Just finished with the Cores. Andrea was a lot more enthusiastic than her sister by the way. (HAHAHA. Spent the whole of Irish Paper 2 today thinking up that joke… LOLOLOLOLOL I’M SO BRILLIANT) Anyway. I haven’t actually done any subjects that I’ve actually chosen to do yet. In other words, it’s just been English, Irish and Maths (i.e. the core subjects. If you didn’t get it at first, like my retard brother. He’s actually physically retarded. It’s not funny. Just kidding. It’s really funny).
English went well. Told ya.
Maths went pretty good. After struggling with Higher for so long, Ordinary was as easy as kicking a kitten (note: Emerald neither condones nor encourages the mistreatment of animals. Unless they’re being really fucking annoying).
Irish …
Why is it a core subject? Seriously. National heritage, blah blah blah. Does it really make a difference? I understand teaching it. I even understand making it compulsory. But why make it an absolute necessity? What purpose does it serve, other than as stupid pretentious bullshit to make you feel more Irish? If you believe you’re more Irish than someone just because you can vibrate your vocal cords a certain way, you’re a pretentious condescending arse. And that’s not Irish. The Irish are down-to-earth people who judge others based on spirit and character, and not on success or possessions. Looking down on someone for not knowing the specifics of the Irish language is not an Irish thing to do. So why do it?
Seriously, all you government officials out there. If you’re so worried about our national heritage, why don’t you focus on something more important like — I don’t know — not wasting tax-payer’s money. I mean, how much road-works does one goddamn area need? It seems like every time a bit of cement chips off the footpath the guys sweep in with their traffic cones and crap. One dude with a drill, three dudes to direct traffic, two dudes to watch the traffic cones and make sure they’re not stolen, two more dudes to make sure the cone-watchers don’t steal the cones. All with sandwiches. All getting paid salaries by the government.
The arguments for Irish are terrible:
1. It’s part of being Irish. No. About 2% of Irish people speak Irish as a first language. About 100% of those people understand English. If you’re telling me I need to speak Irish to be Irish, then I’d say Irish people are extinct by now. Deal with it.
2. You can have secret conversations with other Irish people. Who cares? Are you going to start teaching Pig Latin in school now, too? That’s no reason to force people into it.
3. Letting it die would be a shame. So we need to force it. Latin’s dead. It’s still cool. Has it ever occured to anyone that maybe teaching it so badly and forcing it on people might be the thing that’s killing Irish? People were big into the language when they were being oppressed and weren’t allowed to speak it. It was associated with rebellion and nationalism. Now what’s it associated with? Fuzzy Muzzy and stupid children’s poems about crazy people in pyjamas. If it wasn’t mandatory, the coming generations wouldn’t be left with a bad taste in their mouth (like we mostly are — although it could primarily be just Dublin folk I’m representing here) and it might actually cause an irish literary revival. Instead of an intellectual backlash.
In conclusion, I have nothing against the language. I wish it the best. I could actually come to enjoy it if I had the option to study and/or use it in my own time. What I’m highly resentful of is the fact that if I fail it — as I quite possibly have — my life for the next year has just been fucked up. That’s not right. So what if I want to go to a national university? People say it’s arrogant to want to be involved with the government and not know the language. Fuck off. The language is dead, jackass. Everybody knows english. The only people who would demand you speak Irish are the aforementioned pretentious assholes, and let’s face it, I was never going to get along with them in the first place.
Sorry, the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. It’s actually funny to compare that previous paragraph with the first one.
Basically, I’m right on the very edge between pass and fail. By my estimates, I got about 100-130 marks from paper 1, 30-50 from the listening, and 0-20 from paper 2. Which means I’ve got 130-200, plus whatever I got in the orals, which I really have no idea. Probably in the 40-100 area. Meaning my overall marks could be 170 pessimisstically, or 300 optimistically. Since it’s 240 marks to pass, I’ll be nail-biting until the results are released. Y’know, a laidback, casual sort of nail-biting. ‘Cause like, I’m totally hardcore.
