ie and about ShoutOut at http://www.shoutout.ie --- DropChef is the number one fresh ingredient & recipe delivery service in Ireland. Check out this week’s menu by going to https://dropchef.com/?utm_source=mofo and use the code ‘mofo’ to get €15 off your first DropChef delivery  --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

Some of the most powerful books for and about teenagers take the form of a diary: Adrian Mole, I Capture The Castle, Go Ask Alice and even The Color Purple (although that spreads beyond the teenage years). So begins Máire Zepf's extraordinary new book "Nóinín", one of the most exciting books published as Gaeilge in some time (featuring cover art from Motherfoclóir's own Kirsten Shiel). Belfast's Máire Zepf is Northern Ireland's first ever Children's Writing Fellow and the author of nine books so far... and she's only getting started. In today's episode, Darach talks to Máire about her inspiration, the writing process, the sharp difference between this book and her previous works, online and offline woes, balancing writing and parenting and why "the way it's taught" is a +353 phonezone phenomenon. Thanks to Gearóidín for the readings from "Nóinín", published by Cois Life. Extra music on this episode by Dauwd: check out "Theory of Colours" on bandcamp.

Gearóidín is a Gryffindor. Peadar is a Hufflepuff. Darach, however, is a muggle who has not read the books, only seen a few of the films and has not yet tuned into the audiobook (famously read by Ros na Rún guest star Stephen Fry). However, so pervasive is the influence of JK Rowling’s books that even he knows more about them than texts he has had to study for exams. The Harry Potter novels have been translated into over seventy languages… including Irish, and that’s where the Motherfoclóir train stops today. In this week’s episode, we look at Harry Potter agus an Órchloch as translated by Máire Nic Mhaoláin. We consider the many challenges and opportunities that a translator tackling such a well-kown text has to take on board. How do you replicate accents? What about acronyms and anagrams? What about the parallel translation of a screenplay? And how about those words which might scurry in the long shadow of copyright laws? The gang also consider the impact that the series has had on pop culture in general, its role in Blair-era “Cool Britannia” soft power and the dangers of legacy management in the internet age. Special thanks to Laura McGloughlin for advice on this episode. --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

It’s mailbag time again! Here at Motherfoclóir we love to receive your correspondence, suggestions, corrections and observations. Since we last opened the mailbag we’ve received a wheelbarrow-full of such letters and it’s high time we shared them with you. Clodagh and Éimear join Darach in dipping into the bag and find communications about traditional music, An Triail, the notorious episode 82, possible future topics… and focphocaí.  And we were cited in the bibliography of an essay!  And we have a poem from a listener! The bar has been raised. If you’d like to contact us, we’re at motherfocloir@headstuff.org (mailto:motherfocloir@headstuff.org) . 

Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh, the Johnny Giles of the Motherfoclóir High Table, put his money where his mouth was this year, deciding to stand for election. After a gruelling PR-STV count, our boy won his seat and will represent his fellow Clondalkinites for the next five years. He is one of the 10% of South Dublin County Council representatives to have graduated from a single Gaelscoil, Colaiste Cillian in Clondalkin. In today's episode, Peadar tells Darach all about the experience- why democracy is our cricket, Irish in local government and community activism, the Dubliners and the joy of placenames. * NOTE - Clondalkin is not "the village/meadow of the larks". Darach's misunderstanding was based on a misunderstanding of a lyric by Clondalkin native Mic Christopher (whose album "Skylarkin" deserves your attention). --- Contact the show: twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

Welcome to series 2 of Motherfoclóir! We've missed you something terrible so we have. An awful lot has been happening lately so to kick things off we're having a quick look at a topic that's likely to be looming in the background for the next few months. At the end of 2018, it was widely noted that the movement to repeal the 8th Amendment want from being a political football "too divisive to even talk about" to passing a referendum by a significant majority- all in 12 months. Could the same thing happen with a United Ireland? Could some unionists accept some version of a republic to stay in the EU? In this week's episode, Darach is revisited by Naomi O'Leary from the Irish Passport podcast. They talk about this very issue and what issues a new single state on this island might face and what possibilities might be created. --- Contact the show twitter - @motherfocloir and @theirishfor email - motherfocloir@headstuff.org

