Bain Triail Aisti - Seachtain na Gaeilge sna Déise with Waterford City & County Council

Seachtain na Gaeilge is being celebrated in Waterford again this year, with events and activities taking place online due to the pandemic. The Irish Office of Waterford City & County Council is collaborating with a number of different groups to provide a range of events and activities and people from all over the world are welcome to join us online to celebrate the Irish language and culture of the Déise.

Waterford Library Services

Staff from the Libraries throughout city and county have organised a host of bilingual/Irish events and activities, which will take place online in the coming fortnight and all of which are free of charge.

A simple but fun Irish Crossword for Children will be shared on the Library Service website and on its social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - during Seachtain na Gaeilge from the 1st-17th March.

Storytelling for Children – the Library staff have organised a diverse programme of storytelling events this year through the Library Facebook page (@WaterfordLibraries). Throughout Seachtain na Gaeilge Library staff will post videos of themselves reading from a selection of the gorgeous Irish language books that are available for children. In addition, Jacqui de Paor from the Waterford Childcare Committee will host some fun storytelling sessions online for pre-school children.

Storytelling for all ages – The Library Service is delighted to announce that the wonderful Niall de Búrca will be with us again this year, hosting a wild and wonderful storytelling session online, suitable for all ages, on Monday, 15th March at 11am on the Libraries Facebook page. Poet and artist Róisín Sheehy will give a Poetry Reading of her own poems on Friday, the 12th March @ 3pm and talented young local, Tiger Lily Keoghan will give a very interesting talk on the connection between Waterford and Newfoundland on Wednesday, 3rd March at 11.00am.

Information on the dates and times of all of these events can be found at www.waterfordlibraries.ie and on the Facebook page WaterfordLibraries.

St. Patrick’s Day Short Story Competition - to celebrate a very different St. Patrick’s Day this year, Waterford Libraries would love to celebrate your imagination by running a short story competition. We are calling on 6 – 18 year olds to write a story, no more than 500 words, beginning with the line: “I will never forget what happened on St Patrick’s Day…”. Winning entries will be published in local newspapers and will feature on WLR. Full details of the competition are on www.waterfordlibraries.ie and all entries are to be emailed to [email protected] not later than 5pm on Tuesday 9th March 2021.

Ciorcail Chomhrá/Irish Conversation/Events For Adults

Ciorcal na gCiorcal – Irish conversation groups in Waterford will have a chance to get together online for the ‘Ciorcal na gCiorcal’ event being organised by Glór na nGael in conjunction with Gael-taca in Cork on Tuesday, 2nd March. If you would like to take part to practice your ‘cúpla focal’, you can register in advance with Cabríní de Barra, Glór na nGael at [email protected].

Seal le Seanchaí – If you like storytelling and listening to a good yarn you will be most welcome to join us for Seal le Seanchaí, which takes place on Friday, 12 March on Zoom. This event is being organised by Glór na nGael, in co-operation with the Irish Office of Waterford City & County Council, and an evening of “caint agus craic”, chat and fun is promised! You must register in advance with Cabríní de Barra, Glór na nGael at [email protected].

Bilingual Table Quiz – the usual Bilingual Table Quiz for staff organised by the Irish Office of Waterford City & County Council will take place online this year on Monday, 15th March and Ciorcail Chomhrá groups from city and county are also welcome to take part. This will be a fun table quiz, giving people a chance to use their ‘cúpla focal’ in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. You can register in advance by contacting the Irish Officer, Máire Seó Breathnach on [email protected].

Be on the lookout for Scríbhneoir an Lae – Dámh Dhéiseach on the Facebook pages of Waterford City & County Council’s Irish Officer and Archivist during Seachtain na Gaeilge. There will be daily posts on some of the most famous Irish language writers that came from Waterford, giving an interesting insight into the rich Irish language heritage of the Déise, as presented on the Dámh Dhéiseach, Scríbhneoirí na nDéise interactive map on the Council’s website.

Events For Teenagers/Young People

The Péacóg Arts Festival for young people will host an Open Mic and Guest Speaker event online on Friday, 12th March to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge. Further information is available on the Péacóg social media pages.

Gaeltacht Na nDéise

The Gaeltacht development organisation, Comhlucht Forbartha na nDéise is also organising events for Seachtain na Gaeilge through its Language Planning Officer and Family & Youth Facilitator. A Seanfhocal Competition, Storytelling Night for Children and A Celebration of Lá 'le Pádraig #Déise will take place online and further information on these events and activities is available from the Áisitheoir Teaghlaigh & Óige, Éimhín Ní Chonchúir at [email protected] and on social media #@Gaeltacht na nDéise.