SEDA News, August 2012

Exam success: 88% pass rate as SEDA students begin new term

Last month many SEDA students started a new term of studies after fin-ishing their English exams. This year the overwhelming majority – 88%! - passed their tests with flying colours and moved up a level.

The school’s director of studies Carol Cregg was probably happier with the re-sult than the students themselves. “This is the highest pass rate we have ever had in SEDA – well done to our students!” she said. “This great result means that both students and teachers are working harder and that our syllabus is sound. I’m very happy for all our students who passed”.

Some students had to sit an internal progress test prepared by SEDA, while others did LCCI exams, which are admin-istered by the international qualifications body Education Development Interna-tional (EDI). For many students this was their first English exam since arriving in Ireland and some did it just weeks after starting their course in SEDA.

SEDA News spoke to some of the stu-dents who achieved excellent results at the exams and asked them for any advice to other learners of English. Most have said that classes alone are not enough to reach proficiency in English and that students should try and practice their English as much as possible in their everyday life in Ireland. For some the Irish TV and radio (especially the Newstalk station) was a great help in learning the language, while others found their English improved a lot in a pub. Another student recommended conversation exchange in the Ilac shop-ping centre library in Dublin 1.

Continued on page 4.

Issue 9, August 2012. Copyright: Skills & Enterprise Development Academy

SEDA students (left to right) Katherine Cardoza, David Lucas Costa Cecilio, Ivan Chafardeth, (bottom left) Joice Käfer and Camila Moraes Beluco who achieved some of the best results in this summer’s English exams

OLYMPICSFacts about Team

Ireland at the London Olympics

Page 2

TRAVELSGalicia:

the ecletic side of Spain

Page 7

FESTIVALSTall Ships Festival,

Electric Picnic 2012 and more!

Pages 8 & 9

CINEMATwo SEDA students who are shooting

films in Dublin

Page 3

STAFFTeacher Isabel has a special connection

with Kilmainham Gaol

Page 5

2 NEWS

Welcome to the August issue of SEDA News!

The biggest event this month is of course the London Olympics, and many of our stu-dents are going to the UK to experience the games for themselves. They will, no doubt, have a great time and bring back many wonder-ful memories, stories and pictures which I very much hope they will share with SEDA News. In the meantime, if you ever wondered about this year’s Irish Olympic squad and Ireland’s Olym-pic achievements, we’ve collected all the main facts for you on this very page.

August is also the last month of summer (Summer? Really?), and we have prepared in-formation about all the upcoming festivals and events for you as usual on pages 8 and 9. You can also get some great tips on what to do in Ireland at this time of year from teacher Isabel Maguire – her interview is on page 5.

August is also a crucial time for Gaelic football and hurling – Ireland’s national sports. (Yes, football is the one where players carry the ball in their hands half the time, and hurling is the one where 20 guys chase one another with wooden sticks). If you ever wondered what these games are all about head straight to page eight where SEDA teacher Graham Farrell, a Dubliner born and bred, provides a very clear and interesting explanation.

If you are thinking of getting a break from Ireland’s lovely summer weather we have a great story about some cities you should visit in Spain. The piece was written by SEDA student and trained journalist Bruno Rofer, who pre-viously lived in Spain and knows the country well, so check it out!

As usual we have stories about SEDA stu-dents from all over the world who are doing exciting things in Ireland. This month you can read about two Brazilians who are making films here and have ambitions to shoot a blockbust-er! We also have the story of two students from Malawi – a country known as the Warm Heart of Africa.

Finally, a big thumbs up goes out to all SEDA students who passed their exams last month and went up a level in their English class. We spoke with students who got some of the best exam results to find out how they learn English.

If you want to share your pictures with SEDA News or advertise in our classifieds sec-tion (It’s FREE!) just e-mail us. There are plenty of other ways you can contribute to the paper – for example, by sending us your recipes and reviews. Big thanks to Mario Bortoletto and Tiago Mascarenhas who sent in their stuff this month! If you have any photos, ads, recipes, re-views, stories or even just ideas and suggestions for SEDA News e-mail: [email protected].

SEDA News editorViktor Posudnevsky

A word from the editor

SEDA News, copyright: Skills & Enterprise Development Academy (SEDA). EDITOR AND LAYOUT: Viktor Posudnevsky. FINAL REVIEW: Carol Cregg. CIRCULATION: 1000 copies. ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL: [email protected]

Come on Team Ireland!

The Irish Olympic squad that is in Lon-don this month is bigger than the teams Ire-land sent to Beijing in 2008 or to the Ath-ens Olympics four years earlier. This time Ireland will be represented in 14 different sports, including: Athletics, Boxing, Sail-ing, Swimming, Gymnastics, Cycling, Judo, Shooting, Canoeing, Badminton, Triathlon, Rowing, Modern Pentathlon and Equestrian sports.

Ireland’s best hope for a gold medal in London is the reigning world and Euro-pean boxing champion Katie Taylor. The

26-year-old Bray woman has been a world champion four times and she is considered to be among the best female boxers worldwide. Boxing has brought more Olympic medals to Ireland than any other sport and Irish male boxers also have a good chance of winning in London. Es-pecially hopeful are the Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes, a two-time world medallist John Joe Nevin and European silver medallist Darren O’Neill.

Ireland also has a good chance of winning a medal in water sports. Canoeist Eoin Rheinish has a strong back-ground and was very close to winning a medal in Beijing in 2008, but finished fourth due to sheer bad luck. There are also hopes for medals in sailing and athletics.

It is interesting that this year’s Irish Olympic squad includes three immi-grants – a Latvian woman Sanita Pus-pure who will compete in rowing, Polish man Andrzej Jezierski will represent

Ireland in canoe and Tori Pena who is origi-nally from the US will fly Ireland’s colours in pole vault. All three were born outside of Ireland, but are now living in the country.

Ireland has been taking part in Olympic Games since 1924. The Olympic Council of Ireland, which was formed in 1922, repre-sents the entire island, including Northern Ireland which is a part of the UK. That is the reason why the Irish Olympic team includes athletes from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

In total Irish athletes have won 23 med-als (8 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze) in Athlet-ics, Boxing, Swimming and Sailing. All the medals have been won in summer Olym-pics, while Ireland’s best result in Winter Olympics has been a fourth place.

These are some of Ireland’s best known Olympic heroes:

Ronnie Delaney – gold in men’s 1500 metres, Melbourne (1956);

Michael Carruth – gold in boxing (welterweight), Barcelona (1992);

Wayne McCullough – silver in boxing (bantamweight), Barcelona (1992);

Michelle Smith de Bruin – 3 gold medals and 1 bronze in swimming, Atlanta (1996);

Sonia O’Sullivan – silver in women’s 5000 metres, Sydney (2000);

Kenny Egan – silver in boxing (light heavyweight), Beijing (2008)

This year’s Irish Olympic team consists of 65 athletes who will compete in 14 sports. Irish boxers, especially 4-times world champion Katie Taylor, are the favourites to win any medals.

