BOB CARNEY
COLUMNIST: SPEAK IRISH, CLEVELAND COMHRA
Bob Carney is iIrish’s Speak Irish as well as Cleveland Comhra columnist. The Speak Irish column came about because of the Speak Irish Cleveland classes which Bob was a part of. About eight years ago, iIrish publisher and editor John O’Brien asked if Bob would be willing to write a column on Irish phrases and phonetic explanations on pronunciation. Since then, the column has evolved into a longer piece on Irish language and aims to encourage readers to come check out the Speak Irish Cleveland classes.
As an owner of Irish Wolfhounds, Bob thought it would be cool to tell his dogs to sit or stay in Irish and after seeing an ad for the language class he decided to check it out. Before he knew it, ten weeks had passed and Bob had fallen in love with the language and he’s stuck with it since.
Cleveland Comhra came later and began as more of an interview-based column. “I’ve talked to some really interesting people over the years, but most of the time the columns come about because of either something I’ve read or somebody sends me something and I researched that.” Using the column as an excuse to research things that pique his interest, Bob has enjoyed writing Cleveland Comhra. “I think the best part about that is that there’s a deadline. So it kind of pushes me to do the research, do the reading, that otherwise I might just, you know, come home at night and I’m too tired, I’ll do it some other time and never get around to it.”
Bob Carney is a student of Irish language and history and teaches the Speak Irish Cleveland class held every Tuesday at PJ McIntyre’s. He is also active in the Irish Wolfhound and Irish dogs organizations in and around Cleveland. Wife Mary, hounds Rían, Aisling and Draoi and terrier Doolin keep the house jumping. He can be reached at [email protected]