SEASON 2 MOTHERFOCLÓIR! SEASON 2 MOTHERFOCLÓIR! SEASON 2 MOTHERFOCLÓIR! THIS MOTHERFOCLÓIRIN' FRIDAY! Like, rate, review and subscribe

We're really sorry, but sure look, it was bound to happen at some stage. Darach is still on leave and the gang has finally gone off the rails. They start out innocent enough, sure. Peadar and Gearóidín and Eimear and Osgur talk about the perils of machine translation, bad tattoos and lazy Government departments. We don't know exactly when it goes bananas, but they read a porno. An honest-to-goodness porno as Gaeilge. Live on stage in Maynooth! This is not the Ireland of Peig Sayers and Brian Ború. Needless to say, because of the graphic content of this podcast, it should not be listened to by anyone. We're so sorry. Link to "Coláiste Threesome Gaeilge" by Amy Lee: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Col%C3%A1iste-threesome-Gaeilge-Irish-Amy-ebook/dp/B072JMJ1S1 --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Motherfoclóir Beo was recorded in front of a live audience in the Maynooth Students' Union Venue as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge 2019. Gearóidín and Eimear explore the 1937 Constitution and in particular the provision that a woman's place is in the home. Was this a betrayal of Brehon Law and Irish history? Or was it a reflection of what we've always done - sidelining women? Can a country fail the Bechdel Test? Peadar asks the questions as our resident legal eagle and medievalist take on over 1500 years of misogyny and patriarchy. * * * Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Peter Kavanagh of Motherfoclóir, Pop-Up Gaeltacht, and the Green Party, joins Alan and Ellen to talk about the hero who hasn't gotten pollution down to zero just yet but he's trying his best: Captain Planet! We try to stay positive about the future of the planet even though Captain Planet came out twenty nine years ago and the bad guys who like to loot and plunder are still doing it. You can hear Peter regularly on Motherfoclóir and find him on Twitter @TheKavOfficial Alan is @alan_maguire Ellen is @incogellen. Juvenalia is on all of the social medias, if you search for Juvenalia, you'll find us. Juvenalia original artwork by Dee McDonnell This episode was produced and edited by Brian + Alan

Darach is back in studio this week, as he and Peadar begin the podcast by discussing the rising trend of Alt-Right Twitter trolls attempting to weaponise the Irish language. The irony of two white men discussing racism is not lost on them. They meander through Brexit, national identity, Britpop and the halcyon days of 2015 as they chat about what it means to be "Gaelach". Dáithí De Mórdha's article: https://tuairisc.ie/gael-is-ea-gael-is-cuma-dubh-ban-no-riabhach/ The Scots Gaelic version of Motherfoclóir: https://twitter.com/cananballs The Scots Gaelic version of The Irish For: https://twitter.com/scotsgaelicfor --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Where's Darach? He's not in the studio today, so Éimear and Gearóidín are running riot, throwing paper aeroplanes across the Headstuff classroom and talking loudly. During her curation of the @motherfocloir account in January, Éimear asked Twitter followers to tell her what drove their interest in Irish under the hashtag #WhyIrish. It was trending on Irish Twitter within hours. She tells Gearóidín all about it and the Duolingo classes and groups what were created on foot of it. There are also hedgehogs, handsome Norwegian architects and a man on the run from the law. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Ireland and Scotland have a lot in common, and this is especially true of Irish and Scots Gaelic. Students of Irish could make a decent stab at the meanings of thousands of Scots Gaelic words and not be far off… left-facing fadas notwithstanding! However, though the two languages contain much of the same stuff, they were forged in different fires over the centuries- in Scotland, the language was not politicised at the same scale and it was not promoted by the State the same way in the 20th century. We will be visiting this neighbour language again soon with native speakers, but we thought having a prologue/overture first would be valuable. In this week's episode, Motherfoclóir regular Clodagh tells Darach about her experiences studying a bit of Scots Gaelic as part of her degree and they discuss "An Leabhar Liath" - the light blue book. This is a collection of love poems and transgressive verse which gives a hint of the language's poetic tradition: bawdy and irreverent, but also elegant and tender. Today's episode contains adult language and themes throughout. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Irish speakers are referred to in Ireland as a community, a lobby group or even a kind of secret society: a bloc of people with specific and predictable values and objectives, distinct from the mórchultúr of mainstream Irish society. This expresses itself in many forms, from characterisations on radio debates to the sexual othering of Irish speakers (the "hot Gaeilgeoir" stereotype). The truth is, of course, that Irish speakers stand in the same queues as anybody else. You might even be going out with one! In fact, most of the Motherfoclóir regulars are currently dating outside the flock. But what are the realities of such mixed relationships like? In today's episode, Darach and Clodagh meet author Valerie Loftus and Derek O'Brien, her fluent fella. They talk about Oireachtas widows, slipping into Irish, defending the language when there's no Irish speaker around and the "ecumenical matter" approach to bluffing a conversation as Gaeilge. Valerie's book "Thanks Penneys" is published by Mercier Press and available in bookshops now. You can check out Gaelchultúr's courses at http://gaelchultur.com/en/home.aspx --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

