Irish Language

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by Mairead Foley

So where did the Irish language come from you might ask? Well, it's believed it was the Celts who first brought an early form of Gaelic to Ireland. It was a Celtic language closely related to Scottish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic (spoken in the Isle of Man). The earliest form of primitive Irish in Ireland can be seen on ogham stone inscriptions around the 4th century. Modern Irish evolved around the 16th century and up until the 19th century, Irish was widely spoken in the country.


Nowadays, if you want to hear Irish people speaking in their native tongue, then you'll have to go to Gaeltacht areas when in Ireland. Gaeltacht areas are places in Ireland (mainly in the west) where the Irish language is still the everyday spoken language of the local people. Gaeltachts are not only Irish speaking areas, but are also the places where Irish customs, traditions, folklore, song, music and dance are very much kept alive. Most Gaeltacht speaking areas have summer schools where Irish is taught to students, while you might also stumble across some beginners classes if you want to learn the basics.

The biggest Gaeltacht area in Ireland is in County Galway. If you happen to be in this part of Ireland, go west of Galway city to an area called Connemara and you'll discover a land where it feels as if time has stood still. A landscape of unspoilt scenery, quite country roads, bogs, valleys, uncrowded and unpolluted sandy beaches is what you'll find here.

You'll also find Irish customs, traditions and the language at the very heart of the community. The Aran Islands off the coast of Galway are also part of the Irish speaking Gaeltacht. You might also be lucky enough to hear Irish spoken in Galway city, where you see bilingual signs and names of shops still in Irish.


Ireland's second largest Gaeltacht area is in County Donegal in the very north west of Ireland. Fringed by the Atlantic Ocean, Donegal is a county of outstanding natural beauty. The Gaeltacht can be found mainly in the west of the county, so head to areas like Fanad, Gweedore, Glencolmcille, Tory Island and Aranmore Island.

The Gaeltacht area in County Mayo is also quite extensive. If you want to visit an Irish speaking area here, then head for the little picturesque towns of Carrowteige, Aughleam and Tourmakeady.

The Gaeltacht area in County Kerry can mainly be found on the Dingle Peninsula, the most western tip of Europe. This rugged peninsula has some of the most spectacular scenery. It's jammed packed with about 2,000 archaelogical sights, picturesque villages, a coastline dotted with islands, beaches, cliffs and a vibrant town with its own resident dolphin!


Head west of Dingle town to areas like Ventry, Dunquin, Ballyferriter, Ballydavid and the Blasket Islands to hear the locals converse in their native tongue.

If you happen to be in west County Cork you can explore one of four Irish speaking communities. Ballyvourney is a picturesque little village which can be found just inside the Cork/Kerry border. Not far from Ballyvourney you can visit two other Irish speaking areas, namely Ballingeary and Coolea. Clear Island off the south coast of County Cork is a charming little island where Irish is also spoken as the everyday language.

The only Gaeltacht in the south east of Ireland can be found in County Waterford. The Irish language, culture and traditions are very prevalent here in an area known as Ring (An Rinn) and Old Parish (An Sean Phobal). To find this Gaeltacht area just drive about 10km south of Dungarvan town.


In the royal county of Meath, you'll find two little pockets of Irish speaking communities – Rathcairn and Gibbstown (about 70km from Dublin). The history of these two Irish speaking communities is quite different to others, in that they were formed when Irish speaking families from Connemara were resettled here back in the 1930's.

Experience a Gaeltacht area for yourself when you visit Ireland and maybe learn some 'cúpla focal' (Irish words). Gaeltacht areas are the last remaining unique and special parts of Ireland where there is a distinctive "Irishness" to be seen. So if you really want to get a feel for the Irish language and culture, put a trip to one of these Gaeltachts on your itinerary.

Check out GoIreland.com for more articles on Irish culture.

Mairead Foley writes for Ireland travel website GoIreland.com

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Audio Books for Children - The Benefits

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by suegold

Joining writing and math, reading is one of the most significant skills a child will encounter in school. Unfortunately, it is also one of the leading subjects most often dreaded and difficult to get youngsters to show an interest in. However, an increasing amount of parents and teachers are now discovering the ease and convenience of using audio books as a powerful learning tool.

Audio books present reading in a whole new light, as authors, professional actors, sound effects, and entertaining music bring to life the words that decorate the pages of books. Some of the most involved audio books for children assemble an entire cast of character voices to enhance the overall experience of reading along with audio.

Creating a Relationship with Words

As a child hears a book read on tape, they enter a journey where words seem friendlier and more approachable. The possibilities of reading become clearer, as an audio book is great at illustrating where learning the skill can really take you. A young reader is also more apt to establish a pattern of concentrating on the sounds of words without the interruption of personal reading obstacles. An audio also helps create the building blocks necessary for fluent reading.

