The Irish is in Celtic script and the English is in Old English text.

Some of my earliest and abiding memories are of the Irish accents and Irish names of pupils and teachers at school and at church.

Having learned French and Spanish on retirement, a great excuse for backpacking holidays, I gained an interest in language and in how it works.

Then, on the passing of my mam and dad, I got the idea of teaching myself Irish - a kind of hankering perhaps, after my childhood?

Add the presence of a tiny child to the family and strange things happen to one’s mind; such as a liking for Thomas the Tank Engine and Beatrix Potter compendiums, setting nursery rhymes and poems in Irish to music on my old accordion, which I’m determined to accomplish.

I was once told that singing and reciting poems and songs in a language was a good way to learn it. Well, here’s my take on the Once I caught a Fish Alive song - a bit of a challenge as it involved making my English rhyme - approximately - with the Irish, and no, I’ve nowt better to do wi’ mi time!