It has been quite a year for the Motherfoclóir project - there's been online and offline mayhem of many categories in multiple languages. In this week's episode, Darach, Peadar and Gearóidín take a look back at the highlights of Bliain na Gaeilge - the debates, key people who made us laugh and cry, the @motherfocloir account, the way the present shapes the past, a very special tuít as Gaeilge… and the Irish word of the year. This episode contains more swearing than the losing side of Croke Park on All-Ireland Sunday. Sorry! --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Darach Ó Séaghdha's first book, "Motherfoclóir: Dispatches From A Not So Dead Language" was the winner of the Popular Non-Fiction award at the 2017 Irish Book Awards. Today's bonus episode is an extract from the sequel, "Craic Baby: Dispatches From A Rising Language". Craic Baby is published by Head of Zeus and available in bookshops in Ireland and the UK.

Every summer, the Irish people sacrifice thousands of teenagers to Lú, the sun god, so that he will offer them good weather. This sacrifice is called "The Leaving". There's more to Irish than the Leaving Cert and the points race; this is what we've been trying to show in the topics we cover on this podcast. However, it would be pig-headed of us not to mention the Leaving Cert course at all. In this week's episode, Ola and Darach chat with Noirín Ní Mhurchú, who is currently shepherding students through the Leaving Cert course. They talk about sraith pics, the difference between school Irish and the way Irish is spoken socially, whether single-sex education affects the texts chosen, and how we learn more than Gaeilge when we learn Gaeilge. If you're sitting the Leaving Cert in 2019, be sure to bookmark the following sites to your fón póca: www.teanglann.ie (also available as an offline app) www.focloir.ie (also available as an offline app) www.tearma.ie www.nos.ie www.tuairisc.ie www.raidionalife.ie --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

**"Is doiligh drochrud a mharú" - it's hard to kill a bad thing. (Irish proverb)** It's Hallowe'en again and the time is right for a Motherfoclóir Samhain Special! Is Annual Sweetgiving Day a capitalist ploy or is it I inherently socialist? Is the pagan or Christian, American or Gaelic? The spookiest time of the year is arguably more Irish than Saint Patrick's Day; it's certainly a recent arrival to our British neighbours, who were traditionally more invested in Guy Fawkes Day. Darach and Peadar discuss the enduring popularity of vampire stories and consider the Irish origins- most famously Dracula but also the Derry legend that haunted Bram Stoker's imagination. Please mind your pets on this hard fire-working night. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Few writers ever managed to achieve the triple crown of critical acclaim, popular success and sustained relevance that Brian Friel managed in his five-decade long career. In this week's episode, Darach, Peadar and Siún discuss his masterpiece "Translations", which tells its story of doomed love and dark politics against the backdrop of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland in 1830 - a critical moment in the colonial project when Irish placenames were carelessly and significantly rewritten. What was the significance of this? How did it compare to other countries? And did "Love, Actually" borrow one of Friel's greatest scenes? The gang consider the text as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of Irish placenames in general. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org. Motherfoclóir was invited to the Kildare Readers' Festival in Newbridge in October, and this episode is the recording of that show.

