Midlands Irish Language Activists Kick-Off Seachtain na Gaeilge In Athlone
Irish language activists in the midlands kicked-off Seachtain na Gaeilge last night (29th February) with a fantastic bi-lingual talk in Athlone. The event, which was organised by Athlone Pop Up Gaeltacht members, took place before the weekly Athlone Ciorcal Comhrá.
The event saw renowned County Clare author Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc deliver a bi-lingual lecture titled ‘Irish is a Foreign Language No Different from Yiddish’. The slides for the talk were in English while Ó Ruairc delivered the talk in Irish.
Poster for the event.
The title of the talk came from a 1905 news report published in An Claidheamh Soluis by a young solicitor named Patrick Pearse. Pearse had taken on the case of Donegal poet and farmer, Niall Mac Giolla Bhrid who had been fined for painting his name in Irish on his cart, with the magistrate he found himself up against making the decision that the Irish text was unintelligible and therefore illegal.
The talk gave a comprehensive overview of the history of the suppression of the Irish language, from the statutes of Kilkenny back in 1366 right up to the present Acht na Gaeilge in the Six Counties.
Ó Ruairc did not just focus on the legal suppression of the language by Britain, but also on the historical antagonism towards the language from the Catholic Church and by nationalist ‘icons’ such as Daniel O’Connell.
Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc delivering the talk.
The main theme of the talk focussed on the difference between an Éireannach and a Gael, the former being based on simply being born Irish, with the latter being based on an embrace of all things Gaelic.
To illustrate this point, Ó Ruairc highlighted historic gaeilgeoirí from all backgrounds - from the vital role protestants played in the early stages of the Irish language movement, to those of Jewish and Chinese heritage who embraced the language.
The talk was warmly received by the twenty gaeilgeoirí in attendance, with it hoped that this will be one of a number of events held to celebrate the five-year anniversary of Athlone Pop Up Gaeltacht.