Ireland at the Olympics

PayPal: we need more multilingual people in IrelandPayPal has complained about the lack of

multilingual workers in Ireland. The online company, which announced 1000 new jobs in its new Irish office this February, has said that it will be forced to “import” about 500 people from abroad because it cannot find suitable candidates in Ireland.

The firm’s global operations vice-pres-ident Louise Phelan warned that Ireland needed to improve its education system and focus more on language skills. She said Pay-Pal would have to bring hundreds of multi-

lingual workers in from abroad at a signifi-cant cost to the company.

PayPal opened its new international op-erations centre in Dundalk, county Louth, and announced 1000 new jobs in February of this year. Many of the positions require languages such as French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. So far 62 people have been recruited, the Irish Inde-pendent reports, with the number set to hit 270 by year-end.

The new operation is PayPal’s third in Ireland. The online company, which is owned by eBay, already has offices in Dublin where it employs hundreds of people. The new centre in Dundalk will be responsible for customer service, risk prevention, finan-cial operations, merchant services and sales across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Some of the multilingual positions are advertised on www.ebayjobsireland.com

Ireland’s “Million Dollar Baby” Katie Taylor is the country’s best hope for an Olympic gold this year

The Irish Olympic team consists of 65 athletes, three of whom are immigrants.

Ronnie Delaney’s famous victory in 1956

3NEWS

Dublin is a film set for Thairon and Humberto

Citizens of Bulgaria and Romania will be given the unrestricted right to work in Ireland immediately, according to the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation. Although Bulgaria and Romania are members of the EU (they joined in 2007), there was a seven-year transition period before their citizens would gain full access to the labour markets of other member states. All restrictions were due to expire automatically on 1 January 2014 – giving Bulgarian and Romanian citizens full access to work in Ireland. However, the Irish government decided to lift restrictions ahead of schedule because in recent years less than 450 work permit applications from the two countries were received annually, with about 350 being approved. The population of Romanians and Bulgarians living in Ireland fell by around 3000 between 2008 and 2011.

When the classes are over most students like to go out or just re-lax, but not Humberto Rosa and

Thairon Mendes: all their free time is consumed by their biggest passion – cinema. The pair, who have lived in Ireland since August 2011, are busy shooting films, often in collaboration with young up and coming Irish actors and directors. Their latest work is a short drama called Str8 Up, writ-ten by Irish actress and screenwriter Ciara Rose and starring Patrick Fitzpatrick, known for his work on the Irish TV series Fair City. The film is in post-production and the pair hope to finish it by September.

“We love cinema and have been making movies for six years in Brazil after studying film production at college”, says Humberto Rosa. “We came here to learn English, but we can’t live with-out our work. Shooting in Ireland is a great ex-perience for us because here we can learn about different cultures and cinematic traditions. Bra-zilian cinema is very different from European cinema”.

In Brazil Humberto and Thairon own a film production company called Red Line Filmes. They say they worked with some of the coun-try’s top directors and shot 3 feature films and over 20 shorts before coming to Ireland. Their latest finished work, a short film called The Pic-ture, recently won awards for Best Film and Best Script at the Festival Art Deco De Cinema in Sao Paulo. The duo are now hoping to have this film screened in Dublin, perhaps along with other Brazilian films at a mini-festival of Latin Ameri-can cinema. The filmmakers also produce TV commercials and one of their first jobs in Ireland was a promotional video for SEDA, which can be

found on the school’s mySEDA YouTube channel.

But Humberto and Thai-ron’s ambition is to make a blockbuster one day that would rival some of Hollywood’s fin-est productions. “We really like action and horror films, block-busters”, said Humberto Rosa. “In future we want to shoot a big action film. And we’re ex-perimenting with it already”. The students bought a whole arsenal of toy guns and rifles and filmed a few sequences with them in Dublin’s Fariview park in order to experiment with special effects. You can see the results on RedLine Filmes YouTube channel (the video is

called “Fairview War”).Making a blockbuster will take some time,

but for the moment Thairon and Humberto are busy with smaller projects. Already this month they will start shooting the feature film “North Circular Road” – an independent Irish produc-tion directed by Paul Heary and produced by Kathy Horgan. The pair are also finishing a script for a horror film which they hope to start shoot-

ing in November. “We’re not getting any money for all this

work, but it’s an investment in our future”, reck-ons Thairon Mendes. “Every film we shoot here becomes international and showcases our work to audiences all over the world because it’s in English. In Brazil we shot 26 or 27 short films and 3 features, but they were only seen in Brazil. Working here is a great experience for us!”

Aline Barros needs your help

Thairon Mendes (left) and Humberto Rosa filming Str8 Up - the short drama film set in the streets of Dublin

Two young film makers from Rio de Janeiro, who are learn-ing English at SEDA, have just finished shooting a film in Dublin and hope to make a real blockbuster some day.

Bulgarians and Romanians no

longer need work permits

Ireland could become an oil

producerOil reserves, found off the coast of Cork,

are larger than previously thought and con-tain oil of a better quality than it was esti-mated. According to exploration company Providence Resources, the Barryroe project off the coast of Ireland near Cork could hold as much as 1.6 billion barrels of oil. The company is now looking for partners to start extracting the “black gold” for the first time ever in the history of Ireland. The Barryroe find, in the North Celtic sea basin, is one of a number of discoveries made in the 1970s and 1980s. At the time it was deemed to be too small to be developed economically. However higher oil prices and new technol-ogies can now allow the oil to be extracted at a profit.

The pair’s latest film The Picture won several awards

Lights, camera, action!

A filmmaker’s tools: toy guns the duo bought for use in their fiuture action film

The cast and makers of Str8 Up including actors Ciara Rose and Patrick Fitzpatrick

Iarnród Éireann, the state company re-sponsible for rail travel, has announced that all of the company’s Intercity trains are now equipped with free WiFi. Rail travellers can now use their smartphones, media devices, tablets, laptops and more while on their jour-ney. Intercity trains also have plug sockets at every seat, so passengers can charge their de-vices as they travel. Iarnród Éireann is now planning to introduce wi-fi on the DART and commuter trains. Free internet on DART is expected to be installed and operational by the end of this year.

