Join us for a chat about the revival of Irish in Gaeltacht an Eachréidh at the St Patrick’s Festival celebrations in Claregalway tomorrow.

For the second year in a row, a local committee in Claregalway have organised a day of celebration for St. Patrick’s Day at the car park behind SuperValu.

They are aiming to honour the heritage and language of a village where Irish was widely spoken until relatively recent years and to keep spoken Irish as a vibrant part of the festival.

Children will take part in a bilingual treasure hunt and there will be Irish music on the main stage.

Gaeltacht an Eachréidh will have a stand at the festival.

Come along to meet people who regularly attend our ‘ciorcal comhrá’, to talk to the people behind the ‘naionrai’ who provide pre-school education through Irish, and to hear about an exciting activity course ‘as Gaeilge’ at the Galway Bay Sailing Club in June.

Our expert Irish speakers will also be able to give a little help to children who are participating in the ‘tóiríocht taisce’ (the bilingual treasure hunt at the festival).

The cultural programming will include:

  • An Príomhstáitse (Éire Óg):Our main stage promoting Irish culture through local schools and groups like Comhaltas.
  • An Cúinne Oidhreachta (Irish Heritage Corner): Showcasing traditional crafts like woodturning and weaving.
  • Bilingual Atmosphere: Building on last year’s 50/50 bilingual treasure hunt, we aim to be as bilingual as possible.

Please pop down to say hello, to register for our newsletter, and to talk about the efforts our small committee are making to revive Irish in the community.

You can also learn about the ‘ciorcal comhrá’ at The Arches Hotel and the Galway GAA Centre in Loughgeorge and our plans for a new term of Irish language classes for adults at The Arches Hotel before the summer.

The festival will take place from 12 noon until 3.30pm on Tuesday, March 17.

Pop over and tell us about your Irish language adventure!