As such, you can imagine what a big deal these teams are to their local communities. Paul informed me that, historically, especially in the countryside and the small towns around Ireland, the two main "powers" were the Church and the local GAA club!
Paul speaks English and grew up learning Irish in school since it is required. He doesn't think he's fluent in Irish, though. He also speaks German fairly well and very basic French.
In Irish, "Hello" is Dia dhuit. This literally translates to "God be with you." The Church was very influential in Ireland, so there aren't any Irish greetings without God in them. The response to this greeting is Dia is mhuire dhuit, which literally translates to "God and Mary be with you." See what I mean? You should look up a video of someone saying these phrases because they do not sound the way they are spelled, at least not to people from the U.S.
Paul also thought you would appreciate knowing how to say goodbye since it is much easier. It is simply slán. You must put that accent on the "a." The word for that accent mark in Irish is fada. It is the only kind of accent mark in the Irish language, and it can sometimes appear above vowels but never above consonants.
Paul's family does not own pets. He said he goes to the zoo almost every other week with his children, though, because they love it so much!
The Dublin Zoo is pretty nice, considering the size of the city. I went there shortly after I arrived in Ireland. You will see the photos.