Free internet to be available

on DART

4 NEWS

Education fair comes to Dublin

JOICE KÄFER

“I think two things are very im-portant – you have to go to classes, but it’s also

really important to study on your own and to speak with people outside of school, in the streets, in the cinema, in the supermar-kets and, of course, in the pubs! I find that my English improves a lot when I’m in a pub!

It’s a bit difficult for me to improve my speaking skills in English because I live in a house with four Brazilian girls and we speak Portuguese. Besides that, today around thirty thousand Brazilian people are living here in Dublin! But I work in a hostel and when I’m there I have to speak English with guests and my boss, so I’m im-proving my fluency.

I also try to go to classes every day. SEDA teachers Rosa and Emma did a great job and helped me a lot. Their classes are really fun and it’s so easy to learn from them. I think my English improved a lot in SEDA!

I graduated in Computer Engineering and fluent English is very important in my area. Also, I always dreamed of living outside my country to meet new cultures, people and languages. That’s why I decided to come to Ireland”.

SEDA students Joice Käfer, Ivan Chafardeth, Camila Moraes Beluco, Katherine Cardoza and David Lucas Costa Cecilio achieved some of the best results in this summer’s English exams. We asked them to give advice to other students on how best to learn English.

Which Course Expo 2012, Dublin’s only dedicated part time course fair, will take place Saturday & Sunday, 25th & 26th Au-gust, 2012 at the RDS (Ballsbridge, Dublin 4). Admission to the event is free. The fair is organised by Learning Ireland and features dozens of colleges located throughout the Greater Dublin region. Exhibitors will pro-vide information on their part time courses, evening classes and professional training programmes for adults as well as distance learning opportunities. The fair traditionally attracts people interested in upskilling or getting some extra training in a field of their interest. There will also be seminars on job hunting and career development as well as

a competition for free courses.

This year the fair is taking place for the fifth time and organ-isers anticipate that thousands will turn up to investigate course providers from throughout the Greater Dublin region.

To get your free admission ticket to Which Course Expo log on to www.which-course.ie

How do you learn English?

IVAN CHAFARDETH:

“I learned a lot from my teachers Jane, Emma and Rosa, but I always find other ways to

improve my English. I go to Ilac centre li-brary (Henry Street, Dublin 1) every week for English-Spanish conversational ex-change. On Tuesdays there is the English-Spanish exchange and on Fridays there is the multilingual exchange. So I go twice a week. It’s really helpful and I have met a lot of Irish people there. I teach them a bit of Spanish and also practice my English with them.

My advice to other English learners would be – don’t just stay in class, speak with people in the streets and try to meet as many people as possible. Cinema also helps – I im-proved my listening skills a lot by going to Cineworld!”

KATHERINE CARDOZA:

“I arrived in Dublin five months ago and my first month was terrible, I

couldn’t understand anything. The classes were so hard for me. But I started listening to Irish radio, especially Newstalk because they speak in English all the time about different topics, and my listening skills improved. I also used to watch videos of English lessons on YouTube and I started reading grammar books.

That’s my way of learning and I’m glad that now I feel much more comfortable speaking English. I am from Venezuela and I work as a TV producer. If I can improve my English I will have more opportunities to get a better job”.

DAVID LUCAS COSTA CECILIO:

“I think my English has im-proved a lot in Ireland. I live with four other people who

are Brazilians like me, but we always try to speak English at home. We already know Portuguese so why speak it? I think the most important thing if you want to learn English is speaking it in your day to day life. But one thing that is hard for me is the Irish accent, I still haven’t got used to it”.

CAMILA MORAES BELUCO:

“ W h a t helped me to learn E n g l i s h ? Wa t c h i n g movies, lis-tening to music, read-

ing books... Watching Irish TV also helped me a lot with listening – I watch everything, including children’s shows and cartoons!

I arrived here in March and my Eng-lish was OK already, but I wasn’t confident enough when I had to speak English. Now I feel it has gotten better, but improvement is a constant process so you should never stop practicing! I work in a hotel in my home country and I have to talk with people from all over the world every day. So I really need to have good English and that’s why I’m here in SEDA”.

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Travelling by bus or train will likely become more expensive in Ireland as CIE, the state company responsible for public transport, is planning to increase fares by as much as 6%, the Irish media report. The hike in prices is likely to come in January next year and, if implemented, will mean that the price of a Zone 1 bus ticket (if pur-chased from the driver) could rise to €1.49. At present this ticket costs €1.40.

Prices for bus and rail tickets have al-ready risen by up to 13% this year. CIE claims that it is forced to increase ticket prices because of a massive drop in passen-ger numbers in recent years, which has left the company in deficit.

Bus and train fares set to rise

5SEDA STAFF

Tell me a bit about yourself.I’m a teacher by profession and I work

in a secondary school in Walkinstown called Greenhills College. I teach German and communications. I’m only in SEDA for the summer and I came across this job purely by accident. I was having my take away food downstairs in Camile and when I stepped outside I saw the sign saying SEDA School of English. So I came in, spoke with the di-rector and here I am today!

Do you live around here?I do. I live in Kilmainham, just around

the corner. I have a connection with the area. I am from Cavan, but my grandmother was a prisoner in Kilmainham Gaol in 1920. At the time she was a political activist and a member of a group called Mná na hÉire-ann (Women of Ireland), which was a fac-tion of the IRA (Irish Republican Army). She housed political prisoners in her home in Donegal and for this she was arrested and sent to Kilmainham Gaol.

That’s a great story! Did that happen during the Irish War for Independence?

Yes, it did. My grandmother spent 10 months in prison. Her diaries from those days are actually on display in the Gaol and you can look them up under the name of

Mary Celia Maguire. It is a very routine ac-count of what she did in the jail and there is no evidence that she was seriously mal-treated. By the way, my grandfather was also a member of the IRA at the time.

Very interesting, but now let’s get back to SEDA. What groups do you teach and what can you say about your students?

I teach all levels and I enjoy the variety. The students are absolutely fantastic! They are always polite and courteous and ex-tremely interested in improving their Eng-lish, which is dream like for any teacher! The staff in SEDA are always really helpful and welcoming. I get a sense they are very con-tent in their work. The teachers give a 100%, they endeavour to create a fantastic environ-ment for the students so their stay in Ireland is pleasant.

What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?

I love the outdoors. Unfortunately here in Dublin we get a lot of rain, but this doesn’t stop me! I love to go hill walking. I also enjoy reading, all gen-res, but especially history. I’m actually a history graduate from Maynooth University, and in my spare time I like reading about all eras and peri-ods, but in particular about the Euro-pean Renaissance period. I find it fas-cinating! I also love shopping like most women! I’m very interested in fashion and clothes.

