Fáinne
Encyclopedia
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
The three present variations of the pin are the Fáinne Airgid (silver circle), Fáinne Óir (gold circle), and Seanfháinne (old circle) - all have alternate meanings in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
In other contexts, fáinne simply means "ring" or "circle". As a word in a living language, fáinne is also used in this original context, giving terms such as: fáinne pósta (wedding ring
Wedding ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe...
), fáinne an lae (daybreak
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
), and fáinne cluaise (earring
Earring
Common locations for piercings, other than the earlobe, include the rook, tragus, and across the helix . The simple term "ear piercing" usually refers to an earlobe piercing, whereas piercings in the upper part of the external ear are often referred to as "cartilage piercings"...
).
An Fáinne (The Organisation)
Two Irish languageIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
organisations, An Fáinne ("The Ring" or "The Circle" in Irish) and The Society of Gaelic Writers, were both founded in 1911 by Piaras Béaslaí
Piaras Béaslaí
Piaras Béaslaí was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a member of Dáil Éireann and also an Irish author, playwright, biographer and translator....
(1881–1965).
They were intended to work together to a certain extent, the former promoting the language and awarding those fluent in its speaking with a Fáinne Óir (Gold Ring) lapel pin, whilst the latter would promote and create a pool of quality literary works in the language. From an early time, An Fáinne used the postal address of 25 Parnell Square, the same as Conradh na Gaeilge
Conradh na Gaeilge
Conradh na Gaeilge is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. The motto of the League is Sinn Féin, Sinn Féin amháin .-Origins:...
, but at least at first, the organisations were officially separate.
The effectiveness of the organisation was acknowledged in the Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
on 6 August 1920, when Richard Mulcahy
Richard Mulcahy
Richard James Mulcahy was an Irish politician, army general and commander in chief, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister...
, the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
for Clontarf
Dublin Clontarf (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin Clontarf was a short-lived parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1977 to 1981...
suggested that a league on the model of the Fáinne for the support of Irish manufactures might be established.
The Original Fáinne
The Fáinne lapel pins were, at first, a limited success. They appealed mainly to NationalistsIrish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
and Republicans
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, for whom the language was generally learnt as adults as a second language. The appeal to people for whom Irish was the native tongue was limited. They spoke Irish, as did everyone from their village, so there was no point whatsoever wearing a pin to prove it, even if they could have afforded one, or for that matter, even known they existed.
In the early 1920s, many people who earned their Fáinne did so in prison, the majority of these being anti-treaty Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA) Volunteers during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
.
Recognition
The consistently high standard required to qualify for the Fáinne at this time made them quite prestigious, and there are many reports of people being recruited as night-school teachers of Irish based purely on the fact they wore the pin.The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State
President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State
The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State was the head of government or prime minister of the Irish Free State which existed from 1922 to 1937...
, W. T. Cosgrave acknowledged the Fáinne on 8 February 1924 as an indicator of Irish Language proficiency.
Demise
The fact that the underlying reason many Fáinne wearers had studied Irish was for political reasons, meant that the semi-independence of the Irish Free StateIrish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, and the later complete independence of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
, along with a period of relative peace in the new province of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, meant they had, to some extent, achieved their aim. Twenty years or so later, a Fáinne would be a very rare sight indeed. Due to lack of demand they were no longer manufactured, and the organisation had fizzled out.
An Fáinne Nua
Conradh na Gaeilge attempted a revival of the Fáinne, which, for a short time at least, became a major success. The New Fáinne (An Fáinne Nua), was marketed with the slogan "Is duitse an Fáinne Nua!" - meaning "The New Fáinne is for you!."It came in three varieties:
An Fáinne Nua Óir (The new Gold Fáinne)
The promotional leaflet stated "An Fáinne Nua Óir do Ghaeilgeoirí líofa os cionn seacht mbliana déag arbh í Gaeilge is rogha leo labhairt ar gach ócáid is féidir." Basically, this meant it was for fluent Irish language speakers over 17, who would choose to speak Irish wherever possible.An Fáinne Nua Airgid (The new Silver Fáinne)
The promotional leaflet stated "An Fáinne Nua Airgid do Ghaeilgeoirí idir 12-17 mbliana ar fonn leo Gaeilge a labhairt ar gach ócáid is féidir." - For Irish language speakers aged 12–17, who would speak Irish wherever possible. A point worth noting is the lack of the word, líofa. This implied you did not have to be (as) fluent to obtain this.An Fáinne Nua Daite (The new coloured Fáinne)
The promotional leaflet stated "An Fáinne Nua Daite do dhaoine nach bhfuil mórán Gaeilge acu, but who want to use what Irish they know." - The clever English wording implying the previous content in Irish, even to those who didn't understand a word.The Gold Fáinne was manufactured from 9ct Gold, whilst the other two were sterling silver. The Coloured Fáinne also had an enamel blue ring separating two concentric silver circles.
The prices for the Gold, Silver and Coloured varieties in 1968 were twelve shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s and sixpence, four shillings and five shillings respectively.
Popularity And Demise
They were popular in Ireland during the 1960s, but fell into disuse shortly afterwards. Two reasons commonly given for this being that the change in fashion made it impractical to a wear a lapel pin, and the resumption of hostilities in Northern Ireland making people either not want to show publicly a "love for things Irish" for fear of intimidation; or for the more radical elements, to place "Irishness" second to "freedom".Present Variations
The present version of the Fáinne is somewhat different, in that there is no test and no certification. You can simply buy what you want. The present versions are sold by Gaelport.There are three versions presently available:
Fáinne Airgid (Silver Fáinne)
This indicates you have a basic working knowledge of the languageSeanfháinne (literally, "Old Fáinne")
This is the larger, old style. It is available in Gold (Colour) and solid 9 carat. This is the style worn by Liam NeesonLiam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
in his film portrayal of Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
.
Cúpla Focal brooch
As cúpla focal means "a couple of words", one would assume that it was for beginners. This is contradicted by the Fáinne website, with a statement to the effect it is worn to show support for the language.Béal na nGael
The Béal na nGael (Mouth of the Irish) is a more modern, totally different, pin badge that shows a face with spiked hair and an open mouth. It was developed by the students of the Gaelcholáiste ReachrannGaelcholáiste Reachrann
Gaelcholáiste Reachrann is an Irish-speaking secondary school ,in Donaghmede on Dublin's Northside, sharing premises and some teachers with Grange Community College....
gaelscoil
Gaelscoil
A gaelscoil is an Irish-medium primary school in Ireland, of a sort found outside the traditionally Irish-speaking regions, especially in urban areas....
and marketed primarily to youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
in the Dublin Area. "The aim of the badge is to let the world know that the user is both willing and able to speak Irish, and the students say that what they are promoting is 'a practical product to stimulate more peer-to-peer communication through Irish.'
"The badge won't threaten the place of the Fáinne, they say, because their target market is an age group which is not wearing the Fáinne and which, their market research suggests, is in many cases not even aware that the Fáinne exists. They hope this target market will latch on to the badge and wear it as an invitation to others to speak to them in Irish."