Dúirt Dara, or "Dara said" — what does it all mean?

Oral tradition — symbiotic to the Irish language

Irish as a language has always been built perfectly for storytelling. Long before pen and paper (or vellum, goose feathers and iron gall ink, for that matter), stories were passed from one generation to the next with as much care as granny's Staffordshire dogs, standing guard on the mantle above the hearth.

Storytelling has always been a fantastic tool for language learning

It would be totally ridiculous to shove a 992-page copy of the Collins English Dictionary into the hands of a toddler and expect them to be holding full conversations by the end of the week. So what are you torturing yourself for? There will be plenty of time to self-flagellate while learning Irish! For now, you need a bit of "An Tusa Mo Mhamaí?" or "Cá Bhfuil Bran?".

Middle spaces — between words, between states, between some of the oldest written records

There are plenty of grey areas in this country — and for once I am not giving out about our weather. With a border running through parishes, homes and sometimes even graves, even the dead couldn't escape being divided by this imaginary line.

I know that last bit sounds like a "the horse's name was Friday" kind of joke, but it isn't.

My stories toe the line between fact and fiction, because if an embellished story helps you remember some boring Irish grammar rule, that's the most important thing.