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

Fighting words: Vintage political posters

This guest post is by Eoghan (follow him on Twitter and see his blog here):

Art has long been used for propaganda purposes. From the statues and paintings ascribing super-human strength to Roman generals, through to the enormous Communist monuments of workers proudly building the Soviet Union, politicians have for centuries used art for their own gain.

Today, the most famous political posters are probably Uncle Sam's 'I Want You' and the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' message from World War II. A look online can turn up some fascinating lesser known examples of art being used to overtly political purposes.

World War II posters have proven particularly popular over recent years with reproductions widely available. Many of these posters carried one of three simple messages: Save oil to help the war effort, don't waste food, and don't tell anybody information that may give away army positions.

'Loose Lips Sink Ships' became a famous slogan in the battle to encourage people to keep their traps shut. There are a lot of variations on this theme, however, including the brilliantly simple: 'If you talk too much, this man may die'.

Amongst the most interesting posters of the war are those aimed at women. The messaging towards women seems hilariously sexist when viewed through modern eyes - with the men fighting the good fight, women were encouraged to do their part by shopping efficiently and doing the jobs they left behind.

Back at home, Irish politicians have been known to take to the canvas to get their message across. This Cumann na nGaedheal effort, which most likely dates from the 1930s, gets a simple message across.

Cumann na nGaedheal, of course, went on to become Fine Gael. Perhaps the above poster is one their current coalition partners should bear in mind.

A selection of political posters can be found at pinterest.com/riceeoghan

Come fly with me: Retro Aer Lingus travel posters

Vintage travel posters depict a time when air fares were beyond the means of ordinary people, and a trip to Dublin Airport was a holiday in itself (I hear it was a popular spot for a date back in the day!).

Judging by the number of people who land on a post I did about the two Aer Lingus Boeing 747s (it's the most viewed post ever on Mo Theach), there is a huge interest in the early days of what was once also known as Irish International Airlines.

CALENDAR GIRL: I bought this 1960 Irish Air Lines pocket calendar on eBay a while back. I love the red-haired air hostess. A real spéirbhean!

I like to keep an eye on eBay for old bits and pieces relating to the airline, such as the purchase above. The beautifully-designed travel advertisements of old always attract my attention and I picked up this vintage Aer Lingus poster at an exhibition a year or two ago at the National Museum at Collin's Barracks. This image was used in much of Aer Lingus' publicity materials and depicts the luxury and style associated with flying at the time. The fact that it's in French makes it seem even more exotic.

OOH LA LA LANDING SHORTLY: I picked up this Aer Lingus poster (circa 1960) believed to be the work of Jarlath Hayes (who designed the harp that is on Irish Euro coins) from the shop at the National Museum of Ireland, Collin's Barracks. It costs €8 and fits into off-the-shelf frames. 

Aer Lingus tapped into the nostalgia that surrounds their brand as they celebrated their 75th anniversary last year, painting a brand new Airbus A320 in the old Irish International Airlines livery. They also raided the wardrobes to show how the stewardess (and steward) uniforms have changed over the years.

RETRO JET: Aer Lingus painted this new Airbus A320 in the old white and dark green livery last year to celebrate their 75th anniversary. Image via JetPhotos.net

HIGH FASHION: With the beautiful old Dublin Airport terminal building in the background, air stewards model the cabin crew look though the years to mark Aer Lingus' 75th anniversary in 2011.
Image by Aer Lingus and via Airlines and Destinations

TAKE A TRIP BACK IN TIME: This nostalgia fest video features the highlights of Aer Lingus's 75-year history (JKF and Pope John Paul II are among the passengers), with lots of shots of those two 747s here! It's a bit like watching that old ESB 'Coming Home for Christmas' ad.

Here are some of my favourite old Aer Lingus posters (very few have modern reproductions, so you'll have to fork out for an original copy in many cases):

SKY'S THE LIMIT: This reprint of a New York-bound Aer Lingus poster is available from AllPosters.ie for €18.99.

TURBO-CHARGE: This poster is on the Onslows Posters website which is unfortunately down for maintenance at the moment so I don't have any further details. Image: Onslows Posters

POSTCARD PERFECT: Ireland looks particularly stunning in this poster, also from Onslows Posters.

LOTS OF LEG ROOM: This is one my all-time favourite adverts. An original poster (circa 1958) by John Banbridge costs £780 from OriginalTravelPosters.com.  Image via OriginalTravelPosters.com 

PRETTY CITY: Dublin's quays like you've never seen them before (I love the smoke coming from all the chimneys). This 1956 poster by Dutch artist Guus Melai did not meet with approval, according to archive research carried out by the Arts Council. Interesting read.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN CALLING: Step aside, stewardesses! This handsome captain makes an appearance on a vintage poster sold in 2009 by Christie's.

STEP THIS WAY, SIR: Ease of travel is the message here, perhaps aimed at travellers coming from the UK, or the US.  Poster also from Onslows Posters.

MOUNTAIN AER: This original 1950 Aer Lingus poster by Negus Sharland advertising its routes to Zurich is for sale for approx €285 from PosterTeam.com

GATEWAY TO THE WORLD: This 1950 poster appears to show two Viscounts waiting at the original terminal building at Dublin Airport. Image via iCollector.com

There are lots more vintage Aer Lingus posters which I hope to share in another post soon!