Irish language clothing and homeware le haghaidh Seachtain na Gaeilge

Cuireadh tús le Seachtain na Gaeilge ar an Luan agus beidh imeachtaí den scoth ar siúl as seo amach go dtí an 17ú Márta, Lá le Pádhraic.

Seachtain na Gaeilge began on Monday and great events will be taking place from now until March 17th, St. Patrick's Day.

Má tá fonn ort cur le do chúpla focal, tá neart ranganna teagaisc ar siúl ar fud na tíre, chomh maith le tionscnaimh nua ar nós an láithreán líonraithe shóisialta Abair Leat agus feachtas teilifíse Bród Club ar RTÉ.
If you would like to add to your cúpla focal, there are lots of Irish language classes across the country, along with new initiatives such as social media site Abair Leat and the Bród Club television campaign on RTÉ.

Is féidir linn go léir a bheith inár gcónaitheoirí sa Ghaeltacht. Tá cur síos maith ar an gcoincheap seo i ngné-alt leis an gceannlíne 'Mise agus an Ghaeilge' a bhí ar an Irish Times an tseachtain seo caite. Cé gur as Baile Átha Cliath mé, tógadh le Gaeilge sa bhaile mé agus d'fhreastal mé ar mheánscoil trí mheán na Gaeilge.
We can all be residents of the Gaeltacht. There is a good description of this concept in a feature headlined 'Mise agus an Ghaeilge' that appeared in The Irish Times last week. Although I'm from Dublin, I was raised with Irish as my first language and I attended secondary school through the medium of Irish.

Agus is féidir Seachtain na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh gach lá leis na hearraí tí agus éadach Gaelacha thíos:
And Seachtain na Gaeilge can be celebrated every day with the Irish language homewares and clothing below:

CÚPLA CUPÁN TAE i nAGHAIDH AN LAE: Cupán tae Príomhshráid ('Mainstreet') le fáil i réimse dathanna ó Placed. Tá ainmneacha na siopaí i nGaeilge (m.sh. Siopa Caife, An Sos Tae).
 Le fáil ó shiopa Etsy Placed (thart ar €12 an ceann + postas). Tá páipéir maisiúcháin (thart ar €2.60), cartaí (thart ar €3.65) agus tuaillaí tae déanta le prionta lámh (thart ar €16) i nGaeilge le fáil freisin, mar atá le feiceáil sna pictiúir thíos. Tá na hearraí ar díol in Article, Ionad Powerscourt, Baile Átha Cliath 2, freisin. Íomhanna: Placed

O'BAMA RAMA: Chuir uachtarán Mheirceá Barack Obama Gaeilge ar a ráiteas 'Yes We Can' nuair a thug sé óráid i mBaile Átha Cliath i mí Bealtaine, 2011.
Dhear I Love Mayo an prionta 'Is Féidir Linn' chun an ócáid seo a cheiliúradh agus an prionta álainn I Love Cáca Milis ('cake') thíos.
Tá an praghas idir €7.95 agus €24.95 (+ postas), ag brath ar an méid agus má tá 'mounting' de dhith uait. Le fáil ó shuíomh Garrendenny Lane freisin. Íomhanna: I Love Mayo

OH MO DHIA: Is léir gur thug Lionel Richie agus a amhrán 'Hello' an-inspioráid go deo do lucht Hairy Baby agus tá an t-léine seo le fáil i ndathanna éagsúla ar €20 (+ postas) sa sladmhargadh. Tá réimse leathan de t-léinte i nGaeilge le fáil, m.sh. an ceann thíos leis na focla cáiliúla ó fhógra Carlsberg cúpla bliain ó shin. Íomhanna: Hairy Baby

BOG STANDARD IRISH, TOP NOTCH PRINT: Is féidir le gach duine a d'fhreastal ar scoil in Éirinn an cheist, 'An Bhfuil Cead Agam dul Amach go dtí an Leithreas?' ('May I have permission to go to the toilet?' as taught to generations of Irish children) a chur. Tá an prionta seo le fáil ó shiopa Etsy FunkyGibbo (thart ar €15 + postas). Íomha: FunkyGibbo ar Etsy 

