An Irish-language group in New York is hosting regular conversation evenings in a bid to promote the Irish language among Irish and Irish-American communities in the US.
GAELTACHT NYC, founded in June 2023 by actor John R. Howley, has held 18 pop-up Irish-language conversation groups across the city, with ten more set to take place before the end of the year.
Howley said the pop-up conversations are open to people of all levels of fluency and backgrounds, with each pop-up drawing crowds of up to 35 people.
He added that the group prides itself on its diversity and said the pop-up events promote a fun way to learn and preserve the Irish language.
Howley said he grew up in a distinctly Irish-American household and "fell in love with the Irish language" because he associated it with driving with his father and listening to Clannad.
However, he noted that many people who grew up in Ireland have a less positive relationship with the Irish language because of how it is taught in schools and said the pop-up events help to make learning Irish fun.
"I knew that if I and the people I was around were going to keep going with Irish, we needed to imbue fun into it," Howley said. "So, I didn't want to keep studying it in isolation or in a purely academic sense and I just started this group so that we can all have fun while studying."
He said he also founded GAELTACHT NYC so that Irish-language speakers and those interested in Irish culture could feel "as if we were living close to a Gaeltacht".
"It's open for everyone. It's a group for everyone of all levels and the great thing about the group is that we have a ton of native speakers and people for whom Irish is their first language who love coming to the group because they get to speak in a language in which they think, in which they feel most comfortable.
"That's a really rewarding and exciting part of the group because it really adds to the authenticity and also challenges other people's Irish."
He said the pop-ups can also help Irish people living in the US feel a connection to their homeland, adding that there is a huge social element to the events.
"They're like social and convivial networking events," Howley said. "Personally I've started numerous friendships from the pop-ups. Not only friendships, but best friendships".
Howley has also hosted a radio show through Irish on WKCR 89.9 FM NY since 2021 in a separate bid to promote the Irish language in New York City.
He said the Irish language was the victim of a "devastating linguicide" and said it was imperative to remind people of its importance.
"It's a beautiful language with an innate and gorgeous philosophy that's meant to be spoken and that's meant to develop connections with people.
"I think it's important to reinvest in that," he added. "It's a language that is distinct from English and it's a language that a lot of amazing people speak across the world and it's worth saving."
Since its foundation, GAELTACHT NYC has partnered with several Irish cultural organizations to promote the Irish language, including The Aisling Center, Conradh na Gaeilge Brooklyn, Teeling Irish Whiskey, and The Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance. It has also collaborated with Irish bars in the city to host its pop-up events, regularly collaborating with Paddy Reilly's Music Bar.
For more information about the pop-up conversations, click here.
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