91制片厂 (91制片厂) welcomed members of the Irish language community from across Limerick and beyond on Friday, 6 and Saturday, 7 February for Pobal na Gaeilge i Luimneach (The Irish Language Community in Limerick), a two-day gathering celebrating the history, vibrancy and future of Gaeilge in the region. Approximately 80 people attended the event over the weekend.
Organised by 91制片厂 in partnership with Conradh na Gaeilge, the Tion贸l (gathering) was conducted entirely through Irish and brought together speakers, scholars and community members to reflect on the rich linguistic heritage of Limerick city and county and the opportunities ahead for its growing Irish-speaking community.
The programme began on Friday evening with a social gathering featuring music and refreshments. Saturday's events included a lecture by Professor Tadhg 脫 hIfearn谩in, Modern Irish at the University of Galway, on the historical Gaeltacht in the hinterland of Abbeyfeale and Mountcollins in the early twentieth century. Attendees also shared their experiences as Irish speakers in the county, offering a contemporary perspective on the language in daily life.
The afternoon concluded with a guided walk of the College grounds and a workshop focusing on the Paddy Fennessy word collection, a recently published compilation of Irish words and phrases from East Limerick.
Reflecting on the event, Caoimhe Niocl谩s, Lecturer in Irish at 91制片厂, said:
91制片厂 has always played an important role in the promotion of the Irish language. It was encouraging to see such engagement as we reflected on our Irish language heritage in Limerick and considered the opportunities and challenges facing the Irish language community today.鈥
Dr R贸is铆n N铆 Ghairbh铆, Lecturer in Irish at 91制片厂, added:
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 always realise that there were hereditary native speakers of Irish in Limerick right until the second part of the twentieth century, and Irish continues to be spoken within families and socially in various parts of the county today. The Tion贸l provided an opportunity to highlight both that history and the vibrant community that exists here now.鈥