You probably did better than you think, I wouldn’t worry
Yeah definitely. BTW Corrs.
I know. I just thought it was a hilariously crap joke.
My god Irish paper 2 sucked..and I’ve just been on other blogs where they’re like “Oh wow!! Irish Paper 2 was soooo easy!Yadayadayada…” thank you for the refreshing change!
So glad I don’t have to deal with this fucking subject ever again.
if they made it non compulsory & just got rid of paper 2 maybe people wouldnt hate it so much!
either way–> WE’RE FINISHED 😀
Your piece about Irish just made me laugh so much!! It made me forget I’m going to fail Art history.
Thanks for the break 🙂
Good luck with the rest of exams! 🙂
I think it’s fair to say that one of the most fucking unlpeasant chapters in my life is over today and I couldn’t be more delighted. I’m a new man!!
“Has it ever occured to anyone that maybe teaching it so badly and forcing it on people might be the thing that’s killing Irish”
Now that i think about it thats fairly spot on. I predict that some day American people will know more Irish then Irish people.
There have been roadworks on my road consistently for the last 2 years. So far they have moved like 100 meters up the road, lazy fuckers.
You should of just done pass Irish ( i am presuming you did honours ), it was very easy.
Actually I think that the current young uns are pretty savage at Irish. All the Gael Scoils, extra funding etc and so on mean that they’re keeping it alive.
We’re just the lost generation or something and I hope that it’ll NEVER die out.
As a Latin student who’s watching the subject die out in the school you have torealise something. When it’s not compulsory, obviously the numbers drop. Then the school can’t pay for a teacher because it’s not not viable. Latin the the prime example, what happens to the students who want to learn it but can’t? It’s not fair…. Sigh, life would be better if Latin were compulsory.
Ya it would be sweet, a whole new language to be shoved down the throats of tens of thousands of school kids only for the majority of them, not only to totally loath and detest it but also be totallt inept at it 13 YEARS LATER!
Cores! Haha 😀
Anyway, I’m afraid I’m not with you on the Irish thing. I can understand your point of view, and see how (if you find it tricky) you’re less disposed to liking it – I hated chemistry for all of 5th year, then realised that this was purely as I was shit at it. As I improved and sort of forced myself to look at the interesting side to it (does not always apply…), I realised that I actually love it.
I do think Irish is part of our identity, won’t quote the seanfhocal at you, but I still believe it. Ok, so it’s not that big a deal, not that necessary, has sort of crazy rules… But why shouldn’t we have something (well, another thing, I admit we are, as a nation, special in many ways!) to distinguish us from other Europeans? I mean, I love England for lots of reasons – but it would be a pity to think they’d been wholly successful in ridding us of our culture. And I think language is a big part of culture, not everyone agrees.
Have to say, my liking Irish was in part to do with my class. The course may be shitty (I actually loved An Triail, but generally – the essays and all – it’s a moany load of nonsense) and our teacher could not for the life of her teach (bless her), but it was fun! She spent the entire time telling us about Japan, randomly (mid sentence) bursting into ‘Don’t you want me baaaaaabyyyy’, giving us Crunchies, flirting relentlessly with the rugby players, telling us that ‘Is é an rud is tabhachtaí sa saol ná an gra’, telling us where she got her clothes…
Aw, gonna miss Gaeilge – good times, bad learning! Slan 🙁
” flirting relentlessly with the rugby players ”
Sounds like my kind of teacher!!!
PJ – it was an endless source of amusement for us… but got a bit much after a while! We could never quite believe how blatant she was 😛
In fairness I’d probably like the subject if I had a teacher like that, too.
Although the paragraph below the “iRish” picture is my main point. Sure, it’s part of our identity. That’s grand. Not contesting that. But why, nowadays, when nobody speaks it, is it required for government jobs and admission to national universities and shite?