On Wednesday 10th of October, Darach, Gearóidín, Peadar and Éimear swooped upon the Sugar Club on Lesson Street to discuss the importance of the Irish language to the role of president. Three presidents in particular are directly associated with watershed moments in the history of the language - Douglas Hyde, Éamon De Valera and Michael D. Higgins. The gang discuss the implications of their support for an interest in Gaeilge, which inevitably includes a discussion of the 1996 movie Michael Collins, TG4 dating shows, the Gaelic Leinster monarchy, Roscommon and coddle. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

It's Mailbag time again, when the Motherfoclóir team review correspondence that has been submitted to the show by email to motherfocloir@headstuff.org. In this week's visit to the postroom, Darach, Ola and Peadar read and discuss exciting epistles which deal with topics ranging from Greek and Latin, less vs fewer, the widow's memory, an aimsir ghnáthchaite agus an aimsir ghnáthláithreach, the differences between ye, yous, youse, yis and yisser… and the great coddle debate continues. Happy birthday (or even breithlá sona) to Raidió Na Life, who are 25 this week! Ola and Peadar both present their own shows as Gaeilge on this fine station - find out more at http://www.raidionalife.ie/ga/ --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Irish presidential elections are rare and brutal, but voters have chosen some truly remarkable and inspiring people for the role. Perhaps more than the role of Taoiseach, the presidency has reflected the hopes and values of Irish people and successive presidencies have marked distinct eras in the evolution of the Republic. The Motherfoclóir Team are going to bring you a short series of episodes about the presidency in advance of this year's election - in today's episode, Gearóidín and Darach discuss what the job entails as per the Bunreacht and give an overview of its soft power. Naturally this leads to a discussion of Mary Poppins. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

For nearly two centuries, we have been told that English is the language of commerce and industry and that the Irish language sits outside this world, peeping in. Could a company from Ireland ever use Gaeilge in its product branding the way Ikea uses Swedish? Osgur Ó Ciardha is one half of the team behind Pop Up Gaeltacht (the other half being Motherfoclóir regular Peadar Ó Caomhanaigh). In today's episode, he chats to Darach about whether PUG has identified a market for an Irish language bar, the uses of Irish in advertising, the Euro Gaelach and the gravy train myth. Today's episode is swear-free. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

The Irish for Stradbally is an tSráidbhaile, which means village (or street-town if you want to be very literal about it). For a weekend at the end of summer every year, Stradbally hosts the Electric Picnic festival and this year the Motherfoclóir Podcast was invited to perform a live show for the revellers. This was a double honour for the show as it allowed local gal Gearóidín McEvoy return from Finland to Strad in triumph, basking in the jealousy of all the townsfolk who ever doubted her superstar status. She is joined on the live show by Éimear Duffy and the pair of them - finally free from the tyrannical hosting of Darach – talk festivals, feminism, skincare, strong Irish women from old and recent history, accents, Laois and even take some questions from the audience. Then the gardaí turn up. Today’s episode contains some cussin’. The views of Dr. McEvoy and Dr. Duffy are not the views of HeadStuff, its staff, contributors, owners, sponsors, affiliates or clients. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

