Special programme for Irish Language Week

Special programme for Irish Language Week

5 March 2025

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council is once again celebrating Irish Language Week through a special programme of projects and events which began last Saturday and run until March 17.

Seachtain na Gaeilge is the largest Irish Language festival in the world celebrating the native language and heritage of Ireland, with great events taking place across different countries every year.

The local authority is running a number of initiatives to mark the festival, including ‘Scoileanna Coille’, a nature, music and art workshop scheme in local primary schools. There will also be a careers fair aimed at secondary school pupils and an Irish language training course for council staff.

In addition, the festival will also see the launch of the Irish Language Bursary Scheme that helps children and adult learners to attend Irish Language and Gaeltacht courses.

It’s hoped that people will be encouraged to use and learn the Irish language and enjoy it as a valuable part of cultural heritage. 

Council chairman, Pete Byrne, said the local authority is happy to help the Irish speaking community and support its efforts to strengthen Irish language in the district. 

“Seachtain na Gaeilge encourages us all to use our cúpla focal and to celebrate Irish culture,” he continued.

“No matter where you are on your learning journey, or if you have no Irish at all, Seachtain na Gaeilge is a great opportunity to learn about the Irish language and the Irish speaking community, and I encourage everyone to take part in this special festival.”

Key activities include Nature, Music and Art Workshops (Scoileanna Coille) with the council 

providing art and music workshops for children in Irish-medium primary schools.

The workshops are based on ‘Scoil Choille’ — a new 12-part video series recently launched on TG4 Foghlaim that will captivate children aged between five and 9 with the beauty of the natural world. 

This delightful series is produced by Corcra Media Teo and presented by Frainc Mac Cionnaith, Gráinne Holland and their children Naoise and Síomha, taking viewers on a journey through the seasons of the year, revealing the hidden treasures of the forest. 

During Seachtain na Gaeilge 2025, Gráinne will bring the joy of this series into schools to celebrate nature, art, music and the Irish language itself.

The careers fair is being organised in Castlewellan’s St Malachy’s High School, with the event aimed at Year 9 and 10 students and is expected that around 200 will attend.

Cumann na bhFiann will provide activities and games and there will be information stands, guest speakers and representatives from various organisations and groups including BBC Gaeilge, TG4, Irish Language Broadcasting Fund, Raidió Fáilte, Foras na Gaeilge, Ulster University, Meon Eile and other community-based groups. 

The aim of the event is to showcase employment opportunities and the range of Irish language careers available to students.

The professional training course for local authority staff is designed to provide them with basic Irish language skills. 

By learning basic Irish language skills, employees can confidently deal with customers and the organisation’s internal communications, with the course designed in partnership with Ulster University and reflects the local council’s commitment to creating an internal training pathway for Irish. 

Sixteen members of staff are currently taking part in this six-week course which will culminate during Seachtain na Gaeilge. Certificates will be awarded to the cohort at an internal event in Downpatrick at the beginning of March.

In recent years, the local authority has been creating video content for the community which is shared on its YouTube channel and social media. Now an online archive of video content is available for the community to enjoy.

Videos shared on the YouTube channel include series such as ‘Spreagadh’ and ‘Abair seo liom’ which highlight enjoyable primary school projects while ‘Dochreidte’ is a special animation project, with ’Ar Leac an Dorais Agat’ focusing on place names in the area.

And ‘Dúchas is Dóchas’ celebrates the musical and cultural talents of the local community and many more. To access the Irish language video content visit: www.youtube.com/@newrymournedowndistrictcouncil

The Irish Language Bursary Scheme opens next Monday, March 10 at midday and for more information and to apply visit www.newrymournedown.org/ssng with more info on Seachtain na Gaeilge available at www.newrymournedown.org/snag.

Irish language groups and individuals around the world are organising their own events, many of which will be available online with the Down and Oriel Irish Language Community Forum  Fóram an Dúin & Oirialla) keeping people informed via facebook.com/Fóram-an-Dúin-Oirialla regarding online events and other resources during Seachtain na Gaeilge and throughout the year.