Scríofa ag Tara Ní Mheachair
The desire to learn and speak the Irish language has never been stronger. I am an avowed lover of the language and its history, and I believe that keeping it alive should be a duty of all of us to nurture it and make sure it flourishes into more than an "exam subject." Irish wasn't spoken in my house growing up; during primary school, it was just another subject, and it wasn't until Transition Year that my perspective on it changed.
I began looking at it as a part of my culture rather than an exam, and ironically, my exam results increased massively because of it. I pursued it as a subject in college and was more than thrilled to graduate with honours. But sadly, I could probably count how many times I've engaged in a cómhra since. I'm embarrassed by it, to tell you the truth. One of my New Year's resolutions at the beginning of 2024 was to incorporate it back into my life regularly. Still, it was a resolution I neglected until recently when I came across Anam Teanga on Instagram.
Anam Teanga is the brainchild of Emer Conolly from Carrigaline and Mj Williams from West Cork, which was created to promote and spread the use of the Irish language and its history in the everyday world through a more contemporary approach.
Connolly, a past pupil of Gaelscoil Carrig Ui Leighinn, brought her love of the language through secondary school and college. She always had an appreciation for her native tongue. Still, after living and working in Brazil and Spain and being exposed to their respective languages, her appreciation festered into something more, a longing to speak Irish more frequently.
Having returned home and spoken to MJ, who also grew up speaking Irish, the pair looked into local circle comhrá in the area. When days and times didn't suit them, they decided to create their own organisation that would encourage Irish and celebrate its history but with a modern twist.
Instead of a traditional setting where people sit around a table engaging in conversation, they wanted to add an activity element that would get people ag caint as Gaeilge in a new and more exciting way that was encouraging and non-judgemental.
Emer explained how people with lower levels of Irish can feel embarrassed and are too afraid to speak in front of others for fear of making mistakes. "There was no pressure to speak fluent Irish. You could speak broken Irish. You could speak English as long as you were there just to feel a bit closer to the language and our history."
They held their first social event upstairs in the Liberty Bar in Cork City, which was intended for only 20 people. However, as word spread and interest grew, they moved it downstairs to accommodate the larger numbers.
The event featured poetry and stories, and co-founder MJ shared her family's history with the language, how her grandparents were banned from speaking as Gaeilge, how her mother was taught the language in secret, and how Irish has been ingrained in her since she was a child.
Emer and MJ were overwhelmed with the support on the night. As news of the event spread on social media, they were contacted by people from Galway and Belfast looking to establish something similar.
Their most recent event was a yoga class followed by a sauna and cold plunge session in the newly built Hidden Sauna Retreat and Wellness Centre in East Cork. The yoga class was headed by Yoga teacher Siobhan Meehan (@simee.yoga on Instagram), who guided the class through various poses idir Bearla agus Gaeilge.
The way Irish is taught in schools is criticised by the lion's share, and Emer believes that for the language to prosper, the curriculum needs to be revisited.
"It needs to be completely overhauled. I think it needs to be based on your oral capabilities and less on learning off poetry and these facts about a story. I think it needs to be really conversation-based and kind of forge a connection between people because that's what languages do. Growing up in a gaelscoil, learning Irish was based on talking to people day-to-day in the classroom. It's very natural," Emer told The Carrigdhoun.
She acknowledged that not every school can be a gaelscoil or gaelcholaiste, but teaching it through more contemporary methods will make it more organic for people to pick it up.
A question she gets asked a lot is, "I want to learn Irish, but I don't know how or where?" IrishWithMollie on Instagram is a great learning resource for beginners, and she suggested exposing yourself to modern Irish film and screen productions. Cailín Ciún is a great example," she explained.
The Irish language is now being proudly paraded across various means of media in a way that wasn't thought possible a decade ago.
There has also been a surge of content creators on TikTok's social media platform, creating 'Day in the Lives' and 'Get Ready with Me' entirely as Gaeilge. @Seanohaodha1, @grawwww, agus @thegaeilgegal are three of many creators putting their native language at the forefront of their content.
The music group turned award-winning filmmakers KNEECAP will hopefully bring the Irish language to the Oscars. Its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Caireallain and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, who are known more commonly by their stage names Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, respectively, are pioneers in making Irish cool again. They were recently shortlisted for two Academy Award nominations.
Hector Ó hEochagáin Irish Words You Should Know: And How to Use Them Every Day". Hector tells the stories about Irish words in a way that will give you a new perspective on the land, the weather, relationships, feelings, and even the body. Even rain is wetter in Irish! The book is sitting pretty at the top of the Irish charts, symbolising the growing popularity of books as Gaelige.
As the demand for the Irish language continues to grow, initiatives like Anam Teanga are vital in ensuring that the language is accessible, enjoyable, and relevant to all. To find out more, you can follow Anam Teanga on instagram, @anamteanga.
Comments