Dáithí Mac Giolla. wrote:
apart from the Doegan recordings are there any other substantial bodies of recordings of Dialects now gone.
I know they were done prior to WW2.
But as far as I know there may still have been one or two speakers in many areas well after this date.
Co Clare - maybe as late as 1990's ?
Beara - I think i read some where a speaker in the 70's
East Cork- not sure on date, think post WW2.
South Tipperary - 1950's?
East Mayo-?
Sligo- read once of two elderly brothers living till 1990's.
Tyrone- 1950's?
Louth- around Omeath- 1950's?
Antrim- 1960's?
Was there any work done on recoding these dialects before they passed ?
Well, Dáithí, film or tape was very expensive in the 1950s, and believe it or not, a lot of the recordings of the Folklore Commission of Ireland weren't kept! The tape was reused! So a lot of things would have been lost right there.
Labharfad le Cách - is a wonderful book and CD by Peig Sayers - interesting that RTÉ had her recordings - and also even more interesting that the BBC had recordings of Peig Sayers that were used for Labharfad le Cách! Why would the BBC have heard of Peig Sayers? Maybe she was a famous individual and they recorded her, but no one else? Or maybe they have more stuff in Irish?