When we were touring there in 2001, our guides told us it was taught in all the schools. Whether I misunderstood, or not, I was on a bus on 9-11-01 between Blarney and Waterford when, suddenly our bus driver and our guide (who had been continuously joking and singing with us) suddenly got very quiet and addressed each other in Gaelic. My husband and I were sitting right behind them and we couldn’t understand a word they said. The guide turned away from the driver, and stepped one row back to us and addressed my husband in hushed tones.
He told us about what had happened earlier that day in NYC. Then he asked my husband, “What do you think I should do?” My husband replied, “Tell them, and then turn on the radio and turn up the volume so we all can hear!”
So, the guide made his way to the back of the bus, criss-crossing the aisle and notifying passengers in groups of 5 or 6. And we listened to Irish radio when the 2nd plane went into the tower, when they announced that another plane had flown into the Pentagon, when yet another crashed into the field in PA. We cheered President Bush’s words of encouragement and steely resolve to the nation.
That moment changed the rest of the trip and changed all of our lives forever. And it all started with a whispered conversation in a foreign country, in a language none of us understood - Gaelic.
My daughter was in London on 9-11-01 and she said there was a period of silence in downtown London when they got the word. Don’t remember how long she said it was but she said no one moved or spoke.
Yeah the older generation speak it especially in Galway ,i think the last gaeltacht is located in Galway,when i was a kid we were camping in Galway i tried to speak Gaelic to a barman he could not understand one word i said and i could not understand him either...
I believe the Gov invests money to keep the language alive,but as newer generations come along,they lose interest in learning it..
That is a very interesting story regarding 911...
Slainte....