Aréir bhí léacht ann fá dtaobh de ceangail idir Éire agus an Eoraip sa 15ú agus sa 16ú haois, go háirithe Imeacht na nIarlaí. Thuig mé beagnach gach rud, ach níl mórán eolas agam fa dtaobh de stair na hÉirinn, agus da bhrí sin, ní raibh sé ro-spéisiúil domh.

Yesterday evening there was a lecture about links between Ireland and Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, especially the Flight of the Earls. I understood most of it, but as I know very little about Irish history it wasn’t very interesting for me.

Bhí ceolchoirm iontach ann aréir le Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh agus daoine eile, agus bhí ceol, amhráin, dánta agus scéalta ann. I ndiaidh sin chuaigh mé go dtí an teach tabhairne agus rinne mé comhrá le bean as ó Phoblacht na Seice agus le daoine eile.

Inniu bhí muid ag plé faoi cursaí gramadaí sa rang Gaeilge, agus i ndiaidh lón, d’foghlaim mé dha amhrán nua sa rang sean-nós – An Saighdiúir Tréighte agus Túirne Mháire.

Tá píosa drama ann anocht le Ray Yeates agus a chairde darb ainm “Dara an Choctaw agus Hip Nos”.

There was a good concert last night with Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh and others, and there was music, songs, poems and stories. After that I went to the pub and chatted with a woman from the Czech Republic and various others.

Tonight there’s a bit of drama called “Dara an Choctaw agus Hip Nos” with Ray Yeates and friends.

Silim gur saghas parthas ilteangach é Gleann Cholm Cille – bionn daoine as a lán tíortha ag teacht anseo chun páirt a ghlacadh sa scoil samhraidh, agus go leor teangacha acu. Inné bhuail mé le daoine ón mBrasaíl, ón Eilvéis, ón nGearmáin, ón Fhrainc, ón Ungáir agus ó Shasana, agus bhí deiseanna agam beagan Portaingéilis, Gearmáinis, Fraincais agus Gaeilge na hAlban a labhairt, agus labhair mé a lán Gaeilge chomh maith.

Bhí sé scamallach go leor inniu, agus bhí gaoth ann chomh maith. Da bhrí sin, ní raibh sé chomh te agus a raibh sé inné, ach ní raibh sé fuar ach oiread.

I think the Glencolmcille is a kind of polyglot paradise – people from many countries with many languages come here to take part in the summer school. Yesterday I had opportunities to speak a little Portuguese, German, French and Scottish Gaelic, and I spoke quite a bit of Irish as well.

It was quite cloudy today, and quite windy as well. So it wasn’t as hot as yesterday, but it wasn’t cold either.

Last night I went to see the NoFitState circus, who are currently in Bangor. So I thought I’d look at the origins of a few circus related words.

• circus comes from the Latin word circus (ring, circle) and was used by the Romans to for circular arenas and oval race courses (e.g. the Circus Maximus). The Latin word circus comes from the Greek word κίρκος (kirkos), “circle, ring”, from the Proto-Indo-European word *kirk-, from root *(s)ker- (to turn, bend)
• trapeze comes from the French word trapèze, which comes from the Late Latin trapezium, from the Greek τραπέζιον (trapezion), “irregular quadrilateral”, a diminutive of τράπεζα (trapeza), “table”, from τρά- (tra-), “four”, and πέζα (peza), “foot, edge”.
• juggle comes from juggler, which comes from the Old French word jangler/jogler, from the Latin iocor (“I jest, I make a joke”).
• clown – of unknown origin (there weren’t any last night as it isn’t that kind of circus).

Etymologies from the Online Etymology Dictionary and Wiktionary

Bhí an sorcas go hiontach aréir. Bhí slua mór ann agus bhog muid timpeall an ollphuball chun na gníomhartha éagsúla a fheiceáil. Bhí gníomhartha le maide luascáin, le cordes lisse (rópaí réidh) agus le trampailín, agus rinne ceann de na haisteoirí lámhchleasaíocht le liathróidí preabadh. Mar go ndéanaimse lámhchleasaiocht le blianta fada, bhí ciall agam dó a chuid scileanna. Bhí ceol beo ann an t-am ar fad chomh maith. Ag deireadh an seó, thit sneachta saorga ó dhíon agus cailín ar mhaide luascáin ag casadh tríd.

The circus was great last night. There were many people there and we moved about in the big top to see the different acts. There were acts involving trapezes, cordes lisse and trampolines, and of the performers did some floor juggling. As I’ve been juggling for many year I could appreciate his skill. There was also live music the whole time. At the end of the show artificial snow fell from the roof while a lass on a trapeze span through it.