What kind of music are you into?I absolutely love Latin American and

Brazilian music, anything that’s different or fresh. But right now I’m going through an Arabic phase. I love to dance which is unu-sual for Irish people who mostly just drink when they go to a pub. I love to dance salsa and I also like going to concerts.

What would you advise students to do in Ireland in the summer?

I would suggest students go to the thea-tre. The Abbey Theatre is a wonderful place to learn about the history and culture of Ire-land. At present there is a play by a fantas-tic Irish playwright Sean O’Casey called the

Plough and the Stars.

It’s about the Irish political movement at the time of my grandmother. I would also suggest seeing Riverdance which is on now at the Gaiety Theatre.

If students want to do something active they can go hill walking in Glendalough or the Wicklow Gap. If you start from Bal-lyboden or Marlay Park in South Dublin you can make your way up to the Dublin mountains and have a great stroll there and maybe a picnic. There’s a big lookout area and you can see the city from there. I would be delighted to bring anybody there if they wished to come along some Saturday!

Get to know your teacherSEDA teacher ISABEL MAGUIRE has a special connection with Kilmainham Gaol – just 15 minutes’ walk from the school. Isabel’s grandmother was a political prisoner there at the time of the Irish war for independence.

Fun times: Victor and his friends partying in Dublin

Kilmainham Gaol where Isabel’s grand-mother was a prisoner

Enjoying Ireland until the very last minute

VICTOR SOROKIN from Russia spent last month in SEDA as an English student and a market-ing intern. He fell in love with Ireland and enjoyed literally every minute of his time here.

“I don’t think I will ever forget the time I spent in Dublin,” says Victor. “We went out and did something fun every day – I have never had this in my life! In Belgium, where I study, my life is very different. I would go out maybe 2 or 3 times a week maximum and school assignments take up a lot of my time. But here, even with studies and work, people have great fun and go out a lot. For example, yesterday I came home at about 4 am!”

Victor is originally from the city of Ryazan in Russia, but after finishing high school he went on to study in Belgium. He recently completed his second year of marketing studies at EPHEC – a business college in Brussels. Victor found SEDA on the internet and came to Ireland because he wanted to improve his English. “I only had

classes in the morning and I wanted to do something in the afternoon too, so I asked if I could work as an intern”, says the Rus-sian.

While in SEDA Victor utilised his marketing skills to promote the school in Russia. He set up student competitions on VK.com – an online social network popu-lar in Russia and other Eastern European countries. He also translated SEDA’s web-site into Russian. “My goal was to make more people aware of SEDA and Ireland,” said the intern. “Many Russians don’t re-alize that learning English in Ireland is cheaper and less complicated from the im-migration point of view than in the UK”.

But it is probably fair to say that Vic-tor’s best memory of Ireland will not be his work in SEDA, but rather the friend-ships he made here and the fun times he had. The Russian says he enjoyed his stay in Dublin literally until the very last min-ute. The night before he was due to leave for Belgium Victor went out with his friends,

partied until the morning and then went straight to the airport. “I only got to sleep

in the plane – my last night in Dublin was definitely not for sleeping!” he said.

Victor Sorokin from Russia spent a month studying and working in SEDA

6

Taciel: I’m from Lilongwe, the capital of Ma-

lawi. It’s very hot in my country and you feel a huge difference with Ireland the moment you step out of the plane. My first impres-sion of Dublin was that it is very fast and so packed, it’s crazy! I was amazed to see so many people in the streets all around me. But at the same time there are plenty of things here that remind me of home. Ireland

is very green, just like Malawi. I’m also Catho-lic and in Dublin I can find a Catholic church on any street!

Tulupi: Malawi is a small

country and our people are very friendly. We have never had wars, we are one of the most peaceful countries in Africa. But Malawi is also quite poor – cur-rently we are the ninth least developed nation in the world. I think some responsibility for this lies with our for-mer president, who became like a dictator during his last term. For example, one of his ministers wanted to in-troduce a law to ban, umm... breaking wind in public, but he didn’t

succeed. Who does that kind of thing? Last year we also had fuel shortages and motor-ists had to queue for up to three days to get petrol! There was no foreign currency too and many things were scarce.

But in April this year our former presi-dent died and actually most people were quite happy! Our new president is a woman called Joyce Banda and she is changing Ma-lawi for the better so things are looking up

for our country. For example, they’ve just built the first 5 star hotel in Malawi. It’s beau-tiful, better than anything I’ve seen here!

Taciel: There’s quite a lot of Irish people in Ma-

lawi. We have a lot of Irish pubs, we also celebrate St Patrick’s Day. I think the Irish are similar to Malawian people. They’re laid back and they take the day as it comes. The Irish are very friendly and I’ve seen many examples of this here in Dublin.

For example, once we were going home to Leixlip from work – we worked in May-nooth College at the time. But we lost our train ticket. So we decided to walk home and it’s about an hour on foot! We started walk-ing and we noticed that a police car passed us and then it came back and stopped. A Garda officer asked us where we were going and then said: are you insane? He explained that the road had no sidewalks and it would be dangerous to walk all the way. He of-fered us a lift. On the way we made friends with the officers, they were very nice peo-ple. When we arrived the neighbours saw us coming out of the Garda car and wondered what we did. That day we were the talk of the village!

Tulupi: There’s quite a lot of Malawians in Ire-

land at the moment. There is a Malawian community organisation that has a presi-dent and a vice-president, but we’re not in-volved in it. They even held a Miss Malawi Ireland contest recently, but we didn’t par-ticipate. Most people in Malawi speak English so it’s easy for us to inte-grate in Ireland.

Our community was shocked after the murder of a Malawian student Rudo Mawere in Dublin this Febru-ary. The girl’s body was found inside a travel bag beside some rubbish bins. The killer was not from Malawi, so after this happened I think we became mistrustful of foreigners.

For me personally, I am afraid to walk in the streets of Dublin alone. At home you know which places you can visit and which places

you should avoid, but here you don’t really know about anything.

Taciel: Apart from the weather I really miss

food from home. In shops in Dublin you find mostly processed foods which I don’t really like. The traditional food in Malawi is called nsima or pap – it’s made of maize or cassava flour. It’s a bit like mashed potatoes, but tastier. It’s lovely with a beef stew and I really miss it! I also miss a type of fish found in Malawi – chambo.

It has been very hard to adjust to the weather here, I also miss my family and my pets, but I always keep my chin up and tell myself that if everything and every place in the world were the same, life wouldn’t be ex-citing. For me, coming to Ireland was worth it. It has been an amazing experience, and I am yet to experience more!

