Gaeilge Thar Lear

What does "greatness" mean? The answer is not as simple as you might think.

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear, I follow one thread from the All-Ireland Championship... through the World Cup... to the Tour de France... from Joe Canning to Tadej Pogacar... and eventually to a question with no simple answer.

An episode about memory, about time, and about the person you were when you witnessed greatness. About why it is objective and subjective and everything in between — and about the uncomfortable questions that sometimes come with it.

Post-Production Notes

This episode falls in a weird space where the story came to me and was then developed (pulled at) at the start of July and then written down over a couple of days... the episode itself took a while to record - again over maybe three or four days - so yes, this easily could have explored "Mayo 4 Sam", Limerick hurlers in more detail, more on the World Cup, and more with Tadej and the Tour. Those are the difficulties when writing and responding to "current" events, while also "bulk recording"...

The idea with Tadej is that he has been truly exceptional - a bolt from the blue - since the very start of his career, whereas typically in the history of cheats they take some time to fall into that pattern - riders have said it takes "1000 days of losing" before you resort to the "dark arts" - so three years - in comparison, Pogacar won his first Tour in 2020 in his second professional season as a 21 year old... Furthermore, he races and wins everything throughout the year - from February to October - typically dopers would have downtime to get their blood bags, etc., organised - he does not follow that pattern. I do not think I outlined it all that well when I listened back to the pod, so hopefully this explainer makes it a bit clearer.

Aspects of this could have been improved and explained better - the thread is not perfect - but I thought it was better to get it out there rather than endless rewrites.... so it is not perfect, but sure what is?

Anyway, I hope ye enjoy this one.

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Cad is brí le "greatness"? Ní hé an freagra atá chomh simplí agus a cheapfá.

San eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear, lean mé snáth amháin ó Chraobh na hÉireann... tríd an gCorn na Domhanda... go dtí an Tour de France... ó Joe Canning go dtí Tadej Pogacar... agus ar deireadh go dtí ceist nach bhfuil freagra simplí uirthi.

Is eagrán é faoi chuimhne, faoin am, agus faoin duine a bhí tú nuair a chonaic tú greatness. Faoin difríocht idir í a fheiceáil agus í a mhothú — agus nach ionann an dá rud i gcónaí. Agus faoi na ceisteanna crua a thagann léi uaireanta.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cad is brí le "greatness"? Ní hé an freagra atá chomh simplí agus a cheapfá.

San eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear, lean mé snáth amháin ó Chraobh na hÉireann... tríd an gCorn na Domhanda... go dtí an Tour de France... ó Joe Canning go dtí Tadej Pogacar... agus ar deireadh go dtí ceist nach bhfuil freagra simplí uirthi.

Is eagrán é faoi chuimhne, faoin am, agus faoin duine a bhí tú nuair a chonaic tú greatness. Faoin difríocht idir í a fheiceáil agus í a mhothú — agus nach ionann an dá rud i gcónaí. Agus faoi na ceisteanna crua a thagann léi uaireanta.

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What does "greatness" mean? The answer is not as simple as you might think.

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear, I follow one thread from the All-Ireland Championship... through the World Cup... to the Tour de France... from Joe Canning to Tadej Pogacar... and eventually to a question with no simple answer.

An episode about memory, about time, and about the person you were when you witnessed greatness. About why it is objective and subjective and everything in between — and about the uncomfortable questions that sometimes come with it.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was something about the 2000s. I cannot quite name it - but you knew it when you were in it. A shared language. A clear image of what it meant to be young. A world that felt like it was going in one direction.

And then, slowly and surely, it was gone.

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear, I am thinking about that world - about what was there, about what went with it. And about the strange feeling that comes when the algorithm returns something to you that you were not looking for.

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Bhí rud éigin ann sna 2000í. Ní féidir liom ainm cruinn a chur air — ach bhí a fhios agat nuair a bhí tú ann. Teanga chomhroinnte. Íomhá shoiléir de cad a bhí i gceist le bheith óg. Domhan a bhí ag dul i dtreo amháin.

