We are now blissfully visitor free and so, to celebrate we went down to Olivier and Cathy who run an excellent Pizzaria (Le Petit Pagnol) in the village, for lunch.
While we were there a man arrived in, map in hand, looking for a footpath which should be marked around the village.
After a couple of sentences in French we quickly realised he was not a native speaker , but , when we spoke in English it seemed he wasn’t completely happy in that language also.
He was the one who said to us “You are Irish aren’t you?” and then asked us what part.
He didn’t know Waterford, “I really only know the Gaeltacht areas” he said.
On an impulse I said “An tuigeann tú Gaeilge ?” and he then answered in fluent Irish.
He was, it turned out, a teacher of Scots Gaelic , and also spoke Irish fluently.
There followed a long conversation in Irish.
There we were in France, in the Languedoc, in an Italian Restaurant, speaking Irish avidly with a Scotsman.
C’est Bizarre.
Comments
Petra
on October 15, 2010Brilliant story! I didn’t even know you were that fluent in Irish, Mr Renaissance Man Dwyer.
martin
on October 20, 2010We have some Swedish friends here in Thezan and they were intrigued when I told them we could speak Irish.
They make me count to ten and made little crows of delight when ever any of the numbers were similar, then made me do the same with the Our Father and the Hail Mary.
Believe or not Sile and I speak Irish a lot in France, particularly when we dont wish to be mistaken for, or by, our neighbours.
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