Happy Paddy´s Day!

The video "Ireland Inspires" will be played in the Embassies of Ireland all over the world tomorrow, March 17th: St. Patrick´s Day.  John Concannon, Director of Market Development for Fáilte Ireland said, "This video is our animated postcard to the world -- showcasing Ireland in the best possible way and highlighting the strengths and qualities which make this country a great place to be. Promoting a positive and upbeat image of today's Ireland, this video is tailored to appeal to visitors, investors and all those attracted to the type of energy, creativity and potential which this nation can offer. "

Information about the celebration of St. Patrick´s Day: click here

In the mood for an Irish song? Click here. 

Molly Malone is a popular Irish song which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin. Watch the video  below and you will understand the lyrics.

Molly Malone´s Lyrics

In Dublin's fair city,
Where the Girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes,
On sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

Alive alive o!
Alive alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

She was a fish monger,
And sure it was no wonder,
For so were her
Father and Mother before,
And they both wheeled their barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

Alive alive o!
Alive alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end
Of sweet Molly Malone,
But her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through the streets broad and narrow,
Crying cockles and mussels,
Alive alive o!

This is my favorite version of the song, Sinead O´Connor´s: 



And this is probably the most popular, The Dubliners´:

The Importance of Speaking English, According to Our Politicians

Dear Mr Núñez Feijoo, President of "Xunta de Galicia,"

you are welcome to my classes; you could learn two things:

• the importance of rehearsing speeches before delivering them
• the pronunciation of "Chieftains"

While we are at it, you might as well consider increasing the number of hours of English lessons per week: three 50-minute-long periods a week with a ratio of up to 34 students per class is certainly not the way to make our students   fluent in English (judge for yourself)

Let me recommend a great way to learn some pronunciation: singing along while listening to a song. 

Since you had difficulties reading the name of the Irish band, The Chieftains,  while mentioning they had been awarded the Castelao medal, here´s one of my favourite songs played by this band together with The Corrs , I Know My Love

I Know My Love,  Lyrics

I know my love by his way of walking
And I know my love by his way of talking
And I know my love dressed in a suit of blue
And if my love leaves me, what will I do?

chorus:
And still she cried, "I love him the best,
And a troubled mind, sure can know no rest"
And still she cried, "Bonny boys are few,
And if my love leaves me, what will I do?"

There is a dance house in Maradyke
And there my true love goes every night
He takes a strange girl upon his knee
Well now don't you think that that vexes me?

chorus

If my love knew I can wash and wring
If my love knew I can sew and spin
I'd make a coat of the finest kind
But the want of money sure leaves me behind

chorus

I know my love is an errant rover
I know he'll wander the wild world over
In dear old Ireland he'll no longer tarry
An American girl he's sure to marry

chorus
chorus

Unfortunately, Mr Núñez Feijoo is not the only one who has problems with English; click here and watch the videos

An Animated Short Film

We do not often get to hear people with Irish accents in our lessons; maybe that´s why we often find them hard to understand but that won´t be the case with this video here because the transcript is included in the lower part of the screen. Tony Donoghue made this Irish film which has just won an award for the best short animation at the Sundance Film Festival.

The video is 8 minutes long, it uses the stop-motion technique and it is about the restoration of traditional furniture, which can be a great opportunity for you to learn the names of some pieces of furniture - by the way, they are Irish but they could perfectly well be Galician, don´t you agree?