Irish is for Everyone: The Neglect of the Irish Language by QUB

By Conor McKernan 

A language is defined as “the principal method of human communication” by the Oxford Dictionary — however, the native language of this island is often characterised in a more polarising manner, even by Queen’s University. 

Queen’s has an interesting relationship with the Irish language, simultaneously facilitating education through the medium of Irish, whilst also being at odds with the rights that those who speak Irish rightly deserve. Historically, Queen’s has introduced minimal measures only when pressured to promote the native language of this island. In the late 80s, the Students’ Union voted to introduce minimal bilingual signs in the Union; however, these signs were later removed in 1997 as Unionist students objected to the University preserving and promoting our precious language [1]. 

There is an age-old debate around the Irish language, with many hiding their bigotry behind the argument that Irish is used as a tool of political subterfuge, or as a stick to beat individuals who do not align with the community that has traditionally upheld the language. They could not be further from the truth.  

“Tá Gaeilge agam” (I speak Irish) is often seen as a political statement when spoken aloud, particularly in the polarised age in which we live. 

A language is merely a tool, to be used by anyone for any communication. To assert that one can somehow commandeer an entire language to further any political ideology is laughable, and clearly not the case with Irish. In fact, throughout the history of Irish, some of its fiercest defenders were from the Protestant/Unionist community, with the Presbyterian General Assembly describing Irish as “our sweet and memorable mother tongue” in 1833 [2].  

In the North, one of the largest growing populations of Gaeilgeoirí (Irish-speakers) is from the traditional PUL (Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist) community through the outstanding work done by Túras, under the sterling leadership of Linda Ervine MBE. Túras is self-described as “an Irish language project which aims to connect people from Protestant communities to their own history with the Irish language” [3]. 

I have attended classes at Túras where the vast majority of students were from the PUL community. It was the only time that, as a Gaeilgeoir, I had engaged with members from the other traditional community group in the North – and it was one of the most interesting and encouraging experiences I have ever had. The presence of different communities in these classes shows that you do not have to surrender who you are to engage with those who view the world differently. 

Languages are never inherently political; we should not allow others to inject poisonous politics into them. 

Túras promotes simply a love for the Irish language, highlighting its beauty and the deep knowledge it gives us about the island we live on, sharing great insights about our past and society.  

The Irish language is for everyone – even Queen’s University Belfast. Although Queen’s has made small efforts to preserve and acknowledge Irish, they remain completely out of step with wider society. When you walk the buildings of Ulster University, you will see posters and signs in multiple different languages, including Irish. 

When you walk the buildings of Queen’s, you will see no such open signs of acceptance of our native language. It seems contradictory that the self-acclaimed leading university in NI is ambivalent and unsupportive of one of our greatest cultural assets: our language.  

Ask yourself: what is the role of an academic institution — to bend to political pressure, or to preserve knowledge? 

In this divided society, we inject our intractable disagreements into almost every issue, and Queen’s is no different. A university should not be a political entity, and as students, we should not allow it to be so.  

The recent protests over the lack of dual signage in the newly opened Grand Central Station sadly show that Queen’s is not the only institution that neglects Irish. However, the resurgence of interest in the language is evident through the successes of Irish language projects such as the satirical Kneecap movie and the moving An Cailín Ciúin. 

Queen’s would be prudent to wise up and start to show more support for Irish – even if it were to simply show small visual displays of the language.  

Like many in previous generations, Queen’s eyes are firmly cemented on the past. We must look to the future of the Irish language — one where anyone who wants to learn is given the opportunity, and where institutions respect and help to preserve this precious language. 

I would hope that Queen’s would lead the charge into the future, rather than being dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the past. Society is changing, and we must change with it — Queen’s most of all.  

Remember: the Irish language is for everyone — even Queen’s University Belfast.

Sources:

[1] “Queen’s University Drops Irish Signs.” 2022. RTÉ Archives, July. https://www.rte.ie/archives/2022/0722/1311680-queens-university-drops-irish-signs/ 

[2] Savage, Joanne. 2021. “LINDA ERVINE: ‘the Irish Language Is an Important Part of Protestant Heritage.’” Belfast News Letter. July 27, 2021. https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/people/the-unionist-gaeilgeoir-3320839. 

[3]“Turas – East Belfast Mission.” 2024. East Belfast Mission. September 25, 2024. https://ebm.org.uk/turas/.