Remembering a passion for the native tongue
Editor,
At the outset I want to stress that I am not a fanatic or even anything close to that. I am simply an enthusiast who would like to encourage people who may be similar to me in their thinking. I am writing to you in the hope that you will publish this letter in light of the fact that Seachtain na Gaeilge is approaching. I am hoping that, by sharing ‘Mo Scéal’, I may encourage others to ‘give their Gaeilge a go’.
I did my Leaving Certificate in 1978. At that time, I got a reasonable grade in my ‘Scrúdú Gaeilge’. Prior to June 1978, I had been learning Irish for almost 15 years. Since 1978, and until just the last few weeks, the only conversation (comhrá) that I have ever had with anybody in Irish was the Oral Irish Interview that I did as part of my Leaving Certificate Examination. Since 1978, I have never used the Irish that I learned during my school years. I have always had an interest (suim) and love (grá) for the language. When I hear Irish being spoken, it touches something deep within me and while I do not always know exactly what is being said I can usually follow the general line of the discussion.
As a younger man, I played both hurling and football. I like looking at programmes like ‘Reeling in the Years’. I also like nostalgic programmes in which the way of life in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s are portrayed and brought to life for both older and younger viewers.
Naturally, as a former player, I love watching the highlights of hurling and football games from the past. When programmes such as ‘Up for the Match’ are shown in advance of the all-Ireland finals, I always enjoy looking at the highlight clips from years gone by. The memory that stands out most for me is not, however, an historic goal or a match winning point: the memory that stands out, head and shoulders above all the rest, me is the post-match presentation speech that Joe Connolly made following Galway’s historic hurling final win in 1980.
What made that speech so great for me was the passionate way in which a young Galway man portrayed his love for hurling and his native language and the way in which, through his use of Irish, he reached out not only to the people of County Galway, but to the Irish diaspora across the world. To this day, when I hear that speech replayed, it stirs something deep within me.
Well, that is enough of the nostalgia. As I have already said, I have always had an interest in the Irish language. I am retired since 2023 so I have a bit more time on my hands these days. For quite some time, I have been threatening to start attending Irish Language Meet Ups or ‘Ciorcal Comhrá’ as they are more commonly referred to. For a long time, rather than actually following my instincts, I kept making excuses for myself. The following are only some of the excuses that I came up with: I have not enough vocabulary. I won’t be able to participate. I will make a fool of myself. People will laugh at me. Well, I finally ran out of excuses and I took my first real step. I went to an Irish Class in Áras an Mhuilinn. For those who do not already know it, Áras an Mhuilinn is next door to the Mullingar Arts Centre. I had contacted the office to check what classes were available. The person I spoke to could not have been any more patient, understanding or encouraging. I was told to come along to any of the available classes without having to make any commitment. I felt at ease while I was speaking to the person on the phone, but I can assure you that as I entered the building to attend my first class, I was nervous and even a bit reluctant.
Now, having attended classes, I can say without a shadow of doubt that I should have gone so long ago. I am far from fluent and in fact I can barely put a few words together that might form a sentence. Sometimes, when I am trying to put a sentence together, I struggle to recall even simple words and phrases that are stored deep in my memory. For the last few weeks, I have been using the Duolingo App on my phone to brush up on my vocabulary. I am gradually finding that more and more of the words that I learned 50 years ago are gradually coming back to me.
At Áras an Mhuilinn, tailored classes are available for people of all levels of fluency, from complete novices to people who can comfortably take part in a conversation. You need have no fear. There will be people who are less fluent than you and those who are more fluent will give you lots of help and encouragement.
There were about 20 people at the class that I attended. Within the group there were varying levels of ability but the common denominators were that no one was being judgemental and everybody was anxious to give everybody else assistance and encouragement. I have to say that I really enjoyed the experience and for that reason I would like to encourage others who might be even slightly interested to give it a go.
