OK -- W'eve established that there are 4 people on this site from NC. I'm one and I've got 3 others in my language group. That gives us a solid number of 7 without going public. Our counterpart from Appalachia has indicated that Hickory is a mid-point, more or less. I'm game for a first ever, informal, investigatory gatherin' to establish the feasability and probability of establishing a Conradh Na Gaeilge in North Carolina. Perhaps we could shoot for a Saturday or Sunday between now and mid-April?

We can do this--I know we can. I would bet we could eventually add another immersion site that would be a bit more convenient to those of us in the Southeast.

Need some feedback, mo chairde. What say ye??

Le meas,

James

A James,

Hickory from Raleigh is about 1-1/2 hour’s give or take. I have been at this about 3 weeks so I am very new. There is a group that meets, I believe every Sunday at the Tir na nÓg Pub to study Gaeilge. I have not checked them out yet.

Liam

A Liam, a chara:

Great!!! Give me some particulars re: the Tir na nÓg group, le do thoil. If you could get me the number to the restaurant or another point of contact that would be awesome. I'm actually going to be in Raleigh this Sunday for the Dralion show. Perhaps I can ply the wife with drinks and a meal all the while harboring my underlying motive of meeting with this group!!! Do you know what time they meet?

Don't let your "new-ness" be a factor. We all started there at some point and I think you'll find you're not as far "behind the power curve" as you might suspect.

I'd love to see us get a statewide movement going. This state was practically invented by the Irish and the Scotch-Irish--shouldn't be too difficult to drum up some interest! There's already a Scottish Games circuit in the state. I don't see why we can't get a bi-annual retreat or something for those of us that love an Gaeilge. All it takes is a desire!

Le meas,

James

P.S. I'm pretty familiar with Raleigh--wasted alot of my parent's money and alot of my brain cells in your fair city. (See an earlier post where I reference a young lady from Grassy Creek, NC--it's all connected!!)

A Shéamuis, a chara,

Regarding your idea of a bi-annual retreat, I believe the folks out in Butte, Montana, did such a thing. If I remember correctly, they have a branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, but didn't have any
language teachers, and flew a few experienced teachers out there to conduct a weekend program.
I heard that it was very successful. That might be a model for your group.
Fáilte ar ais.
Slán tamall, Paul

A James, a chara,
Here is the link to Tir na nÓg Pub; it has all the information on the pub. This Sunday is "Mitch Ferguson of Finvarra" @ 5:30 PM Irish Music.
http://www.tnnpub.com/
There may not be a group meeting as we have the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival on Saturday.
100+ parade entries and live music on Moore Square. A rather large affair!
Sunday the AOH, LAOH, SIS and FOI the sponsors for the Parade will have our Dinner Dance. Admission is $20 a person. Open to the Public if you are interested. That starts at 6:00. Quiet house will play traditional Irish music. Dinner is included in the price.
I will get you the info on the lessons and a contact name.
Slán Liam

Liam, A chara:

Go raibh mile maith agat!! You have no idea how much you have made my day! I've been flailing away feeling all alone in my efforts for the better part of the past year. To finally find a class with a real-live, no kiddin' teacher -- what a find!!!

I owe you one buddy. If you're ever down my way look me up--first pint's on me.

Le meas,

James

A Phól, A chara:

You're reading my mind. I would love to bring in some teachers for a week's worth of immersion. Don't know what that would cost but if the group is big enough the individual cost would be minimal. I'm really excited about this. I can't believe there's so much Irish so close to home--I really hope this materializes.

Le meas,

James

A Chairde,

Hickory from Raleigh is about 1-1/2 hour’s give or take.

A Liam,

My Road Atlas indicates its 178 miles from Raleigh to Hickory. What sort of aircraft do you fly?

It sounds like y'all are moving away from a centralized location in favor of making Tír na nÓg in Raleigh the meeting place. Am I understanding this correctly? For me Raleigh is a minimum 6 hour drive.

Pádraig

Negative!!! I am still looking at a central meeting place for quarterly, bi-annual--however frequently needed--meetings. The Raleigh thing is just new info for me. I had no idea that there were formal classes anywhere in the state.

