0:00:05 > 0:00:08ROCK MUSIC
0:00:08 > 0:00:12FM and medium wave. This is BBC Radio Ulster.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Thank you, Kim. A very good morning to you. It's half past eight.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16This week for the...
0:00:16 > 0:00:20'I'm William Crawley, BBC journalist and broadcaster.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'I talk for a living so it's little wonder I'm interested in language.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'But recently I've become fascinated by Irish.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:35In Northern Ireland, it's a language that can inspire, provoke,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39offend and motivate, all in one turn of phrase.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45'I was born and raised a Protestant in North Belfast,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49'so learning Irish is something I didn't think I would ever do.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'But times are changing, and I've decided I want to give it a go.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:56THEY SPEAK IRISH
0:00:58 > 0:01:01'In this programme, I'm not just going to learn the language,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'I'm going to learn about the language.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I'll meet with those who feel that the politics surrounding
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Irish is a thing of the past and no longer a barrier to engagement.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14This is my language,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17and nobody from either community is going to tell me anything different.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19This belongs to me.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21WOMAN SPEAKS IRISH
0:01:21 > 0:01:24'I'll spend a week immersed in Irish classes in the Gaeltacht
0:01:24 > 0:01:26'in County Donegal.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:31It is doing my head in. I just...
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I can't take any more Irish.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38In Dublin, I'll explore how the south of Ireland has
0:01:38 > 0:01:40a love-hate relationship with the language.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I think it's an integral part of being Irish.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48It's one of the few unique things we have.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51We need to have languages that we can communicate with
0:01:51 > 0:01:53the rest of Europe, with the rest of the world.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55We need to be speaking Chinese now.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59'And at the end of it all, I'm going to try
0:01:59 > 0:02:03'and co-present BBC Radio Ulster's Irish Language programme - Blas.'
0:02:06 > 0:02:09It's ridiculous, it's ludicrous. You shouldn't even attempt this.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11This is not the way to learn a language.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13'But have I set myself a challenge too far?'
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Right, William, here it comes. How are you feeling? I've felt better.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33It's July 2012. Time for my first proper lesson.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:02:36 > 0:02:37Oh, get in. Don't even start.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44This is what's in front of you. Yes.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46What's this? Are you ready to give this a go?
0:02:46 > 0:02:47HE LAUGHS
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Well, let's get coffee. Not a bad idea.
0:02:50 > 0:02:51'Daithi O Muiri is a good friend of mine
0:02:51 > 0:02:55'who happens to be fluent in Irish, so he'll be my personal tutor.'
0:02:56 > 0:02:58What is coffee in Irish? Caife. That I can do.
0:02:58 > 0:02:59HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:03:02 > 0:03:05So... You ready to start this?
0:03:05 > 0:03:06I am.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Sort of. Do you realise what's in front of you?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Well, it looks like a small library, for a start.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16That's a very small section of it.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18But these are some of the most important books that you'll use.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Is it going to be very bookish? No, not at all.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Not at all, but you're going to need some good reference materials...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26..to go back and forward to when you're stuck,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28when you're working on you're own.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30We're going to really work on developing
0:03:30 > 0:03:32your ability to speak Irish.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34To develop your confidence in Irish, to be able to talk,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37to be able to meet people and to introduce yourself and interact
0:03:37 > 0:03:39and communicate, and do all of those sort of things.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Growing up as I did in North Belfast, you know,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45I grew up in English and in a Protestant, working-class culture.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Irish wasn't part of our world.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50The only Irish word I knew was "tiocfaidh ar la",
0:03:50 > 0:03:52the only phrase I knew was "tiocfaidh ar la".
0:03:52 > 0:03:55So there's a kind of politicalisation of the language.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I see that politicalisation retreating.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01There's definitely a more openness from a lot of people to say,
0:04:01 > 0:04:02"This is everybody's language,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06"this is a language that has unearthed itself from this island.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08"If you're here why not explore it and enjoy it?
0:04:08 > 0:04:10"It doesn't have to be a threatening experience."
0:04:10 > 0:04:14It's almost like a great-uncle that nobody talks about.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Why not bring him into the room and actually have a conversation
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and see what this sounds like?
0:04:19 > 0:04:21So what have we got here?
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Well, I've brought you some presents. I'm going to leave you some gifts.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27These, I want you to keep these on your desk. Don't put them on a shelf.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32So bog means soft or tender. It's an adjective. Bog.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36I've brought you a novel as well. A little teenage novel...
