READ ALL ABOUT IT
Since 2012, I’ve been writing about books. And the act of reading. And the importance of story and narrative. But, mostly, the underlying theme of all I write is how taking a moment to stop and digest some longform text — instead of scrolling, instead of watching a video, instead of multitasking — can be one of the most grounding things we can do for ourselves. Here’s the one-stop online home for all this writing.
You can read more about me and my work by moseying over here. Want to peruse periodic “essay drops” — excerpts from my work-in-progress essay collection about Homesickness? Here ya go.
The Colony
Gaelic (i.e. Irish) is a compulsory subject in Irish schools. While living in Ireland, I learned that debate always brewed as to its utility and role, but for my family, it was just something different and interesting. As outsiders, we had no weighty thoughts about Ireland’s identity, and as parents, we liked seeing our children learn something new. Matt has a colleague who grew up on Inisheer, which is part of the Gaeltacht (rural districts where Irish is the predominant language); when she speaks to her family, it’s in Irish. There is also a growth of Irish-speakers in urban areas due to the popularity of Gaelscoileanna, schools outside of the Gaeltacht that instruct all subjects in the Irish language. Our friends have sent their three girls to one for secondary and/or primary school. So there’s an overly simplistic primer on Gaelic…from a non-Irish person.