From the Warm Heart of Africa: Malawians in Ireland

Taciel Alexandra Sharma and Tulupi Mkangama arrived in Dublin from Malawi, a country which is known as The Warm Heart of Africa. The cousins are study-ing business in SEDA and making the best of their visit to Ireland.

YOUR STORY

Taciel (left) and Tulupi are enjoying their time in Ireland, but really miss the weather and the food from back home

The girls say Malawians are a lot like the Irish - laid back and relaxed.

Malawi is a small country in the South East of Africa and is known as the Warm heart of Africa

Mickey Mouse greets Taciel and Tulupi in Dublin

7TRAVELS

If you ever thought of traveling to Spain you probably thought of Barcelona, Madrid or Seville. These cities are some of the most popular for those wishing to visit the coun-try of bullfighting. They are famous their cultural sights, nightclubs, restaurants and entertainment in general. It’s hard to imag-ine a trip to Spain which would not include these cities. But what few people know is

that the country has other areas that deserve to be a part of any tourist’s itinerary.

One such place is Galicia on the border with the north of Portugal, which is consid-ered to be one of the most beautiful and one of the greenest areas of Spain and which is famous for its hospitality, cuisine and tradi-tional festivals.

Combining the provinces Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra, the region has beautiful beaches, gastronomic delights and cultural attractions, as well as a ski resort in Manzaneda, which you can enjoy during the winter. You can find plenty of monasteries, palaces, castles, beautiful lakes, forests and mountains in Galicia. Fish and seafood are the specialties of local restaurants, with oc-topus, fish, crabs and lobsters present on most menus.

It is recommended to spend at least a week in Galicia and visit the following beautiful cities: Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna and Manzaneda. Galicia also has

ancient cities which you must visit, such as Orense with its beau-tiful cathedral, hot springs and medieval streets, and Lugo with great defensive walls, a beautiful example of Roman military archi-tecture.

By Bruno ROFER

Galicia: the eclectic side of SpainMost visitors to Spain only go to cities like Barcelona and Madrid, but the country has so much more to offer. SEDA student BRUNO ROFER who previously lived in Spain writes about Galicia – a beautiful, green province in the North West of the country.

Pasta salad Ingredients:

Pasta – penne or fusilli3 peppers – chopped2 large boiled potatoes – chopped4 carrots – grated1 can of peas1 can of sweet corn1 can of tuna4 tomatoes – choppedOlives 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Preparation:

Cook the pasta as usual. Drain it and rinse with cold running water to cool.

Mix all ingredients with the pasta, season with salt, pepper and oregano to taste and add the mayonnaise stirring it in with a spoon.The dish tastes best when chilled so put it inside the fridge and keep it there until it is cold.Success guaranteed!!!

Recipe sent by MARIO BORTOLETTO. Share your recipes! E-mail: [email protected]

The €5 recipeEvery month SEDA News brings you recipes for tasty dishes which you can cook for as little as 5 euro (or even less!)

How to get tHere

Aer Lingus has a direct flight from Dublin to Santiago de Com-postela. ryanair has flights from Dublin to Porto (North Portugal) and Santander in northern Spain. You can visit these cities and

afterwards get a bus or a train to Santiago de Compostela, La Co-runa or Manzaneda.

Cities to visitSantiago de CompostelaFamous for the baroque façade of its cathedral, Santiago de

Compostela is considered World Heritage by UNESCO. It is also the final stop of the Way of St James (camino de Santiago) – a pilgrim-age route first walked in the Middle Ages that attracts thousands of people from all over the world.

What to see: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela; Praza Obra-doiro, St. James Cathedral;

Traditional Restaurants: the O Curro Parra; Bicoca, Casa Mar-celo;

La CoruñaLa Coruña is located on a peninsula between the har-

bor and beaches and is famous for its lighthouse built by the Romans, and glazed balconies of houses, which led to the nickname “Crystal City”.

It has beautiful neighborhoods worth a walk, starting on the promenade, passing through the port, the northeast-ern part of the city, the square of the Ayuntamiento, while the southern part houses many bars, taverns and cafes.

What to see: Tower of Hercules, Monte de San Pedro, Aquarium Finisterrae;Traditional Restaurants: Artabria; El Alberto.

ManzanedaThe ski resort offers numerous tourist and sporting

activities throughout the year. Apart from the ski track it has soccer fields, tennis, karting, mountain biking, a gym, heated indoor pool among other facilities. The resort has over 20 km of ski track.

Santiago de Compostela with its famous cathedral is the final point of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage done by thousands of people from all over the world

Galicia is famous for its fish and sea-food. Octopus, crabs, prawns and lob-sters are present on most menus

8SHOWS & GIGS

RIVERDANCEThe Gaiety TheatreUntil September 2

The internationally-acclaimed celebra-tion of Irish music, song and dance re-

turns to the Gaiety Theatre .Tickets from €25.

SEPULTURAAugust 12, Sunday

The AcademyTickets from €25 can be booked via

www.theacademydublin.com

FOO FIGHTERSBoucher Playing Fields, Belfast

Tuesday, 21 AugustAmerican rock legends Foo Fighters will headline Tennent’s Vital music festival in Belfast. Also performing: The Black

Keys and The Minutes.Tickets: £49.50

STONE ROSES, FLORENCE + THE MA-CHINE

Boucher Playing Fields, BelfastWednesday, 22 August

The lineup includes Stone Roses, Flor-ence + The Machine and the famous

guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela.Tickets: £49.50

THE BLACK KEYSThe O2

Wednesday, August 22American indie band will perform live at

Dublin’s O2 Arena.Tickets: €39.05 - €44.05

KASABIAN & NOEL GALLAGHERS HIGH FLYING BIRDS

Marlay ParkThursday, 23 AugustTickets from €49.50.

GET BACK - THE STORY OF THE BEA-TLES

Olympia TheatreFriday, 24 August & Saturday, 25 Au-

gust A tribute show which follows the band’s rise to fame and of course features all

their greatest hits. Tickets from €25.

DAVID GUETTA, EXAMPLE, BENNY BENASSI, RIZZLE KICKS

Marlay Park, DublinFriday, August 24

Some of Europe’s best DJs and dance acts will be performing together in

Dublin’s Marlay Park.Tickets: €49.50

GOING OUT

Tickets to all these shows are available from Ticketmaster outlets.

To book by phone call: 0818 719 300Online booking: www.ticketmaster.ie

Upcoming GAA matches

Electric Picnic takes place in Stradbally Hall which is about 15 minutes’ drive from the town of Portlaoise. This year’s line up in-cludes: The Cure, The Killers, Elbow, Sigur Rós, Christy Moore, Orbital, Hot Chip, The xx, Patti Smith, The Roots and many more. The festival also has a comedy tent, arts and theatre events, a body and soul area where you can practice yoga, and a lot more inter-esting activities besides live music.

