James Joyce - Considered to be one of the greatest writers of his generation
Welcome to my blog. This is my first blog of many and I´m going to use it to explain why I chose the name, ¨The Rising Road¨.To understand the reason, we need to take a quick look at some Irish history. Let´s keep it basic because it is a complex subject that would take more than one blog to explain. So a brief summary and only the relevant parts will do.
Well, just over 800 years ago, the people on the island of Ireland predominantly spoke a language of Indo-European descent. They had spoken this language for many centuries before that time and it is one of the oldest literature languages in Europe. The people of Ireland were a strong nation with a rich culture and history but they were considered by the English to be barbaric. So when the English invaded and conquered Ireland, they saw the language as a threat.
The English attempted to destroy the language. Peoples names were changed, names of towns and even the traditional way to dress were changed legally. Irish speaking schools were made illegal and the language was under serious threat. People began teaching the language in illegal schools called ¨hedge schools¨ in order to keep it alive.
The famine of 1945 had a huge effect on the language because 25% of Ireland´s population died or emigrated and the majority of those came from Irish speaking communities. The language was nearly extinct by the start of the 20th century. With the rise of Irish nationalism and the winning of independence from Britain, the language experienced a revival. Beginning with small communities of Irish speakers, the popularity began to grow gradually.
Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, from Dublin, is an international classic of horror writing.
By the end of the 20th century, learning Irish was compulsory in schools, many people spoke a little bit of the language outside of school and all street signs were in Irish and English. The official first language of Ireland is Irish and it has been recognised as an official minority language in Europe.
So why is this relevant? Well, many of Ireland´s most popular and influential writers and poets gained international fame and acclaim. Many won international prizes and four have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Not bad for a country of just over 4 million people. The country has had an international influence in literature, much greater than it´s size. Who in the world hasn´t heard of James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde or Jonathan Swift?
Why?
The Aran Islands, on the west coast of Ireland, is one of the areas where Irish is still spoken by the local people.
There are some theories as to why the Irish have been so well received as writers, poets and play writes. One is very interesting and one that I choose to believe in. The theory claims that it is because the rich and poetic style of writing and speaking that was common in the Irish language, when translated to English, is so vibrant and colourful. I like to believe this.
There are a few examples of this. To say a simple ¨Thank You¨, in Irish we say ¨Dias Muire dhuit¨, which translates to English as ¨God and Mary to you¨, which is slightly more flowery than English. this is the most basic example. Another could be ¨Go n-éirigh an bóthar leat¨ which is a very poetic and lovely way of saying ¨Goodbye¨. It translates to English as ¨May the road rise before you¨ or in other words ¨Good luck¨.
So I chose this expression for my blog because I think it represents my love for languages and the way they can change with translations. It also shows how no language can be viewed independently. Every language takes influence from others, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, but it is undeniable.
So this blog is aimed at exploring and expressing my fascination and love for languages and how they can teach us so much more than just communication. Welcome to my blog. Enjoy.My Facebook
