Bratislava vs Dublin (source: TASR/Pixabay)
An Irish-language course has featured Bratislava as a subject of discussion. The discussion, part of a beginner’s Irish course, concerned two fictional characters, Stuart and Ruth, speaking about Ruth’s holiday in Bratislava.
However, Ruth did not have great things to say about the Slovak capital.
A screengrab of the Irish-language course's mention of Bratislava, provided by an anonymous user (source: Anonymous)
Stuart:
Bhuel, conas a bhí an Bhrataslaív? Ar bhain tú sult as an tsaoire?
Well, how was Bratislava? Did you enjoy the holiday?
Ruth:
Nior bhain, leis an bhfírinne a rá.
No, to be honest.
Stuart:
Cén fáth? Cloisim go bhfuil an chathair go deas.
Why? I hear the city is nice.
Ruth:
Tá, tá an chathair go hátaimn. Ach ní raibh an t-óstán go ródheas.
Yes, the city is lovely, But the hotel wasn't very nice.
Stuart:
Is mar an trua sin An raibh na daoine ansin cairdiúil?
That's a pity, Were the people there friendly?
Ruth:
Ní raibh siad róchairdúi ar chor ar bith.
They weren't too friendly at all.
Barry O'Donoghue, an Irishman who lived in Bratislava for many years said that whoever wrote the dialogue "must have paid for a taxi from the airport, fined on public transport and spent some time in bars in the city centre".
"They honestly didn’t have to go further than Dublin to find plenty of overpriced and under-cared-for hotels compared to Bratislava," says Limerick native Breffni O'Donovan, "and the last time I was in Dublin, I had my new phone carefully removed from my back pocket as I walked in."
The course is available to paying users of the Ranganna.com website. Ranganna is the Irish word for “classes”, and the site bills itself as “the best place to learn Irish online”. It is operated by Coláiste na hÉireann (College of Ireland), the first Irish-only third level university in Ireland.
They did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It is not known whether the course writer had a negative experience in Bratislava. Slovaks have been perceived as unfriendly, but this reputation has been challenged in recent years.
"Coláiste na hEireann to have a bit of cop-on and be a bit more positive. Negativity towards non-fictional people or cultures is unnecessary when teaching a language.", says O'Donovan.
According to the 2022 Irish census, around 50,000 people speak Irish daily, while up to 1.9 million claim they can speak the language. For English speakers, Irish is classified as a Category 3 language by the US State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, meaning it requires approximately 1,100 hours of active learning to achieve fluency. Slovak holds the same classification.
A course on the Irish language and Irish culture is currently being offered to students at Comenius University in Bratislava.
By the way, all the Stuarts who have only heard that Bratislava is nice can see for themselves, for example, with The Slovak Spectator’s travel guide.