0:04:36 > 0:04:37Sarah in the Gallery.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07So 21 is... Fiche a haon.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Fiche a do. And so on.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12So I'm really ready for it. The books ar not intimidating,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14because I've got myself in the right headspace here.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Not worried about what I don't know.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20A lot of this I will never understand...not a word about it.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23All I want to do is intuitively walk into this language
0:05:23 > 0:05:24and be able to communicate.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Bring it on, I'm ready for it. I'm going to do this.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'Not only am I trying to learn the language,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'I've set myself a further challenge.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36'In just ten months' time,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'will I be able to co-present a radio show in Irish?'
0:05:42 > 0:05:44This is BBC Radio Ulster.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:05:52 > 0:05:54You're very welcome to tonight's edition of Blas,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and I hope you're well on this...
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Blas is tweeting that I'm on in no time at all.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Calling me the journalist William Crawley
0:06:03 > 0:06:05on BBC Blas tonight at 7:03...
0:06:07 > 0:06:09..as Gaelige. In Irish.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17No idea what that means.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Blas is BBC Radio Ulster's daily Irish language programme.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Broadcast every week night, the 30-minute show covers
0:06:26 > 0:06:31everything from news and current affairs to sport and the arts.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Tonight's show is being presented by Maire Bhreathnach,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and I'm going to join her live on air to announce my challenge.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41This is the promissory note,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44because when you're doing something like this,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47if you commit yourself and make yourself accountable to people,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49you're more likely to do it no matter what it is -
0:06:49 > 0:06:51weight loss, learning a new language, anything.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I'm just going to announce it to the entire country -
0:06:54 > 0:06:55that's the only difference.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:07:07 > 0:07:09The only thing I understood there was agus.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:07:15 > 0:07:20..or you could tweet me - Twitter.com/BBCBlas.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Hello. Hello, William Crawley.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Are you getting a wee bit nervous now? Is that what that means?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Are you stressing out? No, it just means are you well.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I can see here your tweets are coming up...
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Are my tweets coming up on your screen?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39I feel like I'm about to go into a GCSE conversation exam.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41That makes you the examiner.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Be nice to me.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Be nice to me. Of course I will be.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48So long as you can just speak fluently in Irish to me...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:07:53 > 0:07:55HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Well, you know you're on to a question straightaway -
0:07:57 > 0:07:59what is my name in Irish?
0:07:59 > 0:08:04So we looked into this and we're going to go for Liam...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Liam... Does that sound right? Yes, that sounds perfect to me.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So anyone who follows you on Twitter will know that
0:08:10 > 0:08:11you're learning Irish at the moment.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13They may not, however,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15know about the challenge that you've set yourself.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17So reveal all to our listeners.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22The challenge at the end of all this is that I'm going to switch
0:08:22 > 0:08:26chairs with you and present this programme sometime next year.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Hopefully you're going to be here, don't abandon me, please, Maire.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Let's co-present it.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But by the end of this challenge, I want to get to the point where
0:08:34 > 0:08:36I can read the scripts, do the interviews,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39converse in Irish in a way that anybody listening in for the
0:08:39 > 0:08:43first time will think, "Oh, he's the regular presenter." Now, no chance.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Listen, William, I want you to help me end the programme tonight,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48so you're going to say...
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Away you go.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:09:13 > 0:09:15We're off air, William.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20You've just announced to the world that you're going to do it.
0:09:20 > 0:09:21What do you think?
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I've got to go from struggling through that to...
0:09:25 > 0:09:26What was your script like?
0:09:28 > 0:09:32There's not a chance. Not a chance.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33That was quite intimidating,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37because it's one thing when you're speaking to somebody
0:09:37 > 0:09:39in one little phrase and then they speak back to you
0:09:39 > 0:09:40in one little phrase.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43But when they rattle it off like that really speedily.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I mean they could well be speaking Chinese,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47you haven't a clue what they're saying.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09'I feel...like I've got to the top of a cliff
0:10:09 > 0:10:11'and I'm about to abseil
0:10:11 > 0:10:16'and I've been really brave, and this is not going to be difficult.'
