Fúmsa

Simon is aimn dom, tá mé mo chonai i mBangor sa Bhreatain Bheag. Oibrím ar Ominglot, mo suiomh greasán faoi teangacha, go príomha, agus déanaim giota beag scríbhinn neamhspléaiche freisin. Nuair a bhí mé cuig bliana deag nó mar sin, thosaigh mé an feadóg stáin a sheinm. Thosaigh mé ag éisteacht le ceol traduisiunta na hÉirean agus na nAlban fresin. As sin amach, ba mhaith liom Gaeilge a fhoghlaim, agus thosaigh mé í a fhoghlaim sa bhlian 2004. I Mhí an Mheithimh 2005 chaitheann mé dhá seachtain in Oideas Gael, scoil Gaeilge i nGleann Cholm Cille, Contae Dhún na nGall, Éire. Bhain mé an sult as ansin, agus dá bhrí sin, chuaigh mé ar ais i Mhí an Mheithimh 2006, agus i Mhí Iuil 2007, nuair ghlachadh mé páirt san Scoil Shamhraidh i dTeanga & Cultúr - bhí sé ar fheabhas ar fad.

Who am I?

My name is Simon, I live in Bangor in North Wales and earn my living mainly from Ominglot, my website about alphabets and languages, and from doing some freelance writing about languages. I’m half Welsh (on my mother’s side) and half English, which is one reason why I’ve been interested in the Welsh language for a long time. I finally got round to studying Welsh seriously in 1998, spurred into action by the requirements of a job at the University of Wales, Bangor for which I applied unsuccessfully. Since then I’ve continued to study it on and off, and attended a Summer Welsh Course at the University of Wales Lampeter in June 2007, a week-long course at Nant Gwrtheyrn in May 2008.

I first got interested in Irish and Scottish Gaelic after I started playing the tin whistle and listening to music from Ireland and Scotland way back in 1985. I’ve been dabbling with Scottish Gaelic since 1998, Irish since 2004, and Manx since 2006. I studied Irish at Oideas Gael in Glencolmcille, Donegal in the northwest of Ireland in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and I’ll probably keep going back because I have such a good time there.