The breakthrough star of Irish twitter in 2018 must surely be @ruthiefizz – while other tweeters have hurled poorly-cogitated stock arguments at each other, her “Other Ireland” account has used the possibilities of the format to explore important ideas like consent, misogyny and mental health while also sharing informative and fancy facts about (and pictures of) wildlife. What her thousands of followers may not know, however, is that Ruth Fitzpatrick has a solid academic background in Celtic Civilisation and a special interest in Breton, medieval Welsh and Manx Gaeilge. In this week’s episode, Ruthie and Motherfoclóir regular Peadar terrorise Darach has he tries to do a serious interview about these serious topics in an absurdist subversion of the authorial voice worthy of Flann O’Brien himself. Having said that, there are still some animal names in Irish and insights into being sound and changing minds in an online world full of berks. Find cute animal names in Irish here: https://twitter.com/i/moments/796746870123102208 --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Michael Flatley has been in the news again with his new film “Blackbird” (possibly named for an Irish set dance) and his questionable choice of followed Twitter accounts. No matter how successful his foray into action movies is, it is certain that he will be mostly remembered for and associated with Irish dancing. Irish dance, with its distinctive costumes, moves and tunes, is this island’s most recognisable unique cultural export and the point of greatest overlap in the experience of people who live in Ireland and the global Irish diaspora. Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the first performance of Uisce Beatha/Riverdance, the show that was critical in stirring interest in set dance across the globe. But why isn’t there a Bolshoi or La Scala academy of Irish dance in Ireland? Why are some dances for watching and others merely for participating? And how much of the emphasis on presentation in this female-dominated field is justified? In this week’s episode, Motherfoclóir regular Clodagh McGinley tells Darach all about a youth spent in wigs and pumps that were two sizes too small. It’s a tale of high kicks, nits, injuries, vomiting, inter-school rivalries, stage mams, baffling VAT rates and moments of sheer artistry. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Welcome to the second Motherfoclóir Mailbag show! Listener feedback allows us to see how we’re doing, bring any clarifications to light and gives us ideas for new shows. You can email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org if you want to get in touch, or even leave a review on iTunes. Correspondence has been flooding in from near and far in relation to recent episodes. Regular offenders Darach and Gearóidín are joined by neutral observers Antoin Beag and Aifric who consider topics ranging from pronunciation, taxation, the use of swearwords to the legacy of Daniel Cassidy much more. If your mail isn’t read out today, our next Mailbag will be out soon! --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

The Irish for Wakanda Forever is "an Uácaind Abú!" The Irish language has enough problems to deal with without being co-opted by bigots. Earlier this year, for example, a protester against the Black Lives Matter movement in America wore a t-shirt bearing the slogan "gorm chonaí ábhar", a translation of Blue Lives Matter so bad it's hard to know where to even begin correcting it. Irish survives and thrives as a confident, modern language that welcomes all the people who want to speak it. In today's episode, the first of a number of live recordings, Motherfoclóir regular Ola Majekodunmi takes the hotseat and speaks to RTÉ presenter Zainab Boladale about being Gaelscoil graduates of Nigerian heritage, online and offline jerks and what Irish means to them. This episode was recorded live as part of Africa Day 2018 at Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

There's been a lot of talk about obstreperous women lately, so what better time to consider the fierce female characters of the Táin? In this week's episode, Éimear tells Darach about Cuchulainn's wife Emer (pronounced Ever in the old Irish) and Caitlín discusses how Medb has been represented over time. There's still time to buy tickets for the Motherfoclóir live show! http://ilfdublin.com/events/motherfocloir-live-podcast --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Host Darach and Motherfoclóir regular Siún share many obsessions, but the one they discuss on today's show is the writer Flann O'Brien… also known as Myles na gCopeleen… also known as Brian O'Nolan. As a displaced Northerner, O'Nolan was an outsider in the Irish language word in the Free State, belonging to neither the official Gaeltachts nor the bourgeois Dublin revivalists. This - as well as the restrictions placed on published writings by civil servants - contributed to a body of writing that is broadly hilarious and subtly subversive, darkly bitter and wildly imaginative. Darach and Siún consider his lasting appeal, how he was the 1930s equivalent of a Twitter superstar and how parts of his journalism predict today's world of social networks. You can check out Siún's fab as Gaeilge podcast Beo Ar Éigean at https://www.rte.ie/gaeilge/beo-ar-eigean/ --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

The number 8 is full of mystery in the Irish language. There's the "hateful eight" letters that were added in the 20th century. There's a Eighth Amendment, which you may have heard of. And then there's Article 8 of Bunreacht na hÉireann. In this week's episode of Motherfoclóir, Gearóidín wants to clear up any confusion between Article 8 (the status of the Irish and English languages) and the 8th Amendment. They discuss shade in the constitution, the importance of not taking individual lines out of their broader context and consider the role of Ireland in steering English language use in the EU. Could Hiberno-English be the working language of Europe after Brexit? Ah, STOP. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

This week Darach is in London on Motherfoclóir business and is broadcasting from the British Library at Kings Cross rather than the HeadStuff studios. This setting is appropriate as this week's topic is An Vicipéid, the Irish language portion of Wikipedia. Darach is joined by Dr. Claire Murray, a chemist by day and lover of the world's free online encyclopedia. As well as giving an overview of her own work, Claire tells Darach about the standards Wikipedia expects and enforces and they encourage listeners to try updating Vicipéid topics close to their own hearts. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