Agus ansin, go mall agus go cinnte, d'imigh sé.

San eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear, táim ag smaoineamh ar an domhan sin — ar cad a bhí ann, ar cad a d'imigh leis. Agus ar an mothúchán aisteach a thagann nuair a chuireann an algorithm rud ar ais os do chomhair nach raibh tú ag lorg.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bhí rud éigin ann sna 2000í. Ní féidir liom ainm cruinn a chur air — ach bhí a fhios agat nuair a bhí tú ann. Teanga chomhroinnte. Íomhá shoiléir de cad a bhí i gceist le bheith óg. Domhan a bhí ag dul i dtreo amháin.

Agus ansin, go mall agus go cinnte, d'imigh sé.

San eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear, táim ag smaoineamh ar an domhan sin — ar cad a bhí ann, ar cad a d'imigh leis. Agus ar an mothúchán aisteach a thagann nuair a chuireann an algorithm rud ar ais os do chomhair nach raibh tú ag lorg.

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There was something about the 2000s. I cannot quite name it - but you knew it when you were in it. A shared language. A clear image of what it meant to be young. A world that felt like it was going in one direction.

And then, slowly and surely, it was gone.

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear, I am thinking about that world - about what was there, about what went with it. And about the strange feeling that comes when the algorithm returns something to you that you were not looking for.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

San eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear, labhraím le Caoimhín Mac Uilín ó Chill Chainnigh, atá anois lonnaithe i Londain. Is é Caoimhín bunaitheoir an chlub reatha Rí Rá agus Rith, tionscnamh a thugann deis do Ghaeilgeoirí sa chathair teacht le chéile, dul ag rith agus an Ghaeilge a úsáid i suíomh sóisialta agus gníomhach.

Pléimid bunús an smaoinimh, cé atá páirteach ann agus conas atá an club ag fás. Labhraímid freisin faoin tionchar a bhí ag an gclub CLG Gaeilge Na Gaeil Óga i mBaile Átha Cliath air agus é ina mhac léinn, agus mar a spreag an taithí sin é chun pobal Gaeilge dá chuid féin a chruthú i Londain.

Tagann an comhrá ar a chuid maratón freisin, lena n-áirítear an scéal faoin ngeansaí O’Neills gan choinne a chabhraigh leis na ciliméadair dheireanacha a shárú. Déanaimid machnamh chomh maith ar an gcaoi a bhféadann siúl agus rith trí chathair léargas nua a thabhairt ar stair, ar charachtar agus ar scéalta ceilte na háite.

Thosaigh an comhrá seo tar éis dom postáil ó Chaoimhín a fheiceáil ar Cogar faoi Rí Rá agus Rith, agus bhí orm tuilleadh a fháil amach faoin tionscnamh. Bhí Caoimhín flaithiúil lena chuid ama agus ba mhór agam an deis a scéal a chloisteáil agus a roinnt.

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In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear, I speak with Caoimhín Mac Uilín from Kilkenny, who is now based in London. Caoimhín is the founder of Rí Rá agus Rith, a running club that brings Irish speakers together to run, socialise and use Irish in an active and welcoming environment.

We discuss where the idea came from, who is involved, and how the club has developed since it began. We also talk about the influence of the Irish-speaking GAA club Na Gaeil Óga in Dublin, where Caoimhín played hurling while studying in the city, and how that experience inspired him to create a similar Irish-language community in London.

The conversation also touches on the marathons he has completed, including the story of how an unexpected O’Neills GAA jersey helped carry him through the final kilometres of a race. We reflect on how running and walking through a city can reveal so much about its history, character, and hidden stories.

This conversation began after I came across Caoimhín posting on Cogar about Rí Rá agus Rith — and I wanted to find out more about the idea behind it. Caoimhín was generous enough to give me his time, and I really appreciate the opportunity to hear and share his story.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.