So can somebody who has actually seen the film and not just read a newspaper review tell me how much Irish is actually used in the film.

Very little. But it is there throughout the film, from he beginning to the end.

There are no real conversations, but Clint Eastwood often reads aloud as Gaeilge.



*** WARNING: The story is very sad.

He calls it "Gaelic"...

I'm curious, what's the hell is up with people calling the language by different names??? My understanding was that the language's name is:

A) In the Irish language: "Gaeilge"
B) In the English language: "The Irish Language"

I thought "Gaelic" was English for the Scottish language... ?

What are the other names people call it by? Where do they call it that? And why?

Irish is often called "Gaelic" in America.

What are the other names people call it by? Where do they call it that? And why?

In Swedish there are no less than four names! Iriska, irländska, gaeliska and gäliska are all fairly common. In the translation of Synge's "The Aran Islands", 'gäliska' is the word used throughout the book and that book is read by many Swedes visiting Ireland. I never use any other name than 'iriska' when speaking Swedish, nor do any other Swedish & Irish speaker I know.

Cool! Why does Clint Eastwood use Irish in the film though?

The movie is based on a novel by an Irish American author - the fact that Clint's character Frank studies Gaelic and enjoys Yeats shows he has an intellectual, contemplative side - he's not just a brutish boxer.

My non-pedant observation here in Canada is that in Newfoundland, you'll hear the language called "Erse". Although, in the rest of Canada a distinction is made between Gaelic (the language spoken in communities on Cape Breton Island) and Irish Gaelic (the language of Ireland and once predominant language in Halifax).

A chairde.
Mar eolas daoibh "Erse" is a Scots word for Irish.
Found in both Lallans and Doric, the term is often used for Gaeilge and Gàidhlig.
Slán beo!
Chris

And used to be used in the 16th Century in England.

Samuel Johnson referred to Scots Gaelic as "Erse".

Samuel Johnson referred to Scots Gaelic as "Erse".

So did one Thomas Wilkinson:

"Passed a Female who was reaping alone: she sung in Erse as she bended over her sickle; the sweetest human voice I ever heard: her strains were tenderly melancholy, and felt delicious, long after they were heard no more"
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem2370.html

See also:
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~oduibhin/mcq/ulsterirish.htm

Must have been a mighty Erse to inspire such poetry!

Brendan Behan referred to those who earned a fáine óir as Erse holes.

Does anyone know what Clint was actually reading out?

Don't make me have to go and see it!

What he is saying is pretty much indecipherable as he is pronouncing little snippets. It really is a support to the character rather then a main stream to the storyline.

Most of it is token, and the montage type sector where we see the girl winning fights and Irish people shouting 'mo cushla' or similar as she tours Europe winning fight after fight is daft. Irish people would not shout out such a cod-Irish slogan. In fact she never learns what it means till the end. I'd imagine someone might tell her at some stage, like "Why do you have 'my heartbeat' (or whatever nuance) written on your back?"

The story is powerful to say the least. The Gaelic bits are not worth going to see alone.

It is heard to tell from his pronunciation, but seems he is reciting the personal pronouns for ag,namely, agam, agat, ...

Sounds like that TV miniseries about 20±¹º years ago, in which they were supposed to say "na Géanna Fiáine":

"Nah, ganna, feena. Remember: Nah, ganna, feena!"

Irish is often called "Gaelic" in America

Yes, and I suspect that it stems from the early part of 20th century prior to the 1918 Armistice or earlier to the emergence of the Gaelic League. Prior to the formation of the Republic, considerable support for Irish Ireland was successfully sought among the emigrants in America, and the Nationalist spirit was manifest in the word, Gaelic. We Yanks have a funny way of making linguistic associations sometimes. Consider the Boston Celtics, an adjective used as a noun and pronounced Seltics. Their emblem is a shamrock. Seems a far reach from the Kennedys of Boston to the Irish inhabitants of the preViking Ireland.

Glasgow Celtic soccer club in Scotland is also usually pronounced "Seltic" - It's a feature of English!

The film must be better than I thought; Rush Limbaugh hates it. :-)

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/arts/13rich.html?