Gaelic Orders.

[CrabfatBILL]

Just got around to watching "Siege of Jadotville".
At the start, when about to depart the NCO give orders in Gaelic. Is this normal practice or just for movie makers?

CFB

 

[Stovepipe]

Yes. All drill/marching orders are given "as Gaeilge" ie, in Irish. The Irish word for Gaelic is "Gaeilge", prounounced "gway-il-geh". You learn the orders in recruit training and go into more detail when doing the NCO's course. Even the arms manuals were written in Irish and English and one entire battalion was taught entirely in Irish.

 

[LayKil]

Yes. All drill/marching orders are given "as Gaeilge" ie, in Irish. The Irish word for Gaelic is "Gaeilge", prounounced "gway-il-geh". You learn the orders in recruit training and go into more detail when doing the NCO's course. Even the arms manuals were written in Irish and English and one entire battalion was taught entirely in Irish.

That's interesting. When you say orders are taught at basic training you do mean basic drill orders? More? I'm aware that most (all?) used to take Irish up to Leaving Cert but the general fluency in Ireland is pretty bad - even "back then". Haven't seen the film so don't know the context but I'd be fairly nervous about the toms understanding detailed orders on such an important affair.

 

[LayKil]

Maybe I've misunderstood and the OP wasn't talking about formal orders

 

[BuckFelize]

I thought this was another thread about the combat monk of Croydon.

 

[Stovepipe]

Not day to day or operational order, just drill and marching. As an example, "squad, halt!" will be given as "gasra, stad", pronounced "gos-ra, stod". All of our foot drill is essentially the same as British drill, with some exceptions. Apart from that, written orders posted on notice boards may be dual-language as all Govt docs are required to be available in both.

 

[Issi]

Slightly off topic,:but I had quite a heated argument with a chap from Dublin, as I am convinced that I once found a pallet of paint in one of those factory second shops, and all of the labels were in Gaelic.
Did I imagine this?

 

[Provost]

Yes. All drill/marching orders are given "as Gaeilge" ie, in Irish. The Irish word for Gaelic is "Gaeilge", prounounced "gway-il-geh". You learn the orders in recruit training and go into more detail when doing the NCO's course. Even the arms manuals were written in Irish and English and one entire battalion was taught entirely in Irish.

It must make for some interesting times on the square. Knowledge of the Irish language for the overwhelming majority of Irish citizens begins and ends with 'dúnann doras' (close the door), the only thing that any of them can remember from Irish lessons received at primary school.

 

[Tappet]

@irlsgt

 

[Alec_Lomas]

the only thing that any of them can remember from Irish lessons received at primary school.

Not quite so. I can recall all of the Christian prayers in spoken Gaeilge, the result of the daily routines in a Christian Brothers & subsequently Jesuit schooling.

 

[LEGZ30]

It must make for some interesting times on the square. Knowledge of the Irish language for the overwhelming majority of Irish citizens begins and ends with 'dúnann doras' (close the door), the only thing that any of them can remember from Irish lessons received at primary school.

I thought 'can I go to the toilet' was the one thing that all of them remembered from school?

 

[Provost]

Not quite so. I can recall all of the Christian prayers in spoken Gaeilge, the result of the daily routines in a Christian Brothers & subsequently Jesuit schooling.

And as with the rote learnt and phonetically recited Latin of the Tridentine Mass, delivered with exactly the same level of conviction and sense of meaning, no doubt.

 

[Stovepipe]

Nah, there's no difficulty, really. People remember more Gaeilge than they admit to and older lads like me had it literally punched into you by Irish language teachers. I can hold a basic conversation in Gaeilge and can (slowly) read it. Not bad for 13 years of full time education...... As with any drill movement, after the first hundred and fifty repetitions in the rain on a drill square, you tend not to forget it.

 

[CutLunchCommando]

To be fair, much of the British Armys drill commands are in a language other than English.....

Duft!
Dight!
Duft!
Dight!
Duft!
Dight!

 

[Stovepipe]

To be fair, much of the British Armys drill commands are in a language other than English.....

Duft!
Dight!
Duft!
Dight!
Duft!
Dight!

yes...screamed at a pitch used only by dogs, bats and RSMs

 

[Onetap]

It must make for some interesting times on the square. Knowledge of the Irish language for the overwhelming majority of Irish citizens begins and ends with 'dúnann doras' (close the door), the only thing that any of them can remember from Irish lessons received at primary school.

 

[Fang_Farrier]

To be fair, much of the British Armys drill commands are in a language other than English.....

Duft!
Dight!
Duft!
Dight!
Duft!
Dight!

Or

Eft
Ight
Eft
Ight
Eft
Ight

 

[Provost]

Or

Eft
Ight
Eft
Ight
Eft
Ight

I can remember a LI drill pig who used to give it, "Yick, Yack, Yick, Yack!".

 

[irlsgt]

It must make for some interesting times on the square. Knowledge of the Irish language for the overwhelming majority of Irish citizens begins and ends with 'dúnann doras' (close the door), the only thing that any of them can remember from Irish lessons received at primary school.

Not really you are taught what to do in English just the words of command are in Irish

 

[irlsgt]

In the Congo and in Lebanon in the late 70s/early 80s a lot of radio conversations were held as Gaeilge for COMSEC reasons