I suspect that very many people of all ages would like to be able to use their ‘Cúpla Focail’. If you are one of those people, please do not ignore your inner promptings any longer. If you do not feel confident enough to go to a class then please feel free to contact me to discuss how you might be able to improve and use the ‘Cúpla Focail’ that you have.
I’m from Mullingar and I am reasonably well known, so if you ask around, you will probably be able to get my contact Details. Alternatively, you can send an email to: eolas@arasanmhuilinn.ie Someone will get back to you to discuss your options and to let you know about upcoming events and opportunities.
A h-Eagarthoir,
Ni bhfuil mo Gaeilge chomh maith agus a bhfearr liom. Thosaigh mé ag dul chuig ranganna Gaeilge le déanai chun mo ‘ Cúpla Focail’ a fheabhsú. Ceapaim féin go bhfuil suim, mar atá agam, ag a lán daoine inár cheanntar.
Ta ‘Seachtain na Gaeilge’ ag teacht agus ba mhaith liom spreagadh a thabhairt chuig gach duine chun ár theanga aoibhinn a úsáid comh minic agus is féidir leo.
Chuir sé ionadh mó orm nuair a bhfaca mé go raibh suim cosúil le mo suim féin sa teanga ag an oiread sin daoine. Ba mhaith liom go háraithe spreagadh a thabhairt chuig níos mó daoine agus is féidir chun an t-ábhar seo a phlé lena mbaill teaghlaigh agus a chairde.
Tá mo litir trí Bhéarla chuig an Eagarthóir thuas. Léigh é agus phlé e, le do thoil.
- Gerry Gillen.
Seachtain na Gaeilge is coming… release the Gaeilge
Dust off the copybook. Wake up the verbs. It’s time to let the Irish flow. A special Irish language course is bursting into life in Áras an Mhuilinn to get everyone battle-ready for Seachtain na Gaeilge (March 1–17). It’s a warm-up before the nation collectively decides, ‘Right. We’re fluent now’.
Whether you’re rocking a powerful cúpla focal or your Irish currently consists of ‘An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas?’, you are welcome. This is all about confidence, craic, and courage. No judgment. No grammar panic. For two glorious weeks, the world will be going Gaeilge mad. Social media bilingual. Radio presenters rolling their Rs. Shop counters ringing with ‘Go raibh maith agat’. Kitchen tables debating whether it’s ‘ar’ or ‘ag’. Strong, shaky, or somewhere in between… everyone’s cúpla focal counts.
Get Seachtain-ready and join the fun. Give Áras an Mhuilinn a call and Stephen will steer you through the levels and supports (and reassure you that yes, your Irish is better than you think). Office hours: 044 933 0644. Let’s bring the language back into our voices, our laughter, and maybe even our WhatsApp groups. Beidh muid ag caint – agus ag gáire.
A festival of Irish – Seachtain na Gaeilge, March 1-17
Seachtain na Gaeilge runs from March 1 to March 17 every year. It is an international Irish language festival and one of the biggest celebrations of the native language and culture in Ireland and in other countries.
The festival gives an opportunity to everyone to enjoy Irish, whether you are a fluent speaker, learner or have a cúpla focal, with a calendar of entertaining and fun events for every type of interest and every age group.
Voluntary and community groups, local authorities, schools, libraries, and music, sports, arts and culture organisations organise events for Seachtain na Gaeilge in their local area. Irish is for everyone, Seachtain na Gaeilge is for everyone – Bain Triail Aisti – Surprise Yourself!
Conor Curley of Fontaines D.C. is an ambassador for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2026: “I learned Irish in school and, similar to a lot of people, I fell away from the language for a while. But I am making my way back to it now, which is the main thing; that it’s never too late to open that door again.”
Róisín Seoighe, IMLÉ, is an ambassador for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2026: “Irish isn’t static for me; it’s a language that grows with you. It’s rooted in tradition, but it finds its own voice in music and in modern life.” • snag.ie/en