Pop-Up Gaeltacht's have taken the country by storm over the last year and a half. We've all spent time learning Irish. Our youth was filled with 'An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí and leithreas, más é do thoil é?' and 'Gurbh míle maith agat'. But for a lot of people, once you leave the education system in which Irish is compulsory, it becomes harder to speak Irish on a day-to-day basis. Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh and Osgur Ó Ciardha have had a genius idea to get young people speaking Irish again in a comfortable 'non-judging-of-grammar' kind of way.
#PopUpGaeltacht - Baile Átha Cliath
31.08.17 || 20.00 || @pipers_corner https://t.co/JB6tO9BMpG pic.twitter.com/oQzcHF0LSG— Pop Up Gaeltacht (@popupgael) August 21, 2017
On November 24th 2016 the first Pop-Up Gaeltacht was formed. What exactly is a Pop-Up Gaeltacht you ask? Simply put, it is a social gathering where pints are drank and Irish is spoken. At the first Pop-Up, the pub ended up being so plódaithe le daoine that people were standing outside. Since then there has been Pop-Up Gaeltachts all over the country and the world including, Dubai, New York, Hong Kong. Its incredible what a few pints can do!
Is libh an chathair.#PopUpGaeltacht pic.twitter.com/oAU2KaCsms
— Pop Up Gaeltacht (@popupgael) October 26, 2017
There is no specific 'organisation' as such. A venue is picked, a facebook event is made and people attend. Simple but so effective. It's incredible to see such a huge mass of people gathering to speak our native language in such a relaxed social environment. Just goes to show there is no truth behind the saying "the Irish language is a dead language".
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The next Pop-Up is actually this week in Dublin's O'Connells Bar. You can find more information on the event here. Even if you only have cúpla focal, head to O'Connells for a few scúps and a bit of craic!
