I ka pō nei, ua hele aku nei mākou, nā haumāna o ka papa kūlana ʻekahi, i ke “kolo hale inu pia” (he “pub crawl” i ko kēia ʻāina). ʻO ka pololei, hoʻomaka ka poʻe ma kekahi ʻaoʻao o ke kaona, a inu lākou me kēlā me kēia hale inu pia a pani ʻia ka hale inu hope loa o ke kaona. Eia naʻe, ua noho māua ʻo Mālia me lākou no ka inu ʻana i ka hoʻokahi wale nō Guinness ma Biddy’s, a laila, ʻo ka hoʻi ihola nō ia o māua i ka hale. Ma laila, ua nui kaʻu walaʻau pū ʻana me kekahi o nā kumu ʻōlelo ʻAiliki o Oideas Gael, ʻo Rionna kona inoa.
ʻAʻole i hele ʻo Rionna i kekahi kula kaiapuni ʻōlelo ʻAiliki ma kona wā ʻōpio, no ka mea, ʻaʻole i loaʻa ia ʻano kula ma kahi kokoke i kona kaona i noho ai. Akā naʻe, hoʻomaka ke aʻo ʻana i ka ʻōlelo ʻAiliki ma nā kula ʻōlelo Pelekāne ma ka papa ʻehā. ʻAʻole au i hoʻomaopopo i kā Kauka Tina Hickey ʻōlelo ʻano no kēia, no laila, nīele aku au iā ia inā pēlā nā kula ʻōlelo Pelekāne a pau o ʻIlelani, a ʻae maila ʻo ia. I kona manaʻo, ʻo ia ke kumu o ka nāwaliwali o nā papahana ʻōlelo ʻAiliki ma nā kulanui. Loaʻa nā papahana i aʻo ʻia ma loko o ka ʻōlelo ʻAiliki, akā, ʻaʻole i ikaika nā polokalamu no ke aʻo ʻana i ka ʻōlelo ʻAiliki kūlana haʻahaʻa, no ka mea, mākaukau nā haumāna ma ka ʻōlelo ʻAiliki. E pono ana au e hōʻoia i kēia ma kaʻu walaʻau hou ʻana me Liam i ka lā ʻapōpō. ʻO kekahi mea hoihoi āna i haʻi mai ai, e mālama ʻia ana kekahi ʻaha haʻawina Celtic ma Hawaiʻi ma Pepeluali o ka makahiki 2003. ʻAʻole ʻo ia ʻike ʻo ka mokupuni hea kahi e mālama ʻia ana ka ʻaha, akā, e leka uila mai ana ʻo ia iaʻu ke ʻike ʻo ia.
ʻOiai ʻaʻohe papa o kēia lā, a ʻo koʻu lā piha makahiki kēia, ua koho māua ʻo Mālia e holoholo kaʻa me kekahi hoapapa ma ʻō ma ʻaneʻi ma Co. Donegal. ʻEono paha hola ke kalaiwa ʻana, me ka noho pōkole ʻana me nā kaona liʻiliʻi a mākou i ʻike ai. Wahi a ka lohe, e loaʻa ana kekahi hoʻolauleʻa nui ma ke kaona ʻo Donegal, akā, ma kā mākou hiki ʻana aku i laila, ua like ka nui o ka hoʻolauleʻa me nā “mākeke ʻuku” ma Hawaiʻi.
ʻAʻole i pau ka puke “Fading Voices: Has Irish a Future?” i ka heluhelu ʻia; ʻo ia ana kaʻu i kēia pō. I ka lā ʻapōpō, hoʻomaka nā papa o ka pule ʻelua. ʻAʻole e komo ana māua ʻo Mālia i ka papa ʻōlelo i kēia pule; nui nā mea e hoʻomaʻamaʻa ai, no laila, e komo ana māua i ka papa no ke ao kūlohelohe a me ka moʻomeheu o ka poʻe ʻAiliki o kēia ʻāina. A laila, ma ka pule ʻekolu, e komo ana māua i ka papa kūlana ʻelua.
Ma kaʻu nānā hou ʻana i kā mākou i aʻo ai i kēia pule, like paha ka nui o nā analua pilinaʻōlelo me kā kākou e aʻo ai ma ke kau mua o nā papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo, akā, ʻaʻole i like ka nui o nā huaʻōlelo, a ʻaʻole i paʻa pono nā analua i nā haumāna. ʻO kekahi pilikia, nui ʻino nā kūʻē lula, a loli nui ka pela ʻana o nā huaʻōlelo. E kākau hou au no ia kumuhana i ka lā ʻapōpō.
