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Tionscadal Athchóirithe Tuaithe |
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Tionscadal Athchóirithe Tuaithe, the Tuath Restoration Project, is a culmination of a great many things ranging from active de-Anglicization of our culture to the development of prototype agricultural communities. The core drive behind the Athchóirithe Tuaithe project is not any given single project, but a desire by our tuath and related tuatha to embrace a pre-Anglo, and even pre-Christian, Gaelic cultural core while at the same time carrying our people into the 21st century and beyond. The goal of our people is not to return to the exact same way of life our Iron Age ancestors lived, for that would be foolish and impossible, but it is perfectly viable to take the core elements of the culture, laws, religion, ethics, etc. and apply them today. Just as the Quakers embrace a traditional lifestyle while at the same time accepting modern technology and amenities, so do we believe in holding to Gaelic traditions, native beliefs and cultures while living within the modern world. The problem comes in that to live a native Gaelic culture, one must remove the Anglo influences from it. Over a century ago, in 1892, Douglas Hyde was arguing this same point before his peers in the Irish National Literary Society in Dublin, and later made it one of the cornerstones of his presidency when he governed the country. Our tuath and many other Sinnsreachd tuatha take this a step further beyond the mere de-Anglicization of our culture. Seeing Christianity as a foreign religion with foreign morals, ethos, and ethics, we have rejected it in favor of reclaiming the native polytheistic beliefs present in Ireland before the coming of Christianity. The effort to de-Anglicize and de-Christianize our branch of Gaelic culture is the core of what the Athchóirithe Tuaithe project is all about. Tionscadal Athchóirithe Tuaithe is broken down into a series of programs, some currently in implementation, others planned for a later stage of development, and still others ongoing and evolving indefinitely. Probably the largest and most complex and costly program currently under development is the Community Development Project. This project involves the development of a prototype agricultural community, as well as producing reference materials and training a team of specialists to assist other tuatha in establishing their own communities. With an estimated final cost of over half a million dollars, and a timetable that started in 1999 and will continue through final completion in 2012, this is the most ambitious project currently in the works. It is not the most ambitious one planned, however.  Eventually, Tionscadal Athchóirithe Tuaithe will culminate in the creation of at least one, and likely multiple universities that specialize in Gaelic language, history and culture. Celtic Studies will not be a side course taught to researchers and pagans as it is in the few collages that teach it today, but a mainstream core curriculum featuring courses in not only the ways and history of our ancestors, but the modern incarnations of our culture and religious traditions. Included in the plan for this university will be a polytheist equivalent to a seminary through which religious functionaries can receive their degrees and ordinations. This project is still in the vision stage and planning for the costs and process of development have only recently begun. Estimated time table for actual development is 2014 to 2025, and costs are estimated to be between $1.5 million and $2 million for the very basest of facilities and faculty. This is the second-most ambitious project we have on the board at current. Less ambitious projects are often integrated into these larger projects. An ongoing and never-ending example of these is the spreading of Gaeilge literacy among our people through classes and immersion courses. Another example is Seirbhíse Poiblí, or Public Service, which is a subdivision of Tionscadal Athchóirithe Tuaithe that focuses on public service to the surrounding community. This is accomplished through volunteer organizations, emergency services, charity programs, and so on. Other programs include cultural education classes, religious development, legal research into the Fénechas (a.k.a. Brehon Law), and so on. All of these projects, great and small, are geared to the furtherance of the Sinnsreachd movement as a whole. Other unique projects being worked on at current include the following-
Aonach Táilteann
The Táilteann Games, a long-neglected yet famous tradition of our people, is being brought back again. A celebration of the skills of warriors, athletes, craftsmen and storytellers, the Táilteann Games are soon to be the centerpiece of the Lughnasadh gatherings of tuatha once again. These games were brought back on a test basis a couple of times in the 1990's in the Houston area, and were so well recieved that we felt we would continue the practice. Current planning has the Games being held annually starting in 2010. Historical Background
Event Breakdown
At the end of the competition there will be the presentation of prizes by the hosting Rí to the successful competitors. The trophies were traditionally Seada and Fainne Oir, jeweled ornaments and rings of gold, but will vary depending on the prize donations. Likewise, each competition will have a prize suited to the competitors.
Gaelscoil Teicsais
This project is still in the planning stage, with no set date for initiation determined yet, but is intended to be a regional Gaelscoil, a schoolastic program to teach Gaeilge literacy and fluency to the Gael Meiriceánach in Texas. Though it will include resources and classes for adults, the primary focus is in raising our children bilingual, and will thus have a primary focus on grades K through 12, with possible college-level expansions later on down the road. This project is being based on the Gaelscoil programs in Ireland. As such, it will feature complete schooling in science, math, social studies, history, etc. in both English and Gaeilge. This, combined with native-speaking teachers and the constant use of Gaeilge as a first-language within the communities, will help to ensure full fluency and retention of the language. In addition to the language courses and language-based curriculum, this school will also feature a tradeskills-apprenticeship program in which grade 6 and higher students will choose a trade in which to apprentice. This hands-on training in mechanics, art, carpentry, etc. will give them a solid skill base to help them later in life. Practical skills training for grade 9 and up students in aspects such as managing accounts, banking, job searching, family planning, financial planning, and so on will also be a part of the education the students will receive, as these aspects of life are the most critical for adults just starting out.
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