With 2001 being the Year of Languages, and minority-language members of the European Parliament agreeing to draw up a long-term political strategy to ensure permanent EU support for their languages, this site should see a lot of traffic over the coming months.
Set up three years ago, Intercelt is a co-operative marketing programme concerned with the development needs of the language-and-culture-based tourism sectors in Ireland and Wales. The project is sponsored by Comhdhail Naisiunta na Gaeilge in Ireland and Menter a Busnes in Wales. Comhdhail (www.comhdhail.ie) is the steering council for Irish-language voluntary organisations. It has 21 member bodies, including Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael-Linn and Gaelscoileanna.
The site is divided into distinctive areas such as "Learning the Irish Language" and "Music, Song and Dance". The learning section is divided into lists of courses for beginners, intermediate and advanced, with common-sense advise on the principle dialect varieties. There is also a helpful section for those who have particular learning needs in the Irish language, e.g. primary-school teachers and civil-service applicants.
The music, song and dance area has good information on music festivals, pub sessions and where to get lessons in accordion, guitar, mandolin, banjo, flute and many other traditional instruments. As with everything else here, this section is subdivided by the four provinces.
You should always find out some new, odd fact at Internet sites. With this one, it's the revelation that there is an "Irish Music and Culture Lovers Club" in Serbia. It is called Shillelagh and hosted by one Aleksandar Markisic. You can link to it from Intercelt.
One of the best aspects of this site is the explanations of parts of Irish culture such as the Wren Boys, songs, dancing, surnames and placenames. The surnames part, in particular, contains information of use to anyone doing a project or essay on the Gaelic League, the Norman influence or the "Wild Geese".
This is a well designed and easy to use site, of use to people in Ireland and also those abroad looking to visit or learn about this country.