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Then I get to the edge of the cliff,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21look down, and there's about 1,000ft below me.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I'm told that almost anyone who's learnt Irish has spent time
0:10:35 > 0:10:38taking summer classes in a Gaeltacht -
0:10:38 > 0:10:41a community that uses Irish as their first language.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45It's an experience of total immersion,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and one of the best ways to learn,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50so I've come to the Gaeltacht of Glencolmcille
0:10:50 > 0:10:51in southwest Donegal.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56But not only am I studying Irish, I'll be living it.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57For the next week,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I'll be staying here at this house close by the school.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14That wasn't too bad.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18'I quickly find out there's only one language spoken here.'
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Is that enough Irish, can I go on English?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:11:22 > 0:11:24It's Irish from now on, all right.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Thank you very much.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Terrific, thank you very much. SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:11:34 > 0:11:35SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:11:42 > 0:11:43I get the breakfast bit.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Champagne breakfast? No.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Is there anything I would like for breakfast? Yeah. Oh, right.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Can you do poached eggs? What's poached eggs in Irish?
0:12:01 > 0:12:03THEY SPEAK IRISH
0:12:10 > 0:12:11Bacon and spinach?
0:12:11 > 0:12:12SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Yes, sausage, bacon and poached eggs would be fantastic.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19How do I say fantastic?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21THEY SPEAK IRISH
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Do you want it in your bedroom or in the kitchen?
0:12:30 > 0:12:31No?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33HE LAUGHS
0:12:33 > 0:12:35SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:12:35 > 0:12:37If you want...if you need anything.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39You're there. I'll be downstairs.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41You're a great... and a lovely view as well.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Terrific.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49THEY SPEAK IRISH
0:12:50 > 0:12:52This is gorgeous. It really is.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Do you ever get bored with complete beginners? Yeah.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58You do.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Well, prepare to be bored.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03I couldn't be bored with this.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'Over the next week, I'll be taking formal classes every morning
0:13:08 > 0:13:12'and activities every afternoon and evening - all in Irish.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:14SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:13:19 > 0:13:20Yous are lucky.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25We've only two men, yous are blessed amongst women.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Is mise Liam.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51LAUGHTER
0:13:57 > 0:14:00We didn't come in the same minibus. No, thank goodness.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01SHE SPEAKS IRISH
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Have you been learning...
0:14:05 > 0:14:07long time?
0:14:07 > 0:14:08No.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19It's been like being dropped into a big ocean.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25The language just comes at you thick and fast.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And it's just overwhelming.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32So I feel like I've just been dropped into it.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Or parachuted into it. We'll see how it goes. It's, erm...
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Worrying.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42I guessed that.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I just turned the T into an Irish sign, and it worked.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56'I started enjoying it today, because things slowed down a bit.'
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The afternoons are fun, because you go to other cultural classes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02You're learning Irish in-between learning something else,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06like singing or dancing. Some people are going hill-walking.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Others are learning the bodhran drum.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I'm also doing a lot of Twitter with people
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and putting out a bit of Irish.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I've now got about 200 people who are fluent Irish speakers,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19as far as I can tell, following me.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24Different colours. Glas is green...
0:15:24 > 0:15:25and blue is gorm...
0:15:26 > 0:15:32'Feeling still overwhelmed, but I'm starting to see where it's going to.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36'It's always a thrill when you can finally get to two or three'
0:15:36 > 0:15:39phrase exchanges with somebody in the pub
0:15:39 > 0:15:41or in the cafe or in the streets.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Someone will say good morning, you'll say good morning back.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46They'll say something about the weather,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48and you'll recognise that they're talking about the weather,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50and you'll say that it's a decent day.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51That-that's...
0:15:53 > 0:15:54It's like getting a Nobel Prize.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I've found that I've started taking to...hiding.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Hiding from Irish speakers all around me.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Going to a coffee shop and sliding into a corner somewhere.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Within seconds some well intentioned lovely person just walks up
0:16:18 > 0:16:21and starts speaking in Irish,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25sits down and starts interviewing me about the Irish language.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28It is doing my head in.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I just... I can't take any more Irish.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43I've been plunged into verbs and adverbs and verbal nouns
0:16:43 > 0:16:44and I don't know what.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55'I just want to get away with my head intact and stop feeling
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'so confused the whole time.'
0:16:58 > 0:16:59I'm kind of losing it.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10So at the end of a tiring but enjoyable week,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13what does my report card look like?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16This has been a week I'll never forget.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I think my grasp of the language has progressed a bit,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23but ultimately this has been a reality check
0:18:23 > 0:18:26about the size of the task I've set myself.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34'This is a five-seven-eight-year challenge to learn
0:18:34 > 0:18:36'and become fluent in a language.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40'So, yeah, I've had moments where I've regretted it.'
