Three Weeks in the Gaeltacht: A Memoir

By M C O'Callaghan

It was the 1970s, and the author was ten years old. She was growing up in Ireland, in a Dublin suburb. One morning, she got on a train with her teacher and her classmates, and headed about two hundred miles south-west to the D?n Chaoin Gaeltacht in Kerry. They were going to the Gaeltacht for three weeks. The plan was that they would live with local families, attend the local school, speak Irish, and experience life in the countryside. The key aim was that they would speak Irish. The young girl was very excited about going to Kerry. Would there be mountains and rivers? Would there be animals? She was looking forward to having Midnight Feasts with her friends, and finding Kerry Diamonds. Still, she was a little uneasy too. What would it be like living with a family that she didn't know? And what would it be like speaking Irish all the time? D?n Chaoin was full of surprises. Ordinary life there seemed extraordinary to the author. Everything was different - the landscape and the animals, the trip to school each morning, the way Irish was spoken, how people passed the time... Also, there was lots to see and do, trips to go on, so much to learn about... In the midst of all the excitement, variety and busyness, the young girl started to change. In learning to cope in a very different place, she grew up a bit during those special three weeks. The front cover design is by Elizabeth Chambers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BPGGB3Q3
• ISBN13: 9798367729023
• Release Date: December 2022
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 74 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"