Romanians and Moldovans are proud of their mother tongue
2017-09-15 05:30:00 -
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By Domnica Lazar

Around 150 members of the Romanian and Moldavian diaspora in Ireland gathered at Tallaght Library earlier this month to celebrate Romanian Language Day.

 

“The Romanian language is a chain that unites us,” said Florina Sava from the Romanian Embassy in Dublin in her opening address. “It is the essential co-ordinate of our identity; it is a means of communication and an essential issue of Romanism.”

 

The public holiday on 31 August is also celebrated in neighbouring Moldova, where it is known as Limba noastră (our language) and whose language is closely related to Romanian.

 

Romanian is now being taught in five secondary schools in Dublin and one in Cork as a part of an expanding pilot project to encourage pupils to take up the subject for the Leaving Cert, said teacher Anca Borzas.

 

Music, dance and poetry made for an electric atmosphere in Tallaght Library on Saturday 2 September, with readings from renowned Romanian writers such as Mihai Eminescu, Alexei Mateevici and Grigore Vieru. 

 

In particular, Andreea Cojocari gave a stirring rendition of the poem ‘Muma lui Stefan cel Mare’ by Dimitrie Bolintineanu.

 

Romanian Language Day “is an occasion for joy in the community”, said Viorel Plesteanu, president of the Itaca Organisation Dublin that co-hosted the event. “Through their participation, Romanians recognise their belonging and proudly affirm it.”

 

According to the 2016 Census, Romanians are the fourth most populous nationality in the State, and their language is the third most spoken in the home.

 

Tallaght’s Romanian Language Day event was organised by the Romanian Community of Ireland (RCI) in partnership with Itaca Organisation Dublin, Moldova-Vision, Pulber Music Academy and the New Communities Partnership. RCI president George Bratulescu hosted the day.

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