In The News

To keep Irish alive as a language for the modern world, new words are added all the time.

Bingewatch (craosfhéachaint), cryptocurrency (criptea-airgeadra), influencer (tionchairí ar líne) and mansplaining (fearmhíniú) are among the relatively recent English words that now have Irish translations.

It's great for communication, but who decides on these new translations – and how?

Irish Language Editor Éanna Ó Caollaí, writer Alan Titley and Cormac Breathnach from Focloir.ie are here to explain how new Irish words are born. This podcast is available in English and Irish.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

De réir mar a thagann coincheapa agus téarmaí nua chun cinn sa saol, tagann focail nua chun cinn sa chaint mar chur síos orthu. Ar nós gach pobal teanga eile, forbraíonn focail, nathanna agus téarmaíocht go nádúrtha i bpobal labhartha na Gaeilge. Uaireanta eile, nuair a thagann téarmaí iasachta isteach sa ghnáthchaint, cumtar focail nua Gaeilge mar chur síos orthu le cur le stór na bhfocal in focloir.ie.

Is samplaí iad Bingewatch, cryptocurrency, influencer agus mansplaining de fhocail nua a tháinig chun cinn sa Bhéarla le blianta beaga anuas. Ach cá as a dtagann na focail Gaeilge ar na coincheapa sin? Agus cén chaoi a gcuirtear le stór na bhfocal Gaeilge iad?

Labhair Eagarthóir Gaeilge an Irish Times, Éanna Ó Caollaí, leis an scríbhneoir Alan Titley agus le Cormac Breathnach, bainisteoir tionscadail foclóireachta le foclóir.ie, faoin gcur chuige.


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

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, day-to-day life has become wearyingly normal.

Having endured one of the coldest winters on record – mostly without electricity because of Russia’s bombing of power plants – the grinding misery of trying to survive for Ukranians goes on.

The devastation in the cities targeted by Russia is clear to see and cost in lives immense. Civilians are paying a massive price: official figures note that 55,000 Ukranians have been killed on the battlefield and the total death toll could be as high as 200,000 people. It is thought that 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed – though the Kremlin has not released figures.

Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian MP from the opposition Holos party, explains what life is like for her in the war, how successive peace talks have been weighted in Russia’s favour, and how her job as a legislator still goes on with, for her, the added worry that her partner is fighting on the front line.

Her resilience and determination that Russia cannot win, is she says, shared by her compatriots.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon have been relentless and growing in ferocity since the US and Israel launched its war against Iran on February 28th.

Saying it is targeting Hizbullah, the Iran-backed militia that essentially functions as a state-within-a state in Lebanon, Israel issues evacuation orders to residents in advance of its missile attacks. That has prompted a mass displacement of people seeking safety.

On Wednesday night, air strikes hit the Beirut seafront killing eight people and injuring more than 30 displaced people; families who had fled their homes on Israeli instructions and who were living in tents near the beach.

Sally Hayden, who reports from the region for The Irish Times, lives in Beirut.

To understand how the attacks are impacting Beirut residents, she visited churches, halls and even a football stadium where displaced people, including thousands of children, are seeking safety in very basic conditions.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News that Kinahan cartel founder Christy Kinahan snr and his sons, Daniel and Christopher jnr, have not left the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for four years offers real insight into how small their world has become.

Garda sources say that finding the Kinahans has never been the problem for the teams of detectives investigating them. What has proved difficult is building a case against the men who are the reported leaders of one of the biggest drugs cartels in the world.

According to crime and security editor Conor Lally they are literally too scared to leave the UAE for fear of losing control of their lives and their liberty. Why? And why have they not been brought to justice given that a Garda file on the Kinahan leadership was submitted to the DPP in 2023.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.