Improved Listening Skills

Since audio books are read aloud, a significant understanding and exposure to the art of listening is cultivated. The skill of listening plays an important role in learning how to read better and is an ability that goes hand and hand when training to tackle a wide range of reading materials. As a result, a child's level of comprehension also becomes nurtured.

Create a Growing Interest

Today, a great deal of students shows little to no interest in reading because they've received minimal exposure to the positive and fun aspects of books. Audio books for children most often highlight interesting sound effects, catchy tunes, and changes in voices that are appealing and motivating for young readers. The combination of different voices, silly dialogue, and a playful presentation provides children of varying ages encouragement for a growing interest in what they can accomplish when learning how to read.

Audio books also allow narrators to enhance the storytelling aspect of a tale to present reading as a source of enjoyment rather than a forced skill taught in school. It is through this entertaining journey that children become excited and enthusiastic about the reading process, as they learn a deeper understanding of language, pronunciation, and the meaning of words.

Building a Vocabulary

A child is most likely to learn new vocabulary words by listening to their favorite stories on an audio book. Young readers additionally begin to develop a familiarity with common words and phrases that ultimately make learning how to read a much easier process to navigate.

Fun with Family and Friends

When friends gather together to listen to an audio book, the possibilities of a blossoming imagination are truly never ending. Just as Barbie dolls and action figures allow kids to explore their creativity through playful dialogue and actions, an audio book can accomplish the same thing. This learning tool also makes a great activity that can involve the entire family. A great example is seen when traveling down the open road, as audio books can help keep the peace amongst passengers on long trips to Grandma's house or family vacations.

About the Author: Steve Childens is owner of Audio Books Galore, an Audio Books Download Store online. At Chris's audio-book store, you can get quality Discount Audio Books at special prices.

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The Insight21 Project

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by josefgraf

Earth Vision has launched a new project entitled Insight21 - answers for the 21st Century. The website presents various topics that entail front-runners in the need for answers for social and environmental issues. Some of these treatments include Waldorf Education, Biodynamic gardening, Anthroposophical Medicine, as well as various wisdom-centered perspectives form the deep pool of anthroposophical material and the lectures of Rudolf Steiner.

For the past year, Earth Vision has been active with its mandate to reach beyond environmentalism by presenting nature in the light of spiritual ecology.

The coordinator of the Earth Vision project is a seasoned explorer of wilderness, and researcher of Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy. Josef Graf contends that the environmental movement is becoming increasingly unable to address the issues of the day, and that a deeper perspective is needed. Citing the formidable output of Steiner, in which spiritual science effectively overtakes material science, the author asserts that spiritual ecology serves as an indispensable adjunct to material ecology.

The Earth Vision website uses the vehicle of eco-spirituality to explore the interweave between humanity and nature. Through excerpts from five books, each with a distinct approach, the viewer gains access to the wilderness within:

- a travelogue across North America;
- a calendar of nature and soul through the seasons;
- a global perspective of spiritual ecology down through the ages;
- a gallery that explores art, color theory, and the nature-soul dynamic;
- and a compendium of humor in the biography of Hebert Returns to America.

In addition to books, the EV project releases a seasonal, in-depth article addressing a current environmental issue - on topics such as the disappearing honeybees, the end of real estate, and the return of bison and wolf.

Humanity's impasse in the face of nature calls for extraordinary resolutions. Earth Vision provides an entry to one of those forums. In the words of Dorothy McLean, noted co-founder of Findhorn, "I read Earth Vision with delight. . . and appreciated the emphasis on humans sharing whatever qualities nature has. . . the words, and the spirit that shines through them, cannot but help people to expand their awareness."


The Earth Vision website presents spiritual ecology as a means of highlighting the nature-human relationship. In a bid to take readers to a deeper place with nature, the Earth Vision project diverges from the voice of the intellect, and enters into a language that speaks at the core of being, a poetic, non-cerebral voice that interlaces strands of nature with the human experience.

By means of condensed language, and with full existential bearing, spiritual ecology presents two doorways that lead, ultimately, to the same forum of discovery. The first approach, by penetrating into nature's core, arrives at a place where the human soul is discovered to be dwelling. The second approach entails the inverse of the first - penetrating into the human soul until the numerous aspects of nature are encountered.

As the author of Earth Vision, I express my sense of why spiritual ecology is not more widely and consciously lived into by suggesting that our connection with nature is so close - it could not possibly be closer - that we have difficulty discerning it. When you are one with something, it takes a special exercise in self-reflection to ascertain that something.