The festival ticket is €230 (valid for three days) and it includes access to the campsite (but you have to bring your own tent). Day tickets are available only on Sunday and cost €99.50. The tickets can be booked on www.ticketmaster.ie

Most festival goers come to Electric Pic-

nic with a tent and stay the two nights in the campsite. There are toilets, hot showers, wash basins and water points available for campers. You can also book a yurt or a hut at an extra cost if you do not want to stay in a tent. There are a number of camping stalls and shops which sell bread, milk, toilet rolls, plasters and other necessi-ties.

The festival is well-served by public transport. There are official buses departing from Dublin (Custom House Square and Dublin Airport) as well as other cities. Re-turn bus ticket from Dublin costs €28 and can be booked with your festival ticket.

It is allowed to bring up to 48 cans of beer per person to the festival. There is also an off-licence on site for purchasing alcohol throughout the weekend, and you can even buy your drink online in advance! No glass is permitted at the festival, and only plastic bottles are allowed.

There are plenty of food stalls through-out the site serving all types of food, for example noodles, thai, falafel, burgers, veg-etarian food, Mexican, seafood and many more.

For more information check outwww.electricpicnic.ie

When most people come to Ireland for a holiday during the summer they have no idea that two of the most popular sports in the county are well under way. Gaelic foot-ball and Hurling have been played in Ireland for hundreds for years, but like football in England there were many different rules. On the 1st of November 1884 the Gaelic Athlet-ic Association (GAA) was set up in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. On this historic date Michael Cusack convened the first meeting of the ‘Gaelic Athletic Association for the Preser-vation and Cultivation of national Pastimes’. Maurice Davin was elected President, Cu-sack, Wyse-Power and McKay were elected Secretaries and it was agreed that Archbish-op Croke, Charles Stewart Parnell and Mi-

chael Davitt would be asked to become Patrons. These people were very important in the organization and had various things named after them, like the Croke Park stadium in Dublin.

Each of Ireland’s 32 counties usually has two teams, a Hurling and a Football team. Many people are not aware that Hurling is the fastest field sport in the World, or that the ath-letes who take part in these games are amateurs and don’t get paid for playing. These people see it as great honour to play for their counties and are very well

respected in the local com-munity and sometimes the whole country, as is the case with the Kilkenny Hurlers. The GAA is also an amateur organization but it receives a lot of support from Irish people in both the north and south of Ireland.

Up until a few years ago the GAA would not allow people who played soccer to play either Hurling, or Gaelic football, but thank-fully this rule has been done away with. The finals

for the hurling and football are both played in Croke Park in Dublin, which is the largest stadium in the country. This year’s Hurling final is played on Sunday, the 9th of Septem-ber, and the football on Sunday the 23rd of September.

Most people think that Dublin is the main place for all the matches but each county has its own home ground. Also each province (Ireland is divided into four prov-inces: Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Con-naught) has its own champion, with Dublin being the current Leinster Football champi-ons. There are also two foreign teams in the Football; they are called London and New York after the cities they represent. At pre-sent Dublin are all Ireland football champi-ons and Kilkenny are Hurling champions, but, with the knock out stages of the cham-pionship fast approaching who knows what might happen.

What is the G.A.A?By Graham FARRELL, SEDA teacher

GAA Hurling All Ireland Semi-Final: Galway vs CorkAugust 12, Sunday, 15:30 @ Croke Park Stadium

GAA Hurling All Ireland Semi-Final: Tipperary vs KilkennyAugust 19, Sunday, 15:30 @ Croke Park Stadium

GAA Football All Ireland Semi-FinalAugust 26, Sunday, 15:30 @ Croke Park Stadium

GAA Football All Ireland Semi-FinalSeptember 2, Sunday, 15:30 @ Croke Park Stadium.

Tickets to these games can be booked via www.ticketmaster.ie, standard price is €40.

Electric Picnic 2012Electric Picnic is the biggest annual music fes-tival in Ireland. This year it’s taking place on the 31st of August, 1st & 2nd of September.

Hurling is said to be the fastest sport in the world

All GAA athletes are amateurs and don’t get paid for playing

9SHOWS & GIGS

ELECTRIC PICNIC 2012Stradbally Hall, county Laois.

Friday, 31 August – Sunday, 2 Sep-tember

Electric Picnic is Ireland’s largest music festival. The line up this year includes The Cure, Sigur Ros, Elbow, Orbital, Hot

Chip, The Killers and many more.Weekend camping ticket: 230 euro;

Sunday day ticket: 99.50 euro.

LEONARD COHENSeptember 11, September 12, Septem-

ber 14Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin 8

LADY GAGASaturday, 15 Sep

Aviva StadiumLady Gaga will perform her concert programme The Born This Way Ball. The Darkness and Lady Starlight will open

the show. Tickets from €54.65 to €96.00.

THE CHIPPENDALESOlympia Theatre

19 – 22 SeptemberThe biggest girls night out ever is com-

ing to Dublin. Tickets€27 / €28.

LIONEL RICHIEMonday, 24 Sep

The O2Lionel Richie returns to Europe this au-tumn with his first European tour dates since 2009, and nearly 25 years since his

first solo shows took place.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTARThe O2 Arena, Dublin

12 OctoberThe legendary rock opera written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber

comes to Dublin.

JENNIFER LOPEZThe O2 Arena, Dublin

Friday, 19 OctoberSuperstar Jennifer Lopez will play her first ever show in Ireland as part of her

‘Dance Again’ world tour.Tickets from 54.65 euro.

NICKI MINAJ The O2 Arena, DublinMonday, 5 November

The author of hit single “Starships” will present songs from her new album “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”. Tickets

€49.65 / €54.6

GOING OUT

Pub Crawl

A different experience at the Rustic Stone

Last week I had the pleasure of din-ing at the famous Rustic Stone on George’s Street. I have always wanted to visit the place, based on what I had heard about the famous Steak on the stone, and actually I was happy with the whole experience. I was with a group of six, and two of our friends were vegetarians. The place was full for a Tuesday evening, so we were happy that we had booked in advance. Because of that we got a good spot near the main bar.

The service was quick and friendly, and within a few minutes of our arrival we were able to order. As a starter I got the Salmon tempura, and it was delicious, though the portion was quite small. My friend got the

chicken wing; he felt that it was a bit sweet for his taste.

I chose the 12oz fillet steak on the stone as the main course. As it was my first time eating steak on the stone I was a bit lost, but the waiter saw that and immediately came to my rescue and showed me how to prepare the steak. It was a different experience for me because I had to cook my own steak on the stone. The result was bril-liant and very tasty!