I think we definitely need to meet, and soon, to discuss how we can get up and running.

My twisted, idealistic vision:

1. Bi-annual gatherings with an immersion atmosphere.

2. Import/borrow formal Irish Language instructors.

3. Get statewide participation via TV/News coverage of our existence.

4. Have certification exams for Fainne Airgead agus Fainne Or (Gold--can't remember the Irish off the top of my head)

5. Group excursions to other Conradh gatherings and, most especially, group trip to Ethel's gathering in Esopus. (I feel like I owe her so much and I've never met her or any of the others with Daltai)

6. Group travel to the Gaeltachts to show our support of an gaeilge.

7. Ocean front teach on the Connemara coast with protected harbor for my sailboat, weekly re-supply of Murphy's and Guinness, ceol every night and a stout Connemara pony or Irish sport horse grazing in the field out back.

OK--maybe a little carried away with number 7. But, you get the picture.

No worries about the central location, mo chara. With this state laid out longitudinally we really don't have a choice--we've got to find a place in the western piedmont--Hickory sounds reasonable to me!

Le meas,

James

A James,
Mitch Ferguson conducts the Irish language lessons. He can be reached at
Liam,

A Pádraig,
Is Hickory that far! Wow! I thought it was closer, Still 2-1/2hrs or so is not to bad a drive to meet yall!
Liam,

A Shéamuis, A Chara,

Would you send me your email address? I'd like to talk with you off-line.

(The character after the joe is a lower case L, not a one.

Meanwhile, regarding some resources out this way or in this direction.

(1) Wake Forest University Press in Winston-Salem specializes almost exclusively in publishing Irish authors. There should be a lot of potential in cooperating with the W-F staff. Here's their URL:

http://www.wfu.edu/wfupress/

(2) About 30 miles south of here, just over the Georgia line is Young Harris College. They have an Irish Studies Program under the direction of Samuel Couch, PhD. Every other summer he takes a group of students to Oideas Gael in Donegal where they spend 6 weeks and receive 12 semester hours of college credit in Gaeilge and Irish Studies. I know Sam personally, and I know he would enthusiastically endorse your vision. (My daughter is also his student assistant.)
Here's the YHC link:

http://www.yhc.edu

Keep dreaming, mo chara.

Slán,
Pádraig Mac G.

A Phádraig:

I sent you a message at the indicated e-mail address but have had no response. Making the assumption that those electrons are swirling in some dark void let's try it the other way around.



Drop me a line. We'll get this ball rolling.

Le meas

James

A James, a chara,
I can see you're fired up about the language these days.

I can just picture all you all renting a van to drive the slua up to a
Daltai na Gailge weekend/week. Go for it. Cen nach fath?, as they say.

You might try contacting the woman who writes the An Gliomach Rua articles
for the Daltai "News" section. I believe she wrote about
(or a had a guest writer write about) a trip that a few Daltai na Gaeilge
teachers took to lead a weekend-long immmersion program in Butte, Montana. I
thought those stories were archived, but they're not. There's no need to
look to Ireland for experienced, inspired teachers: they're right here on
the East coast (and cheaper to fly in than from Eire).

Liam O Cuinneagain, the founder of Oideas Gael in Donegal, is now the head
of Udaras na Gaeltachta. He might be interested in your idea of groups of
learners visiting the Gaeltachts.

Like other posters told you, dream big. The monthlong course in Connemara (University College/Galway)is in the coastal
village of An Cheathru Rua: that might be a place that you could realize
your dream number 7.

Fluency is possible. Stay close to those people who encourage you, and let
the begrudgers be drinking bog water.

Adh mor!
Le meas,
Paul Ferris

James,

Put that name, Liam Ó Cuinneagain on your list of people to contact. He was just here in Georgia last month. Has a close relationship with the Irish Studies people at Young Harris College,

P.

Roger, WILCO. This is looking REAL GOOD!!

To say I'm jazzed would be an understatement!

Thanks for the input. We'll get this thing going soon enough. I'm going to shoot for the May Daltai gathering--anyone else game??

Le meas,

James