Club An Fháinne: Our Goals and Bylaws

Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming environment for anyone who wants to learn, practice, or share the Irish language by joining or forming a study group, book club, or other Irish language related group. Regular online video meetings in groups are encouraged to practice speaking and to form friendships with other gaeilgeoirí to help integrate spoken Irish into members' daily lives. We further aim to be a positive and supportive group to the Irish language community as a whole.

Is le gach duine an Ghaeilge - Irish is for everybody!

This page will be updated with translations shortly. Le do thoil, stay tuned!

*The following is a rough draft for suggested bylaws. Rules will be finalized in the coming weeks.

** if you would like to help with translations or the bylaws please reach out.

Bylaws:

1. Gaeilge is féidir- Irish if you can

   1. You have the right Gaeilge amháin a labhairt on this site

   2. While we recognize strict Gaeilge amháin/Irish only rules as a legitimate learning strategy, it is not our club’s rule. Check individual groups within for their rules.

   3. People should be made to feel comfortable asking questions in either or a mixture of both languages in the main group.

2. We discourage the use of google translate (GT)

   1. Write in English if you can’t produce the message in Irish (a mix is okay!)

   2. We encourage you to provide what you intended to say in an English translation or simplified summary...

      1. so that learners do not have to supply training material to GT 

      2. or so that more advanced speakers can help you correct what you wanted to say to Irish

      3. We do however support your right to speak in only Irish if you choose

   3. This is a club where learners should feel welcomed. Simple sentence structures in good quality Irish are encouraged. 

      
      

3. There is no superior dialect according to this club. 

   1. It’s okay to love your dialect, it is not okay to shame others.

   2. Feel free to request a badge stating your preferred dialect

   3. You do not have to pick a dialect to learn Irish!

4. We are a club to form and partake in study groups and conversation. We are not claiming in any way to be certified/qualified to teach Irish.

   1. If you, as an individual, are a qualified teacher, please let the club know by requesting a qualified teacher badge. Other badges available Include: native speaker, the TEG levels, Fáinne Airgid, Fáinne Óir, or Cúpla Focal. 

   2. Qualified Irish teachers and other external Irish language groups are welcome to contact the moderators to form a mutual relationship where we will mention you/your services if you mention our club.

   3. Qualified teachers can post announcements about their services to the main group twice a month so long as they are active members.

      1. active members are defined as people contributing to the site via posts or comments or leading a group at least once a week.

   4. People found to be posing as experts, when they are not, will be expelled from the group

5. We encourage people to acknowledge their mistakes.

   1. Publicly correcting people politely and including your sources in the correction is strongly encouraged!

6. Harassment, Shaming, Racism, anti-immigration, and white-nationalist or otherwise fascist statements of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in immediate expulsion from the club.  

   1. You heard me