TXT SPK AS GAEILGE: OMG = Oh Mo Dhia, nó OMD, i nGaeilge. Tá an OMD hoodie le fáil ón Spailpín Fánach sa Spidéal, Conamara, ar chostas €32 (+ postas). Íomha: An Spailpín Fánach

FADA FAISIN: Ceist ghramadaí nó canúinte? Is breá liom hoodie How's Your Fada? (€35 + postas) ón chomhlacht Deir Sé. Íomha: Deir Sé

FOCAL THUAS: Tá an cluiche cailiúil Scrabble le fáil i nGaeilge ar €20 (+ postas) ón Siopa Gaeilge. Íomha: Siopa Gaeilge

Devine design: Modern take on Ireland's Claddagh ring by Tatty Devine

A blog post by jewellery designers Tatty Devine comparing their original handmade pieces with very similar items being sold by chain store Claire's Accessories caused a social media storm last week.

Photos of Tatty Devine's quirky pieces contrasted with purchases from Claire's were shared with thousands on Twitter. As Claire's Accessories became a trending topic, the retailer stayed silent, with some claiming that critical comments calling for a boycott were deleted from Claire's Facebook page. Tatty Devine called the lawyers in and froze comments about Claire's made on their blog, while Claire's later released a short statement to say that they were "aware of the blog post... and is currently investigating these comments".

The story drew me (and countless others) to Tatty Devine's website for the first time and I was hugely enamoured by what the English art jewellery brand has to offer by way of tongue-in-cheek statement pieces at not unreasonable prices. One design that caught my eye was a modern take on the classic Claddagh ring, which many an Irish girl has worn down through the years.

CLADD' IN GOLD: The large Claddagh necklace by London-based Tatty Devine (above and below) costs £48 (approx. €57) and is a contemporary twist on the old Irish design. Made from matt gold and red perspex, it is studded with Swarovski crystals. Images: Tatty Devine

Originating from the Galway fishing village that bears its name, the Claddagh ring has been used a token of love since the late 17th century. According to its Wikipedia entry, the design is said to represent the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands) and loyalty (the crown). Indeed, the way you wore the ring relayed information about your love life:

1. When worn on the right ring finger with the heart pointing to the fingertip, the wearer is free of any attachment.
2. On the same finger but the other way round, with the heart pointing away from the fingertip, it suggests someone is romantically involved.
3. When the ring is on the left hand wedding ring finger, it means the person is married or engaged.

As Tatty Devine points out, the Claddagh design is much prettier than a Facebook relationship status update!

HEART MAKER: The classic Claddagh ring design. Image: Wikipedia

RING IN THE CHANGES: Tatty Devine's Claddagh ring (£24, approx. €28.50) sees the design placed upright on the finger. Image: Tatty Devine

Tatty Devine has a range of Claddagh pieces, which also includes a medium (£27, approx. €32) and smaller version (£21, approx. €25) of the necklace, along with pretty earrings (£39, approx. €46.50).

I'm sure the original designers of the fáinne Chladaigh would approve of Tatty Devine's stunning update.

Eye of the Tiger: Irish clothing brands open store

I prefer to leave fashion blogging to those in the know, but am always keen to promote Irish design initiatives like the new Blind Tiger Collective store. It's opening its doors this Saturday in Dublin city centre.

Set up by Irish streetwear brands to offer an alternative to multinational chain stores, the collective hope their new store in the Georgian gorgeousness of South William Street will help efforts to make this side of Grafton Street a fashion hub destination.

RWAAR: The Blind Tiger Collective is catwalk cool. I heart the stag t-shirt.

Describing why Blind Tiger Collective came about, Dualta Jones (organiser and co-owner of Project A Apparel) said: "I decided that small Irish brands like my own need to come together and help promote each other in a joint effort and stake a claim on our territory."

GRRR-EAT IDEA: Tony the tiger gets a makeover in this t-shirt from The Blind Tiger Collective, a group of Irish streetwear brands

Following on from their pop-up shop in December (see the timelapse video here), the brands at Blind Tiger Collective include Turtlehead, LadyUmbrella, ShittyFuture and Little Green Threads, many of whom create very limited print runs as low as 25 pieces.

It's brilliant to see this showcase of Irish design hitting the city centre. Go n-éirí leo.

The Blind Tiger Collective, 51 William Street, Dublin 2. 
twitter.com/weareblindtiger