Sa chlár seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear, labhraímid le Seán Ó Choileáin—mo chara le fada, comhghleacaí ó UCC agus Corcaíoch chomh maith liomsa. Tá Seán ag cur faoi i mBonn chomh maith—tháinig sé dhá sheachtain roimhem sa bhliain 2019. Seacht mbliana níos déanaí, tá an bheirt againn fós anseo, ag obair inár bpostanna féin, agus teaghlaigh ag gach duine againn sa chathair. Tá Bonn ag teacht inár n-áit cónaithe—cé go bhfuil Corcaigh i gcónaí mar ár n-áit dúchais!

Tá Seán ag obair le IRENA, ag déanamh mallachtanna ar chórais fuinnimh inathnuaite agus ag cur le bealaí chun cinn chun dul i ngleic leis an athrú aeráide. Tá sé ag cur faoi i mBonn lena bhean chéile Vítneamach agus a linbh óg.

Sa chomhrá seo, pléann muid:

• A chuid oibre agus an dóchas atá ann maidir leis an ngéarchéim aeráide.
• Cluichí sacair sa Ghearmáin (agus an toradh a bhíonn orthu!).
• An phósadh traidisiúnta a bhí acu sa Vítneam.

Thit an glaoch uair nó dhó, ach lean Seán ar aghaidh go maith—like a pro!

Nóta: Níl aon intro sa chlár seo - táimid ag dul díreach isteach de bharr interference ar an micreafón. Ba chóir dom an intro a thaifeadadh roimh an eagarthóireacht a dhéanamh, ach mar gheall ar an interference a bhí ar an micreafón, bhí orm an fuaim a ghearradh agus a chur in eagar, rud a rinne sé deacair an intro a chur isteach ina dhiaidh sin.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear, we chat with Seán Ó Choileáin—a long-time friend, fellow Corkonian, and UCC contemporary. Seán also lives in Bonn—he arrived two weeks before me in 2019. Seven years later, we’re both still here, working in our respective jobs, and each of us has started a family in the city. Bonn is starting to feel like home—even if Cork will always be Cork!

Seán works with IRENA, modelling renewable energy systems and helping to pave the way in combating climate change. He lives in Bonn with his Vietnamese wife and their young child.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• His work and the hope he finds in tackling the climate crisis.
• Football matches in Germany (and the results they bring!).
• Their traditional wedding in Vietnam.

The call dropped once or twice, but Seán kept the conversation going like a pro!

Note: There is no intro in this episode - we dive straight in due to interference on the microphone. I should have recorded the intro before editing, but because of mic interference, I had to cut and edit a lot of the audio, which made it too difficult to insert the intro afterward. So apologies if this style is a bit jarring.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear — An Brionglóid, An Casadh agus An Bád - The Dream, the Hinge and the Boat

It starts with the dream — the dream - the one we have all had. We are back in our old school classrooms, preparing for the exams, sometimes in the hall itself, taking the test. The Leaving Cert dream is one of the most powerful dreams we have — and it can strike at any time. In that moment, we are floating in a strange yet familiar world. A world we can never return to — and often don’t particularly want to — yet there is something oddly comforting about it.

In this episode of GTL, we explore this phenomenon: the comfort of surface-level comparisons in life, the structure and clarity of that time, and the understanding that it was never quite that straightforward. We also examine hinge moments — the few points or events that can utterly change the course of a life. It’s not about “what ifs” or regret, but a reflection on how key experiences shape us. An adult reflection on formative school years and why they still visit us in our dreams.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

San eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear — An Bhrionglóid, An Casadh agus An Bád

Tosaíonn sé leis an bhrionglóid — an brionglóid - an ceann a bhíonn againn go léir. Táimid ar ais sna seomraí ranga ár sean-scoile, ag ullmhú don Ardteist, uaireanta sa halla féin agus ag déanamh na scrúdaithe. Is ceann de na brionglóidí is cumhachtaí é an aisling Ardteist — agus d’fhéadfadh sé teacht ar aon am. Sa nóiméad seo, táimid ag snámh i ndomhan aisteach ach eolach ar bhealach éigin. Domhan nach féidir linn filleadh air riamh — agus go minic nach dteastaíonn uainn filleadh air... ach, ag an am céanna, tá rud éigin compórdach faoi.

Sa eagrán seo de GTL, iniúchfaimid an feiniméan seo — tugaimid faoi mhaitheas an chomparáid superficial sa saol, struchtúr agus soiléireacht an ama sin, agus ag an am céanna ag tuiscint nach raibh sé riamh chomh simplí sin. Pléitear freisin na “hinge moments” — na nóiméid nó na pointí a d’fhéadfadh an saol a athrú go hiomlán. Ní bhaineann sé le “cad a bheadh” nó le díomá — ach le tuiscint ar an tionchar a d’fhéadfadh imeachtaí ar leith a imirt ar shaol agus ar fhorbairt phearsanta. Machnamh do dhuine fásta ar na blianta scoile móra agus cén fáth a dtagann siad ar ais i mo bhrionglóidí fós.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sa eagrán seo de Gaeilge Thar Lear — An Bhrionglóid, An Casadh agus An Bád

Tosaíonn sé leis an bhrionglóid — an brionglóid - an ceann a bhíonn againn go léir. Táimid ar ais sna seomraí ranga ár sean-scoile, ag ullmhú don Ardteist, uaireanta sa halla féin agus ag déanamh na scrúdaithe. Is ceann de na brionglóidí is cumhachtaí é an aisling Ardteist — agus d’fhéadfadh sé teacht ar aon am. Sa nóiméad seo, táimid ag snámh i ndomhan aisteach ach eolach ar bhealach éigin. Domhan nach féidir linn filleadh air riamh — agus go minic nach dteastaíonn uainn filleadh air... ach, ag an am céanna, tá rud éigin compórdach faoi.

Sa eagrán seo de GTL, iniúchfaimid an feiniméan seo — tugaimid faoi mhaitheas an chomparáid superficial sa saol, struchtúr agus soiléireacht an ama sin, agus ag an am céanna ag tuiscint nach raibh sé riamh chomh simplí sin. Pléitear freisin na “hinge moments” — na nóiméid nó na pointí a d’fhéadfadh an saol a athrú go hiomlán. Ní bhaineann sé le “cad a bheadh” nó le díomá — ach le tuiscint ar an tionchar a d’fhéadfadh imeachtaí ar leith a imirt ar shaol agus ar fhorbairt phearsanta. Machnamh do dhuine fásta ar na blianta scoile móra agus cén fáth a dtagann siad ar ais i mo bhrionglóidí fós.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode of Gaeilge Thar Lear — An Brionglóid, An Casadh agus An Bád - The Dream, the Hinge and the Boat

It starts with the dream — the dream - the one we have all had. We are back in our old school classrooms, preparing for the exams, sometimes in the hall itself, taking the test. The Leaving Cert dream is one of the most powerful dreams we have — and it can strike at any time. In that moment, we are floating in a strange yet familiar world. A world we can never return to — and often don’t particularly want to — yet there is something oddly comforting about it.

In this episode of GTL, we explore this phenomenon: the comfort of surface-level comparisons in life, the structure and clarity of that time, and the understanding that it was never quite that straightforward. We also examine hinge moments — the few points or events that can utterly change the course of a life. It’s not about “what ifs” or regret, but a reflection on how key experiences shape us. An adult reflection on formative school years and why they still visit us in our dreams.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.