how long should the irish essay be

Leaving Cert Papers, News, Notes, Tips and Resources

Guide to Irish

Irish for me was hit and miss. I had the vocabulary, the general tenses and I could listen…. But I just couldn’t think in Irish. I would always translate from English to Irish… always think in English first. That shows I wasn’t a fluent speaker, I couldn’t therefore ‘bluff’ Irish like I could perhaps most other subjects. If I didn’t understand a question – I was banjaxed. The listening and oral are usually easy, solid marks. They are the things you bank on.

What you have to learn…. (42%) It’s not black and white as some people simply just have to learn everything off (even essays, oral work etc…), and pray to god it comes up but in general…..basically ALL of paper 2 is learning. Poetry, stories, drama’s, history… all of that stuff. Like I said, you can’t really bluff this if you don’t have the Irish; it requires cold, hard work. Also a good half of the oral is all about learning-off stuff… about yourself, location, family etc…

What you can bluff… (58%) Although I say 58% can be bluffed, it can’t, unless you’re almost fluent in Irish. Having said that… you can’t really learn for the essay (17%), the reading comprehensions (12%), the listening (17%) and a good half of the oral (about 12%). Most of that lot requires natural brains and lingo, which most of us lack. Bluffing Irish, or any foreign language (not foreign, but you know what I mean) for that matter is very difficult if you don’t have the natural vocabulary.

Conclusion Irish is one of the toughest subjects to bluff for most of us ‘English speaking people’. In order to bluff, you need to be able to write in a manner which suggests you know your stuff. It’s difficult to bluff in a language you’re not fluent in. Therefore I recommend Irish be given some serious ‘hard work’ time as it’s not a subject you can afford to bluff. Either that, or drop to Ordinary Level Irish in order to take some weight of your shoulders.

6 thoughts on “Guide to Irish”

As a past Leaving Cert student , I was disgruntled to observe a highly offensive video posted on the website known as Youtube. This video contained a disgusting portrayal of a young man , ” rapping ” about the great Irish poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh and poking fun at his sexual orientation. I implore my fellow Irish students to do their utmost , in order to eliminate this highly offensive video, regarding this great man. T

look mate you need to relax. if it was unsuitable or offensive youtube wud take it off themselves. and we all know he was a great poet but what he did isnt right.

man ya need to chill out he was a paeodo like! who cares if hes being slagged he shud be murdered!

He’s not a pedophile, the “kids” in question were 16 and consenting. He may make very poor choices and sleep with people far too young, but they’re not children.

@ Liam: He is a weirdo, no one should be at that. He should be definitely taken off the curriculum. The only reason he’s not is because there are feck all Irish poets that we would be able to study! The video was funny… haha

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Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Irishness #625Lab

“the shoes of irishness fit me well.”, write a personal essay in which you explore your sense of what it means to be irish. (2001).

This is a good essay from a current Leaving Cert student. It’s published under our #625Lab section that reviews the strengths and weaknesses of students’ essays. Note the corrections and comments: these will point you to common mistakes to avoid and help you increase your grade.

Being Irish is a thought playing on everyone’s mind recently. It’s been called into question who we are and what we stand for now in comparison to the ideals of the rebel leaders in the GPO 100 years ago. In the political scheme of things, the general consensus seems to be that we have let them down. The homelessness crisis is deteriorating daily, our health system is woeful and we currently do not even have a government to blame it all on. It’s a far cry from the “romantic Ireland” they envisioned and fought for. Having said that, national pride is at an all time high. The 1916 centenary celebrations have made history buffs of us all as we celebrate this milestone event of our past. Whilst not everyone is in agreement that the Rising was the best way to gain our freedom, it has to be admired as the catalyst for a small nation to break free from seven hundred years of oppression exacted upon us by one of the biggest empires in the world. It beat all the odds. We should not have survived the war of independence and the subsequent civil war, in theory, should have brought the country to its knees, but we were too stubborn to give up, too determined to have our independence and too proud to give up on our country. Our history is the symbol of who we are as a people and we wear these shoes with pride.

Many of our customs have evolved from deeply spiritual and sacred practices from hundreds of years ago. It is a fantastic tribute to our culture that these old traditions are not dying out, but constantly being brought back to life by the younger generations. The session in the pub, the sing song on the way home, the stereotypical “craic agus ceol’” can only be found in Ireland and are appreciated by every generation and nationality who are fortunate enough to experience them first hand. (Hmm, in the introduction the author seemed a little dismissive of the auld craic agus ceol and now all of a sudden it’s a good thing? It would be better to stay consistent throughout the essay.) Every family has that one member who can always be counted on to regale all in attendance with their go to song, usually “Rattling Bog”, or the Gran Aunt who sits by the fire, just waiting to recite “Oh to have a little house…”. Some will need a few drinks up their sleeves, before they launch into a murderous rendition of Ellis Isle, but others, from years of childhood cajoling, know they have a talent and are all too eager to remind everyone of that. The trick is finding the balance between the good, the bad, and the American cousin. (This paragraph is clearly about culture, so it’s a huge improvement on the formless previous paragraph.)

The Irish wake, is one of the best ways to deal with the loss of a loved one. The whole family gathers and grieves together. The best part of the wake is that it truly is a celebration of the person’s life: stories are told, their favourite songs sung, you laugh until your stomach aches and cry until your eyes sting, but it is so wonderfully cathartic to, metaphorically, bring the person back to life, surrounded by family, before it is time to say goodbye for once and for all. The video that recently went viral sums this tradition up. Ger “farmer” Foley passed away in the village of Killorglin, after a long battle with CF. On the night of his funeral, a friend decided to dedicate his version of “Mr Brightside” to the young man. The pub lit up with a huge out pouring of emotion for their friend. Crucially, there were no tears. The song was a celebration of his life, a celebration of the contribution he made to a local festival, a celebration of his life and how he lived it. That’s what a funeral should be and that’s what an Irish funeral is. It’s a unique part of our culture that can’t be appreciated fully until you are grieving through it. The video was shared hundreds of times across social media, often accompanied by the quote: “Being Irish you know that a good funeral is better than a bad wedding.” The international reaction was one of shock and admiration. It seemed to confirm that the Irish, even in death, are always enjoying themselves. (This is an improvement on the previous paragraph as it illustrates that there indeed isn’t a party like an Irish party.)

The Irish hospitality is something we are famed for and perhaps why family pubs are so popular with tourists. The Irish will go out of their way to be as welcoming as possible to guests. I am reminded again of another of my Granddad’s anecdotes. His house was overflowing one Christmas, as all his sons had decided this was the year they would introduce their girlfriends to the family. Twenty one people were booked in to stay at the Murphy Inn that night, spread between four rooms. Kevin, the eldest son, had recently moved to Cork and had become well-known after the impression he left on the football pitch. According to my aunt’s account, he made a very good impression on the local parish priest there. Some girl from the parish was stuck in Kerry for the night and the priest directed her back to “Kevin Murphy’s house.” Just like that, she was invited to stay for the night, even though none of the twenty one people had ever laid eyes on her before. That is only one of hundreds of examples of Grandad’s excessive hospitality. He was also known to invite a travelling gypsy to move in whilst Nanny was in hospital one week or to open up the back garden to twenty Kilkenny nurses looking for a place to camp during the “Rose of Tralee” festival.

Leaving Cert English Papers are marked using “PCLM”

Clarity of purpose:, coherence of delivery, accuracy of mechanics.