0:18:40 > 0:18:41HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'How am I supposed to conduct an interview in a studio where
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'I'm asking questions that are about intellectual issues
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'or the arts or politics or journalism?'
0:18:52 > 0:18:53I'm going to be sunk.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18The Donegal Gaeltacht and its traditions are a world
0:19:18 > 0:19:21away from the developing Gaeltacht area here in West Belfast.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28This recently established Gaeltacht Quarter aims to increase
0:19:28 > 0:19:30the amount of Irish spoken in everyday life - in shops,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33in restaurants, in cafes and schools.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39Recent census figures show that almost 185,000 people
0:19:39 > 0:19:43in Northern Ireland claim to have some ability in Irish, although
0:19:43 > 0:19:47there's no way or knowing how much Irish is spoken on a daily basis.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49But the Gaeltacht Quarter
0:19:49 > 0:19:52hopes to play its part in increasing those levels.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58One of the key driving forces is Colaiste Feirste,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02the only post-primary Irish language school in Northern Ireland.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06The Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin is here today launching an arts
0:20:06 > 0:20:10and culture exchange programme between West and East Belfast.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15An art and everything to do with art and creativity as part of this city.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16As the culture minister,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20she's responsible for the executive strategy around the Irish language,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22notably the Liofa Campaign,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26an initiative aimed at getting 5,000 people from all backgrounds
0:20:26 > 0:20:30across Northern Ireland fluent by 2015.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Indeed that campaign is partly why I began to learn.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35She's been credited with trying
0:20:35 > 0:20:39to break down some of the stereotypes around the use of Irish.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42But doesn't her party bear some responsibility
0:20:42 > 0:20:45for the politicisation of the language?
0:20:45 > 0:20:49When you look at ordinary unionist, loyalist, Protestants,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52from the '70s, '80s and beyond, they might be watching television,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55they might see a Sinn Fein politician speaking Irish.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And they're not driven by bitterness around this,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00but they look at this and they think,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05"That's an alien tongue, because it's being used by them."
0:21:05 > 0:21:08And it adds to the them and us dynamic that's here.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And there's some truth in that, isn't there? There is a them and us
0:21:11 > 0:21:15socialisation that comes from who is using the Irish language.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Yeah, and I suppose it's about maybe people feeling that it's used
0:21:19 > 0:21:23to exclude, you know?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I mean, I remember talking to someone and said I just...
0:21:28 > 0:21:29"I heard the start of a debate
0:21:29 > 0:21:32"and I just turned it over, cos Gerry Adams was speaking in Irish.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35"It's bad enough having to listen to him in English."
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And I remember I asked him why and he just says, "I just feel that you are
0:21:39 > 0:21:42"using the language, cos it's yours." I went, "Well, why can't it be ours?"
0:21:42 > 0:21:45But if he already seemed alien to those people,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48the Irish language made him seem even more alien. I know.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51But when you have people like yourself...
0:21:51 > 0:21:53See, I kind of knew...
0:21:53 > 0:21:55That, had I seen you starting an interview,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58knowing your background and your history in Irish,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01his reaction would have been completely different.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Do you think, ironically,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07that Sinn Fein could best help the Irish language by walking
0:22:07 > 0:22:11away from it for a while, and allowing someone else to drive this?
0:22:11 > 0:22:14And then you become the problem.
0:22:14 > 0:22:21And I think that's where the dichotomy around not knowing
0:22:21 > 0:22:23why the language has been an issue.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25"It's Sinn Fein's fault."
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Is it Sinn Fein's fault that we're pushing marriage equality?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Is it Sinn Fein's fault that we're pushing
0:22:31 > 0:22:34rights for people who have no jobs?
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Is it Sinn Fein's that we're fighting social justice issues?
0:22:38 > 0:22:40No, it's not.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42But this is an issue that we all should be fighting for,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and that's my argument.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47So, why should you walk away from any equality issue?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50It just isn't in my DNA.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55But what I don't want people to think or sense or perceive
0:22:55 > 0:23:00or even believe is that I'm using the language as a way of excluding them.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I want the language to be a liberating experience for them
0:23:03 > 0:23:05as it has been for me.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Nowhere is the depoliticisation of the Irish language
0:23:25 > 0:23:28more evident than here in East Belfast.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Among the union flags and loyalist murals,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34weekly Irish classes are growing in popularity
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and take place here at the East Belfast Mission.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:23:46 > 0:23:49'I think there is an interest within Protestants.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52'I think that's a lot of Protestants feel it's something
0:23:52 > 0:23:54'that's been denied to them.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57'They've never had the opportunity to engage with the Irish language.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59'But the interest has always been there.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Here, in East Belfast Mission, we haven't waved a magic wand.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09All we've done is make it available for people.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16'I've part culture with the Irish language,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19'cos I was in the British Army, in the Royal Irish Rangers.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23'Who would have brought up, we would have had the Irish culture.'