New poll in the forums, Blogger of the year award 2009. Vote or die(of shame)!
http://leaving-cert.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=90
Pj I just do everything you tell me too man, how is my procrastinating friend since we last spoke?
Because Emerald….. They can. No other reason, they just do it because they can. Stick it to the MAN!!! Down with the government!!! FREEDOM!!!!!!!
Everything is rainbows,flowers and sunshine right now, You? Havnt done any study tonight and not planning on either!!! Tomorrows a whole other day.
Emerald – I think that’s a fairly good point with university. It doesn’t make much sence. But then you need to pass maths too for most things, don’t you? And that’s hardly relevent a lot of the time. I guess it’s just another way of keeping the language alive, which I’m in favour of, but it’s unfortunate for people who find it hard. As for government… Well, because we still try to maintain certain amount of ‘bilingualness’ then I suppose it makes sense that people in those sort of administration type jobs have it.
Oh, and our teacher would have made anyone like any subject! She brightened up all our days, it was just a pity it came at the cost of doing well in Irish! (probably)
“Well, because we still try to maintain certain amount of ‘bilingualness’ then I suppose it makes sense that people in those sort of administration type jobs have it.”
That most certainly does not make any sense. Every one thats fluent in irish is fluent in english too. Everyone in the Government that could have to power to change these rules is unwilling to because either:
1 They love Irish and want to force it on other people or…
2 They hated the fact that they had to learn irish to get a government job, so they dont want it to be easier for anyone else!
There you go, mystery solved!
Well, actually I meant in less of a literal sense and more in a “We’re trying to be a bit bilingual with our signs and that so really it would look a lot better if all of you were fluent in Irish cos otherwise it sort of defeats the purpose” !
Still, I do think that if the government are trying to promote it then they should speak Irish, practise what you preach and that. Obviously, with the amount of people who believe it shouldn’t be compulsory in schools, not everyone in the goverment actually does want it to be promoted that much. Still, I think it’d be hypocritical for the gov to be insisting on Irish in various things but then not being able to speak it themselves.
Like your second point though, quite possibly the truth!
I’m sure it went better than you think 🙂
Also, I thought I remembered you saying that your oral went pretty well, so I doubt it’s anywhere near the 40 mark, and you’re just overthinking it at this stage. 😀
Anyway, like the language, hate the subject. Glad it’s all over tbh.
I’ve got it! I am a fucking genius! They should keep Irish compulsory, but not have exams on it. So it would be like Religion or PE. Actually, I just realized that I am totally indifferent towards the whole language. 5 years ago I would of cared, but as I dont plan on working for this bullshit government, Meh.. 😐
Our school do religion exams… but not PE, that’d be just insane! (but kinda funny)
Irish might be better with a bit of ‘measuchain leanunach’ or course work or something. But everyone would just copy it off somewhere and it’d kinda be as pointless as the essays.
Anyway, no more Irish exams for any of us, so doesn’t matter!! 😀
I agree with everything you just said, it’s a dead language and as a matter of fact i had this argument with the honours lads before this mornings paper who were so despertly grasping for a reason for why they dedicated so many hours of study just so they could get a C3. “well if you ever wanted to go to the galethic [or however you spell it]” , why would i want to go there? it’s a bog, the people there have nothing better to do that speak Irish so they feel their lifes have some meaning “saving the national culture” if ya like… bullshit.
Emerald I’m completely with you on this one man (even though I should really be studying for physics and chemistry…) Nothing gets me more wound up than the Irish course! I used to love it ‘cos I actually thought my teacher was nice and the class was a good laugh. But this year our former teacher took a year off and we had a pedophile standing in front of us in a cramped, musty oven-room-thing for forty minutes a day! There’s nothing I can say which you havn’t already passionately stated, but **** me I hate that subject and if i don’t get Med ‘cos of it then shits gonna fly haha
government jobs are still the best when it comes to job security .**
it is really great to get government jobs because the government can give you a good job security ,;`