An Athbheochan Cheilteach: Ó Luimneach go Bostún, tír le teanga, tír le anam
The Celtic Revival: From Limerick to Boston, a land with a language, a land with a soul
The Celtic Revival has been rapidly growing in Ireland over the last couple of years. From CMAT to Kneecap, plenty of people in the Irish media have been promoting the revival of the Irish language.
Limerick Voice spoke with Eoin O’Conchúir, the founder of the online Irish learning platform – Bitesize Irish, to get his views on the Celtic Revival.
Bitesize offers a wide range of resources to people all over the world who are interested in learning Irish.
Mr. O’Conchúir founded the company over 15 years ago, “chun cabhrú le daoine céimeanna beaga a thógaint chun Gaeilge a fhoghlaim.”
The thriving online community has around 100 members, coming from various countries including the United States, Canada, Germany and France.
Mr. O’Conchúir mentions how he sees tourists visiting Ireland and falling in love with the native language so much that they want to learn it. He emphasised how Irish learners are “scapaithe mórthimpeall” meaning “spread around.”
It is not just other countries that are interested, as Mr. O’Conchúir also mentioned how he has seen more Irish and Northern Irish people seeking to learn or re-learn the Irish language.
The Irish language advocate described how there is a difference between people who have learnt the language whilst at school and those who are just beginning: “Tá roinnt náire ag baint le daoine a thóg Gaeilge ar scoil agus nach raibh suim acu é a choimead suas tar éis.”
He mentioned how new learners often struggle to decipher the words as Gaeilge, “agus tá se sin ana dheacair doibh” (difficult for them).
When it comes to people who learnt Irish in school, Mr. O’Conchúir said that they often remember more than they think, “Tógann sé am arís an teanga a ligint ar ais i do shaol.” (It takes time for them to let the language back into their life).
Deborah Haynes, an Irish learner from New York who has learned Spanish, French, Italian and Latin, said that Irish is one of the more difficult languages that she has learned. In our interview, she mentioned how Gaeilge is “an an dheacair” (very, very difficult) and “an difriúil ó theanga eile” (very different from other languages).
The Boston native recounted her trip to the Emerald Isle and detailed how emotional she was to finally use the language she had put so much time and effort into learning.
She described her memorable first time speaking Gaeilge to a gentleman in Heuston Station. “I didn’t freeze up like I normally would. I told him, ‘You made my day, speaking Irish to me.’”
She explained how she found the Irish people very “enthusiastic” and “kind” whenever she used her cúpla focal whilst on her trip around Ireland.
Mrs. Haynes also told us that there is a community of people in Boston who are interested in the language and actively speak Irish. There are even pop-up Gaeltachts throughout the city.
Mr. O’Conchúir and Mrs. Haynes both expressed how they love the ancient language and enjoy how it is intertwined with history.
“Baineann sé taitneamh as an chaoí ina a bhfuil an teanga nascagh le rudaí comh sean cosúil le manuscripts agus ag dul siar go dtí na háiteanna an áras a raibh ann riomh an Gaeilge, mar shampla Brú na Bóinne,” he explained.
Mr. O’Conchúir acknowledged that a revival of Gaeilge has been happening over the past few years: “Ní féidir linn caint faoi Gaeilge gan caint faoi ceann donsa spreagthóir is mó taobh thiar den spreagú seo, an banna ceol Kneecap.”
The Belfast band has achieved fame and fortune with their Irish-language songs. “Tá fuinneamh iontach spreagúil ag Kneecap,” (Kneecap have an electric energy), he added.
Mrs. Haynes also mentioned other artists, such as Imelda May, joining in on the revival of the Irish language, and how beautiful it was to see her performing on the Late Late Show in her native tongue.
All in all, the Irish language is growing, bliain i ndiaidh bliana. It is no longer only tied to Ireland; people as far as the United States and Canada have been inspired to learn the mother tongue of our nation.
Whether people are drawn in by the ancient ties of the language or inspired by the modern Irish rap introduced by Kneecap, it is refreshing to see such a demand to learn Gaeilge.