Josef Graf is the coordinator of Insight21 and Earth Vision - presenting answers for the 21st Century.

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Fun Science Projects are here

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by melonie

Fun science projects -- there are no shortage of project topics. But choosing the right project can make the difference between an ordinary or an extraordinary project. The secret is choosing a project in a science topic that excites the student. In choosing a topic that interests them, they will enjoy the work involved and will find that needed commitment to completing it. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of different topics out there for the student to choose a science fair project. The most popular subjects are life science, earth science and physical science. Other popular topics include health, computers, biology and chemistry.

If your child is a computer nerd then he or she may very well enjoy a project about the internet, about search engines or other aspects of the computer. There are many places to look for science fair project ideas about computer science. You could look it up on the internet, as well as doing some library research. Many projects have been done about which search engines give the most results, which search engines are faster, and similar topics.

Science fair projects in the earth science and environmental sciences are very popular today. With the advent of global warming, students who want to help save the world for future generations may be interested in these subjects. You could do projects on air and water pollution, on acid rain, on erosion and similar ideas. Here are some great ideas for earth science projects. Discovering Dinosaurs, Earth's Waters, Earth's Changing Surface, Exploring Stars, About our Planet, the Solar System, Living Earth, Volcanoes, and Weather Maps. Other subjects could include the Continental Drift, Avalanches, Earthquakes, the Grand Canyon, Living Fossils, and the Ice Age.

If the student is interested in becoming a doctor or a nurse, then maybe a health science fair project would be the right subject. The student could do research on disease, the use of pharmaceuticals and generic drugs, high blood pressure and countless other subjects.

For those who want to be the next famous chemist, a science fair project in the field of chemistry would be in order. This will require some equipment, laboratory procedures, and good discipline. The field of chemistry is so broad that the student should have little trouble finding a satisfactory project. Chemistry is a science that systematically studies the composition, properties, and activity of organic and inorganic substances and various elementary forms of matter. It is the scientific study of matter, its properties, and interactions with other matter and with energy. Its procedures are systematic and reproducible and its hypotheses are tested using the scientific method.

Isaac Newton is a role model for students who wish to do a science fair project in the field of physics. You will also need good discipline and usually require some special equipment. Physics projects can be simple or complex to suit the grade level. Physics is all around us. It is in the electric light you turn on in the morning; the car you drive to work; your wristwatch, cell phone, CD player, radio and television. It makes the stars shine every night and the sun shine every day, and it makes a baseball soar into the stands.

Physics is the science of matter, energy, space, and time. It describes the many forms of energy--such as kinetic energy, electrical energy, and mass--and the way energy can change from one form to another. It describes a malleable space-time and the way objects move through space and time.

There are many fields of physics such as mechanics, electricity, heat, sound, light, condensed matter, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics. Physics is the foundation of all the physical sciences--such as chemistry, material science, and geology and is important for many other fields of human endeavor: biology, medicine, computing, ice hockey and television.

Science fair projects in the field of biology would be best suited for students who want to deal with living things. Biology is the scientific study of life. In biology we examine the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of living things. Biology classifies and describes organisms, their functions, how species exist and the interactions they have with the environment.

The word biology is derived from the Greek words /bios/ meaning /life/ and /logos/ meaning /study/ and is defined as the science of life and living organisms. Aspects of biological science range from the study of molecular mechanisms in cells, to the classification and behavior of organisms, how species evolve and interaction between ecosystems.

No matter what the interest of the student, there a science fair project perfectly suited to their particular tastes. There is just no sense in selecting a project by default. The student should spend some time considering his or her interests and then find the project that they will really enjoy doing. Science fair projects are not just about learning but should also be about having fun!

Visit fun science projects you'll loveit!

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Job for the IT savvy

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by Shen Gerald

Are you an IT savvy person? If you are, the following careers may be suitable for you.

1. Video Game tester. The Game Tester plays and evaluate video game before they are release into the general public.


2. Computer Software Developer. Computer software development is the job of writing, testing, troubleshooting, and maintaining the source code of computer software programs. This source code is written in a programming language. The computer software programmer is an expert in Computer programming.


3. IT system administrator. A system admin maintains the network's hardware and software. They also analyze problems and monitor networks to ensure their availability to users.

In life we have to work towards our goals. It is not just enough to hold onto a hope. We have to make the necessary decisions and take the appropriate actions towards the attainment of our aim. Therefore, even when one understands what he likes and wants to be, he must still work towards realising his dream.

Job interviews are the door way to a good job existence. As such it is really crucial. The following are some tips for presenting good appearance for job interview.