Overall it was a good experience, but the shock came when we got the bill – it was a little “salty” if you know what I mean, but the food and the service were worth it. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes a good Irish steak.

By Tiago MASCAREnhAS

The Ferryman (35 Sir John Rogerson Quay, Dublin 2) – located in the heart of the docklands where the old ferry service used to be before East Link Bridge and Samuel Beckett bridges were built. The pub has an old, authentic feel to it, with many pictures and posters of ships, and, for some reason, Singer sewing machines that are all over the place!

The Long Stone (10 Townsend Street, Dublin 2) – according to legend, the Vikings (who established Dublin) used to moor their ships at the Long Stone or Stein, which used to stand in the exact same place where the Long Stone pub is now. The pub is said to have some of the best pints of Guinness

in Dublin and its decor is something to look at – especially the fireplace which is set in a massive sculpture of a shouting bearded Viking (actually it is Balder, the Scandinavian god of light).

The Harbour Master (Financial Service Centre, Dublin 1) – the small chapel-like building stand-ing in the middle of the modern International Financial Services Cen-tre used to be the real harbour master’s office, but it is now a bar and a cosy restaurant which serves some really nice seafood. A good place to get some food and relax while you’re at the festival.

Dublin Tall Ships FestivalHeld from August 23 to August 26, the festival will be the biggest event in Dublin this year and is definitely worth checking out.

Tickets to all these shows are available from Ticketmaster outlets.

To book by phone call: 0818 719 300Online booking: www.ticketmaster.ie

Send your restaurant and pub reviews on:[email protected]

As the final host port for the Tall Ships Races 2012, Dublin will be the place to be from the 23rd to the 26th of August 2012. The atmosphere around the Dublin docks area promises to be magical, and with four days of festival events to enjoy there will be something to entertain everyone.

Some 60 tall ships from all over the world will line the quays of the river Liffey. The ships will be open to the public all weekend. Dublin docks will come alive with live music, street theatre, markets, fun fairs and water sports activities. On Friday, 24th August at 3 pm there will be a crew parade and after that - a prize giving ceremony for the winners of the Tall Ships Race.

Make sure not to miss the spectacular Parade of Sail – on Sunday, 26th August, from 12:00. This is the final day of the fes-tival and as the magnificent tall ships leave Dublin they will unfurl all their sails and their crews will line the rigging – a sight to behold!

If you want to see a slightly different side of the festival then (after checking out the docks area) head to the Poolbeg Yacht, Boat Club & Marina in Ringsend (South Bank, Pigeon House Road, Ringsend, Dublin 4). During the festival the marina will host the smaller yachts taking part in the race or just visiting Dublin and it will also have a bar-becue, a ceili (traditional Irish dance) and many other fun activities. The yachts will take turns to go up the river to where the tall ships are and if you ask nicely the crews can take you along with them for free!

If you want to see the tall ships from the river, rather than from the docks, you can also head to the O2 Arena (it’s at the final stop of Luas Red Line – The Point). There you can hop onto one of the Sea Safari boats which will take visitors up the river Liffey and which will also offer tours of Dublin Bay. For more info log on to www.seasafari.ie

To find out more about the Tall Ships Festival log on to www.dublintallships.ie

Great pubs with a nautical theme to visit during the Tall Ships Festival

10

Been to an interesting place

or a new country?

Send your photos to:

[email protected]

PHOTO ALBUM

Smile for the camera! It’s teacher Rosa’s class Habeeb Al-Momatin with friends Ali Alnasser and Mojtaba Al-nasser fooling around in Howth Tiago and Josi enjoying their trip to Scotland

Eduardo Borges, LilianCorreia and a couple of friends in Glendalough

Viktor Sorokin’s leaving (dinner) party in Taste of Brazil restaurant

Happy birthday Thalita Souza!

Natalia Alfonso topping up her tan in sunny Portugal

Joao Gabriel Reis and his friend Saint Patrick Peterson Nogueira puts his foot on the Louvre

pyramid in Paris - naughty!

Carla Marina Soriano and hubby Bruno Barretto took a boat tour of the Cliffs of Moher

Are you there Bono? Filipe Santiago and friends knock on the door of the

U2 singer’s residence in Dalkey.

11CLASSIFIEDS

STUDENT JOBS

Kitchen porter (part time) based in Dublin 2. Duties: general cleaning duties, assisting chef. Some cooking experience essential. Knowledge of HACCP and good English required. Applicants must have a mini-mum of 1 years previous experience. Hours will cover morning and afternoon shifts. Email CV to: [email protected]

Waiter/waitress based in Dublin 2. Duties to include serving customers, taking or-ders, handling cash, and general duties as assigned. Successful candidate must have at least 2 years previous experience and a good command of the English language. Must be flexible, honest, hard working and a team player. Email your CV to [email protected]

Commis Chef required to work full time in a busy cafe in Dublin 2, no late nights. Ex-cellent conditions. Required: Some previous experience of working in a busy kitchen, knowledge of HACCP standards and com-petent English required. Must be passionate about food. Email a CV to [email protected]

Waiting staff required to work in a busy Restaurant in Dublin 8. Experience is es-sential with plate service. Candidates should have excellent customer service skills, bub-bly outgoing personality essential and food hygiene knowledge. Day-time & evenings. Hours ranging from 0-30, weekends includ-ed. Please send CV to Neil Cullen, Seasons@Guinness Storehouse, Guinness Storehouse, St. James Gate, Dublin 8 or e-mail: [email protected]

Video Games Tester (Portuguese Speaking) based in Stillorgan. Salary: €9.25 per hour. Duties include: identify, isolate, and docu-ment bugs clearly and concisely in a bug database. Run test suites, verify fixes, spot grammar and language mistakes in your language. Apply on: www.keywordsintl.com/hrm/jobs.php

ACCOMMODATIONDouble bedroom available to rent at Earls Court, Block C, Reuben Street, Dolphin’s Barn, Dublin 8. Rent €437 per month. Look-ing for either males or females (couples ac-cepted). Available to move in from Saturday, 6 August. Deposit: €560 for the room. Call Maria Elena: 0852260159.

Single room available in a flat in Dublin 12 beside Crumlin Children’s Hospital. Close to butcher’s, Centra, Off Licence, market, Aldi, pharmacy, hair salon and other busi-nesses. Bus stop also near. Luas is a 10-min-ute walk away. Flat consists of three rooms, two single and one double. Large kitchen with new equipment, washing machine etc. Large bathroom and good shower. Rent €240 a month and €240 deposit. Electricity bill is about €38 per month and internet €10. 20 minutes walk from SEDA. The room is available now. Call Julia:087 601 6920.

