The place of the book

I have old memories of visiting the library in Inis / Ennis as a child. Walking in, there was a covered walkway with red columns, Liscannor slate, and chains for water drainage.

Inside the library I would immediately feel a sense of wonder. In the relative quietness of the building, there was enormous possibility in the shelves. In this library was Éamon de Valera’s 1947 Dodge car. Indeed, the library was named after him.

There was a little reading “pit” with carpeted steps down into it. It’s where I’d sit and listen to storytelling. I remember attending ferocious storytelling sessions given by seanchaí Eddie Lenihan.

The building held a sense of magic. The intersection between quietness, slowness, and the possibilities held on the shelves. Unassuming magic.

This deep, unhurried feeling is the essence of what we’ve previously called “slow time” in your Irish language journey.

The place of the book

In Irish, our word for a book is leabhar:

The word leabhar comes from the latin word liber (see Pádraic Moran’s article on Latin’s influence on Irish). The very concept of books came into Ireland with early Christianity. This means that a lot of related vocabulary also came from Latin. For example:

The Irish for library is very logical, literally the place of the book:

The word form is like the Irish word for workshop:

You have a ceird / craft, and a ceardlann is the place of the craft.

Which reminds me of the seanfhocal:

The leabharlann is ultimately a space. It’s a vessel, a quiet workshop to hone your craft. It holds the magic of quietness, slowness, learning and of exploring possibility.

Leabharlann: the place for exploring Gaeilge

Leabharlann / Library is a refined membership plan for those who want to deepen their learning of Gaeilge, designed specifically for those who may have felt overwhelmed or out-paced in their language journey.

It’s a vessel of learning quietly, confidently and slowly. All at your own pace.

What are the resources that are available to Leabharlann members? It consists of three pillars:

1. Tús Maith: our foundational course in Irish. It’s suitable for those who have taken our Gateway beginners course, or those with some Irish who want to deepen their learning, including those who had Irish at school.
2. Aistear Reference Pack: a language-oriented offering with reference material on the key workings of the Irish language.
3. Leabharlann Noticeboard: a monthly check-in with a suggested learning topic, a reflective prompt to share, and the ability to ask our fluent team a question.

Click here to find out more about joining Leabharlann by Bitesize Irish

It’s a quiet, unassuming way of living Gaeilge Gach Lá in your own life. Then when you’re more ready, you are welcome to join Tinteán / Hearth, which is our place for learning and practicing in community.

Our first Leabharlann members are already responding to the first month’s noticeboard, and progressing in Tús Maith.

Thinking back to my childhood leabharlann, I didn’t need long there. The space itself shifted something in me. What does your space for learning Irish look like? A chair, a quiet corner, a particular time of morning: it matters more than you might think. Feel free to reply below.