As languages don't match each other exactly, linguists and psychologists have debated if specific grammatical features shape the thought patterns of separate language communities differently. Are Germans better listeners than Greeks because they are politely waiting for the verb at the end of the sentence? Are they more punctual because their half six really means half five? This concept pops up in Irish most frequently when we translate the English words "yes" and "no", words which have a powerful place in Hiberno-English literature and politics. In today's episode, Darach talks to Peadar, Gearóidín and Motherfoclóir newbie Caitlín about this concept and its broader impact. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

"An sgéal fada ní hé is fearr" - the longest tale is not the best. As Valentine's Day approaches, the Motherfoclóir gang turn their thoughts to the wealth of love poetry written in the Irish language. Darach, Éimear and Peadar take turns reading poems (and their English translations) from "Filíocht Ghrá Na Gaeilge", which covers a thousand years of Irish love poetry. It covers the whole spectrum of the human heart. While the gang don't swear, there are adult themes in the episode. You can buy the poetry collection referenced this week at: www.cnagsiopa.com or www.coislife.ie --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

“By fifth and sixth year, you’re dreaming in Irish”. It’s a little Coláiste Íosagáin reunion on Motherfoclóir this week as Darach is outnumbered by two past pupils: regular contributor Ola Majekodunmi and special guest Ailbhe Malone, who is Lifestyle Editor at Buzzfeed UK (after stints with NME, Nylon, Heat, the Irish Independent and many others). Ailbhe tells us about moving from an English language primary school to an Irish language secondary school, shares her stories about getting a foot in the door in music journalism and chats about the perils and delights of having an Irish name at home and abroad. She also talks about times when her journalism has led her to write about her own life experiences. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

After a ten episode absence, Louth Legend Siún Ní Dhuinn is back at her Motherfoclóir desk in HeadStuff studios. She tells Darach and Clodagh all about As An Nua (her bilingual feminist fashion blog) and Beo Ar Éigean – BAE for short – her fab RTÉ Irish language podcast. There’s laughs, chats, poetry and the occasional burn. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

It’s the spookiest night of the year, so what better time to share some eerie Irish words? Darach, Ola, Gearóidín and Peadar discuss the ancient roots of Samhain, the mysteries of brack and monkey nuts… and discuss regional traditions on this, the Motherfoclóir Spooky Halloween Special! If you’re listening with the smallies, be aware that there’s a few cuss words in today’s episode. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Regular listeners will be acquainted with team Motherfoclóir member Gearóidín McEvoy by now – ex-translator, constitution buff, Lawyers for Choice volunteer, minority language rights champion, Scandi-phile, Laois woman. What you may not know is that Gearóidín is one of the thousands of Irish people with dyslexia. In this episode, she tells Darach all about dyslexia and Irish, school-life and how Irish was the first language that didn’t try to trick her. --- Contact the show at https://twitter.com/motherfocloir or email us at motherfocloir@headstuff.org.

Behind the wall of grammar homework lies the amazing world of the Irish language, and Darach (that @theirishfor guy) wants to take you there. With a crack team of the internet’s soundest Irish speakers, Darach will explore topics like differences between the Irish and English versions of the Constitution, silent letters, Gaeilge and technology, how new words get added to the dictionary and which old words have fallen out. It’s an all slammer, no grammar half hour.

Darach O’Séaghdha is the exceptionally nice man behind the best account on Irish Twitter @TheIrishFor. He joined Alan and Sarah to continue The Inaugural Juvenalia James Cameron April/May 2017 Appreciation Spectacular and talked about Terminator 2: Judgement Day. We covered a wide, wide range of topics like unusual surnames, language acquisition, the art of translation, cool special effects, school rumours, scary villains, and West Brit robots. Darach’s book Motherfoclóir is out in September and we’re looking forward to it a whole lot. Go raibh maith agat. Follow Juvenalia on Twitter Juvenalia original artwork by Dee McDonnell This episode was produced by Brian