TEFL Ireland – Oisin in Tir na nOg
TEFL Ireland – Oisin in Tir na nOg
When students come to Ireland to learn English they dont just come here to learn English! They have chosen Ireland because of the reputation we have here. Our reputation for being one of the friendliest countries in the world is known all over the world! There are not too many people who do not like Ireland or the Irish Culture.
Ireland is rich in culture. We are, not only famous for our music and dancing, musical intruments, bands and singers, actors, tourist attractions, heritage, wars and battles, Guinness and numerous others, also well known for our legends.
Story telling played an important role in the history of Ireland. Storytellers were very highly regarded in ancient Celtic times, in the days of when kinds and queens rules Ireland and right up to the middle of the twentieth century. Now parents and other family members pass on the stories at bedtime or other family occassions like weddings and wakes (the Irish traditional three days of mourning the death of someone) in our modern day Ireland. Children also learn the stories and legends at school.
For anyone teaching English in Ireland, or anywhere in the world who would like to bring some Irish culture into your classes, then using some of our most famous Irish legends is a great way to add an Irish flavour into you lessons, plus it will be new and interesting topic for your students.
One of the most famous legends is called “Oisin in Tir na nOg”. This is a beautiful story about a famous Celtic hunter who fell in love with a beautiful young woman. Her name was Niamh and she was the daughter of the God of the sea. Niamh lived in a mystical land, below the ocean, called Tir na nOg. “Tir na nOg” itself, is another famous legend in its own right – the land of eternal youth. Oisin followed Niamh there and after a year he returned home just to visit his family. However, a year in Tir na nOg is a lifetime in the mortal world and Oisin faced a life threatening choice on his return!
This very romantic story is just one of the Irish cultural lessons found in the book called “Learning English in Ireland”, student book. This particular lesson is so popular it is also available as a class handout and sets of these can be obtained from a new EFL Ireland dedicated website called learningenglishinireland.ie
The lesson includes absolutely everything you need for a full Irish cultural class, including a full set of 20 beautifully illustrated worksheets, a lesson plan, downloadable audio for the listening exercises and full answers. The only class preparation you have to do is to photocopy an extra activity sheet per student! Everything else has been prepared for you.
Another similar set of worksheets, for your information, is on “Famous Irish Singers and Bands“. Again all the work has been done for you and again, your students will love the information, singing, music and quizzes this lesson has to offer.