1. sit properly.

2. Don't trudge. Instead stride

3. Avoid pulling a long face

4. Put on your spectacles

Well, that is all for the article. Thank you for reading

The author runs Job Lense - list of careers, a career website which features many career profiles. The Database analyst job profile is included.

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USA Immigration Lawyer Services

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by Reva Cruz

The services offered by immigration lawyers in the USA are of great assistance when a person makes a decision to immigrate to the USA. Experienced immigration lawyers can determine the most suitable visa category for you. They offer you an interactive, innovative, and easy-to-use questionnaire that asks for all the basic facts and information required to start your visa process.

Immigration lawyer services in the USA are available for:

• Family-based visas
• Work visas and marriage visas
• Green cards
• Executive transfers
• Fiancée visas
• Citizenship and administrative appeals
• I-751 petitions to remove conditional residence
• Mergers & acquisitions
• Adjustment of status
• Employer regulatory compliance

In addition to the above, the lawyers assist with investor visas, litigation and appeals, consular processing, permanent residence, student visas, and global visas. They also handle naturalization procedures of foreign nationals who wish to become US citizens, and legal issues associated with refugees. They advise clients on employment verification, government audits and investigations. Additionally, they obtain green cards for clients and advise them on strategic ways to obtain them fast.

USA immigration lawyer services eliminate the burden and hassle of immigration paperwork. These lawyers assist companies and individuals with the complete visa application process that includes professional determination of the most suitable visa category and the accurate preparation of visa application. They carefully evaluate your circumstances, then select and prepare a visa application suitable for your requirements. After completing a thorough evaluation of your visa application, they accumulate it with all the required documentation and submit the application to appropriate government agencies for approval. Before you are called for an interview with the immigration officer, the lawyers offer you expert advice on how to handle consular interviews.

Immigration lawyers help a number of clients ranging from multinational executives to treaty investors, software professionals, researchers and scientists, as well as artists, athletes, entertainers and fashion models. For those who are seeking employment, they give employment guidance.

With the support of the latest online visa processing technologies, immigration lawyers and law firms in the USA offer fast, secure and economical immigration services.

Reva Cruz is an immigrant lawyer. John Roth & Associates have successfully completed over 8000 K visa and marriage visa petitions. What's more, our total number of K-1 visa, K-2, I-130 K-3, K-4 and other fiancée and marriage related visas exceeds 12,000.

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About MP3 Audio Books

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by suegold

What is an MP3 player's primary function? To play music, of course, would be the answer. Well, yes, but that doesn't mean that an MP3 player cannot perform other functions. Nowadays these smart players can be used to play different file formats, viewing photographs, videos and even playing games. But the very fact that they play MP3 files can make them versatile enough. MP3s need not necessarily be songs only.


This intelligent file format has been found to be incredibly useful for other purposes too – like MP3 audio books. However not all MP3 players are suitable for listening to audio books. If you are in the market for a player and are interested in audio books then there are certain things you need to be aware of.


First you should be aware of how much memory your player has and how much it can be expanded to (if it can be expanded at all.) This is an important feature anyway as the amount of storage space you have on the player will also help determine the price and, therefore, whether it fits your budget or not. Flash memory is used on most MP3 players. Some have slots for memory cards like MMC and SD/Mini SD/Micro SD. If you want to listen to MP3 audio books on your device then you should try and get as much storage capacity as possible. A minimum of 128MB is needed for some audio books.


Another thing you should check out is the maximum volume that the MP3 player can support. How loud a player can play will be an important feature as it will determine whether or not you can hear the audio book being played in noisy situations like most public spaces. Some MP3 players do have a feature that limits the volume so you might want to give these a miss if you are focusing on MP3 audio books. Test the volume at the shop before you commit yourself to a purchase.


Finally, perhaps, the most important feature an MP3 player needs to have in order to be audio book friendly is to be able to resume from wherever you left off. MP3 audio books are long MP3 files which you probably will not listen to all at one go. Therefore you will want to resume listening to the book file from the point you stopped at. Therefore your MP3 player needs to be able to do that rather than just return to the beginning of the file which can be extremely frustrating. Not all MP3 players can do this so you should check to see whether the one you are buying can or not. First stop and resume, then stop, switch off before switching on and resuming play. Also try replacing batteries.


MP3 audio books are a good idea and keeping them on your personal MP3 players can help you spend time on your commute, journey, gym or anything in a nice, relaxed manner. So go ahead and download, you might even win a free MP3 player!

Author, Steve Childens is owner of the website that offers you MP3 Audio Books. At this site you can get great discount audio books by top publishers at special low prices.

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