Oireachtas na Gaeilge

Oireachtas na Gaeilge (Irish pronunciation: [ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ nə ˈɡeːlʲɟə]) is an annually held arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Based on the Welsh Eisteddfod, Oireachtas na Gaeilge runs for one week, featuring performances, demonstrations and competitions. The festival is held in two portions: a visual arts festival in April/May and the festival proper on the last weekend of October or the first of November, when more than 10,000 people attend the seven-day event. In 2007, the festival was held at Westport. The 2008 festival took place in the Cork city suburb of Douglas, the local support committee was under the chairmanship of Peadar Ó Riada, son of the composer and founder of the legendary male choir Cór Chúil Aodha, Seán Ó Riada.

History

The festival was originally held in Dublin, but since the 1970s, it has been held in different cities and towns around Ireland. The festival culminates in four major competitions over the weekend: Comórtas na mBan, a Sean-nós singing competition for women, Comórtas na bhFear, for men, Corn Uí Riada, for all age and gender categories, and the Comórtas Damhsa ar an Sean Nós ("Steip"), a free-style dancing competition based on the Conamara individual step style now popular around the country. Past winners of Corn Uí Riada include Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Lillis Ó Laoire, Máirtín Tom Sheánín Mac Donnchadha, Mícheál Ó Confhaola and 2008 winner Ciarán Ó Con Cheanainn from An Spidéal. Contae na Gaillimhe.

The first Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival was held in 1897 in the Round Room of Dublin's Rotunda, one of the largest halls in the city at that time. It was just a half-day festival, but the attendance still exceeded a thousand people, an unexpected level of interest.

In contrast to today's festival, there was little emphasis on the performing arts. The competitions included two for poetry, five for prose essays, one for poetry compilations; a competition for unpublished songs or stories in Irish; a competition for new song compositions and a recitation competition.

The popularity of the Oireachtas waned in the early part of the twentieth century, and the festival was cancelled for a number of years in the 1920s and 1930s. In response, the organisers, under the Directorship of Liam Ó Maolaodha attempted from the 1990s on to market the festival to younger speakers of Irish via outings, discos, and other youth-oriented events.

Media coveraage

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta has been covering the bigger Oireachtas events live since 1973 and these broadcasts are in considerable demand from internet audiences around the globe, particularly Corn Uí Riada and the sean-nós stage competitions. Steip, the Sean nós dancing competition, on TG4 has consistently attracted the station's highest annual audience figures. Its success is due to the hard work of Festival administrator Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha who effectively revived the competition from 2000 onwards. In 2008, for the first time, the station broadcast live segments of the Corn Uí Riada competition.

References

• Scéal an Oireachtais 1897 – 1924 le Donncha Ó Súilleabháin (An Clóchomhar Tta, BÁC, 1984)
• Réamhchonraitheoirí le Máirín Ní Mhuiríosa (Clódhanna Teo, BÁC, 1968) ISBN 0950126403
• Oireachtas na Gaeilge 1897 - 1997, edited by Proinsias Mac Aonghusa (Conradh na Gaeilge, BÁC, 1997)
• Cuimhní Cinn ar an Oireachtas edited by Seán Mac Mathúna (Conradh na Gaeilge, BÁC, 1997)

External links

• Festival website
• An Irishwoman's Diary Preview in Irish Times 2008 by Catherine Foley