Hundreds of Thousands of People Engage with Gaelchultúr’s Latest Video Campaign

International language festival Seachtain na Gaeilge (1 – 17 March) may have come to an end for another year, but the Irish language and its community continue to flourish. This was the message we wanted to convey in the video miniseries #TurasTeangaGaeilge we developed in celebration of the festival through Gaelchultúr’s social media accounts. The Irish language is too often viewed merely as school subject and rarely gets the full recognition it deserves as a living, vibrant means of communication that is the backbone of a thriving international community. Throughout this inspiring series we invited viewers to engage with and learn more about the Irish language’s dynamic community.

We asked familiar faces in the media to join us in creating a short video of themselves describing their Irish-language learning journey. 11 people took part in the campaign which was shared across Gaelchultúr’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts during Seachtain na Gaeilge.

The Irish-language community is thriving both on a national and international level and Gaelchultúr was delighted to connect with this energetic community through the campaign. The campaign attracted hundreds of thousands of people and over 158K people watched the different videos that were shared during the festivities! The featured guests’ inspiring stories attracted a global audience.

It’s with great pride that Gaelchultúr nurtures the international community of Irish-language speakers through the online and face-to-face Irish-language courses we provide. This miniseries was a great opportunity to strengthen that relationship and promote the Irish language to its ever-evolving virtual community.

But who exactly engaged with the campaign and where can those with a passion for the language be found? Well, needless to say, the people of Ireland and our neighbours in the United Kingdom were particularly interested in the videos. In recent years, the team at Gaelchultúr has also seen an increase in the number of people in Germany, France and Spain who are interested in the language. This increase encouraged us to run online courses allowing participants to learn Irish through German, French and Spanish. These pioneering courses are going from strength to strength, and it is clear from the number of people in those countries who took part in the video campaign that the Irish-speaking community in those countries is flourishing as well. It didn't surprise us either that the campaign aroused a lot of interest in viewers based in America and Canada, given the particular affection of people in North America for the Irish language. Our insights on social media also show that the miniseries was a hit in Australia, Brazil, Italy and Switzerland.

Among those who took part in the campaign were TV presenter John Sharpson, radio and TV broadcaster Kayte O'Malley, social media influencer Éadaoin Fitzmaurice and many others. The series highlights the steps the participants took to acquire an advanced command of the language and the opportunities that arose for them as a result.

In addition to all the inspiring Irish speakers who took part in celebrating the Irish language with us during Seachtain na Gaeilge, there was one celebrity who surprised even the Gaelchultúr team! During Seachtain na Gaeilge, one of the college’s team members met none other than Pierce Brosnan while he was on holiday in Na Dúnaibh, a Gaeltacht village on the Ros Goill peninsula in County Donegal, and it warmed our hearts to see him get into the spirit of things with cúpla focal.

If you’d like to set off on your very own Irish-language learning journey, join us on one of the wide range of Irish courses we offer.