A group of parishioners at St Oliver Plunkett Parish in Lenadoon have come together to try to increase the use the use of Irish throughout the parish. Using the name Teanga Beo, – Living language – the group aim to make Irish just that: a living language within the parish.
The group includes people of all ages with varying standards of Irish.
They are starting off with learning (or in some cases re-learning) prayers in Irish and will also be looking at putting on bilingual and Irish language Masses as well as increasing the amount of Irish in parish literature.
Teanga Beo meets every Wednesday at 12.30pm in St Oliver Plunkett presbytery and is open to all.
“Teanga Beo is a great example of Irish speakers coming together locally to increase the use of the language in their own area,” said Glen Phillips, Parish Manager at St Oliver Plunkett. “It is very much a bottom-up approach to promoting the language.
“A generation ago, almost everyone in this area knew a few prayers in Irish. Sadly that is not the case now, but we hope Teanga Beo will re-introduce the beauty of praying as Gaeilge to a new generation.
“There has been a very positive response to the increased amount of Irish seen in our parish, whether in the bulletin, on our notice boards, in the Féile lectures or in our parish life in general. We aim to continue increasing the amount of Irish seen around the parish to ensure it remains a living and vibrant language.”
For more information, or if you wish to come along every Wednesday, contact Glen Phillips on 028 9061 8180 or glen@stolivers.org