2 bedroom flat to let close to SEDA. €600 per month. Includes central heating and hot wa-ter. Ring Peter: 086 2560665.

SPORTSSEDA football club needs players! The team consists of some 20 to 30 students who get together every Saturday morning to play in Phoenix Park. If you want to join the team contact club organizer and goalkeeper Sid-nei Santos: http://www.facebook.com/sid-nei.santos.96

Iveagh Celtic Football Club requires player over 18. Training every Tuesday and Thurs-day night. For information call Davy 086 8955402.

BJJS EMPIRE: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt & Irish International Kickboxer. Contact: 0871894906 Dave Prendergast / 0871894992 Gustavo Vermelho. LOCATION 1: Our La-dy’s Hall, Mourne Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12. LOCATION 2: D8 Fitness Training Cen-tre, Bond House 12 Lower Bridge Street, D8.

Boxing Training & Fitness Training for Men & Women 18 and over: for those who wish to improve their fitness as well as learn a

new sport. Address: Aughrim Street Sports Centre, Dublin 7. Mondays and Wednesdays 20:00 to 21:00. Our trainers are Igor Khmil, former international boxer for Ukraine and BSc in Sports Science; Brian Daly, coach of DIT boxing team and Sergejs Pavlovs, ex So-viet Union Boxing champion. 087 955 2654.

SEDA student and Irish BJJ champion Jorge Santos now teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the city centre. Classes every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Join the gentle art with one of the most talented black belts in Ireland. For more information call: 0873568115.

COMPUTERSCourse in Basic Computer Skills. Feeling everyone else is miles ahead when it comes to computers? Want to know your email at-tachments from your spam? Want to know how to design a stylish CV? SEDA Academy in Dolphin’s Barn is now offering IT courses with a special rate for those living in Dublin 8.4 week course/3 hours per week: €804 week course/6 hours per week: €150

Small classes --- individual helpCome and see us for more info – we’re next door to Tesco Express.SEDA Academy, 7a Dolphins Barn, Phone: 4734915, [email protected]

We can repair Laptops, PCs, Macs, Game Consoles (XBox, Sony PS3, Sony PSP, Nin-tendo DS/ DSlite/ DS XL and Nintendo Wii, Apple iPods, Mobile Phones including the famous iPhone - are the main focus of our business. So why risk it by taking your be-loved friend somewhere else, we have team of qualified professionals – trained to diag-nose, repair and provide excellent service after repair.Fix My Pc: No. 6 Whitefrairs, Aungier St. Dublin 2, +353 (0) 478 9297, +353 (0) 1 503 0442, [email protected], www.fixmypc.ie

SHOWSAntoni O’Breskey in Concert: celebrating 35 years of Nomadic Piano Adventures from Ireland to the World. Special guests of the night : Paulo Bragança, Portugal (Voice) &

Carlos Maria Trindade – Madredeus, Con-suelo Nerea (Voice, Fiddle, Bodhrán), Phe-lim Drew (Voice), Davide Viterbo (Cello) Joe Mc Hugh (Uilleann pipes, Tin whistle, Low whistle) , Rocio Fernandez ( Spain) Flamenco dancers , Irish dancers and more surprises. Sunday 12th August, 8pm at the National Concert Hall (Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2). Tickets: €20, €13. Book at www.nch.ie

VARIOUSSil’s Takeaway: home-cooked Brazilian food, new menu. Feijao Tropeiro, Stroga-noff, Feijoada and more for just 5 euro. Call 087 11 59959 (Silvana).

More positions are available on www.fas.ie

Place a FREE advert in SEDA News:

[email protected]

12

Here are the answers to last month’s quiz. The Festi-val which takes place in Dublin from July 5th to 14th is called, as you could guess, 10 Days in Dublin. The big mu-sic festival that is kicking off at the end of August is called Electric Picnic. Dublin is the final port of call for the Tall Ships Races this year and Puck Fair is a traditional festival that has been held every year for over 400 years in Kerry

(which is part of the Irish province of Munster). The town of Ballinasloe in the centre of Ireland is primarily known for its Horse fair. The Cat Laughs comedy festival takes place in Kilkenny and the famous talent show for young women in Kerry is the Rose of Tralee. Ireland’s biggest arts festival is held in Galway.

Bloke – man, guyHe is a nice bloke. The bloke I’m looking for is wearing a navy jacket.

Bird – girl, girlfriendThat bloke’s got himself a nice-looking bird. Let’s go and have a chat with the birds at the bar.

Gaff – houseI’m throwing a party at my gaff – come on over! Oh no! I left my wallet at the gaff!

Spuds – potatoes What’s for dinner? Meat and spuds.

Knickers – ladies’ underwear.The expression “Don’t get your knickers in a twist” means “don’t worry yourself ”Don’t get your knickers in a twist! We’ll sort you out!

Tool – idiot. This bloke locked himself out of his gaff again. Jaysus! What a tool!

IRELAND & THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Our next quiz is about English vo-cabulary and grammar – see if you can find the right answers! As ever, send in your answers to [email protected] and you could win a prize!

1. ___ rained all day yesterday.A. ItB. TheyC. Who

2. Brush your ___ after every meal.A. ToothB. ToothsC. Teeth

3. A ___ year has 366 days.

A. JumpB. FrogC. Leap

4. It’s our secret, so don’t let the ___ out of the bag.

A. CowB. CatC. Dog

5. Close all the windows and turn ___ the lights before leaving the house.

A. OffB. OnC. Around

6. It’s too ___ in here. I can’t see any-thing. Please turn on the lights.

A. WarmB. BlackC. Dark

7. She really sounds ___ Mum when she talks like that!

A. HerB. LikeC. How

8. He got an A in maths. He ___ be proud of himself.

A. ShouldB. MustC. Would

9. I have been ___ for a cab for half an hour. Are the drivers on a strike?

A. WaitedB. WaitingC. Wait

10. Her twins ___ born last month.

A. AreB. WasC. Were

11. ___ matter what he says, it won’t help us.

A. AsB. NoC. If

12. My mother’s mother is my ___.

A. AuntB. CousinC. Grandmother

13. Even though I went to ___ late, I could not sleep.

A. BedB. SleepC. Dream

14. ___ are ten students in my class. How many in yours?

A. HaveB. ThereC. They

15. ___ you like some coffee?

A. WouldB. DoC. How

Send your answers to [email protected] and you can win a prize!

SEDA English Quiz

The Craic-tionarySEDA News guide to Irish slang words and expressions

In this section we will attempt to make your life in Ireland easier by explaining some of the most common Irish slang words and expressions.