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Linda just mentioned it, and I thought, "Yeah, well,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29"it's a perfect opportunity," cos I think, you know,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31you think about it...
0:24:31 > 0:24:36and then if it's not available, you're less inclined to, you know,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39if it's not too close to you and you're not inclined to push
0:24:39 > 0:24:41yourself to go for it or go and do it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44But with it being so close, there was no excuses.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I've been surprised at the number of Protestants who have
0:24:47 > 0:24:51maintained their interest in it, even in spite of all these troubles.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55In spite of it being perceived as the language of the enemy.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01What shocked me was the revelation of the 1911 census.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04When I found that my family, who lived in Frome Street,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06within the shadow of the shipyards,
0:25:06 > 0:25:11were all bilingual - this is before my father was born -
0:25:11 > 0:25:16his older brothers and sisters and my grandparents spoke Irish.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17That shocked me.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22This is a way where ordinary people can get together on the basis of,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and hopefully an A-political language,
0:25:25 > 0:25:26and get together.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I'm quite proud of the fact that there's so many in the class,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38you know, and they're so eager and everybody turns up every week,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and if somebody misses one, they're texting or e-mailing to tell me
0:25:42 > 0:25:45how much they're sorry, "I can't make a class,"
0:25:45 > 0:25:47and they come up to you the next week.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I meet people who get angry at the very youth of the Irish language.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54People from a Protestant or unionist background
0:25:54 > 0:25:57sometimes get angry. "Don't introduce this into a conversation.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00"Don't put this on television, don't put it on the radio,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02"don't put it in a speech." Why are they so angry?
0:26:02 > 0:26:05I think some people feel very threatened by the Irish language,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09they feel threatened by that whole idea of Irish identity,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and for me, that's quite sad,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13because I feel I'm British but I'm Irish.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17I feel that as a Protestant from Northern Ireland,
0:26:17 > 0:26:18we are the other Irish.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22We are the ignored, forgotten Irish that have been overlooked, because
0:26:22 > 0:26:26when people think of an Irish identity, they think of Catholic,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28they think of republican.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30And that's who I am, that's not my identity.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34So I think that is why people from my community have rejected
0:26:34 > 0:26:37that idea of an Irish identity and what goes along with that -
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Irish dance, Irish language.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44So for them, this is something that is alien to them.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Yet for me, I see now that actually, no, that identity is mine as well.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56The Irish language has had a strong relationship with Protestants
0:26:56 > 0:26:58stretching back centuries.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02So in some ways what's happening here in East Belfast is not new.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04It's just being rediscovered.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06The dedication shown by Linda
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and her colleagues to learning the language is inspiring,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and, to be honest,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I could do with a little bit of that rubbing off on me.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20It's now December 2012,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24five months since I announced my challenge live on radio.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28And I found this much harder than I thought I would.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31In my defence, I've just been so busy with work that
0:27:31 > 0:27:35I haven't had the time to study as much as I need to.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38But I have a feeling my teacher
0:27:38 > 0:27:41isn't going to be very understanding.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Where are we?
0:27:43 > 0:27:44Um...
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Well, it's...
0:27:53 > 0:27:57I wouldn't say... I wouldn't say it's a crisis. OK.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01But I'm not being invited to lecture in Irish just yet.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07It's been tough because you need to immerse yourself in any language,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09and that's particularly the case in Irish,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11and it's very difficult to immerse yourself,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14because the talk is here and there's a bit there,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17you go to classes, and I've been to a couple of classes - not many.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22And I've tried a bit with some of the books, but there's no...
0:28:22 > 0:28:25replacement, really, for immersion, I think, to fully get it.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And when you're doing so any other things...I've been working more,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32I think, than I've ever worked ever before in my life
0:28:32 > 0:28:36with documentaries and all kinds of films and programmes.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38It's much more difficult than I thought it was going to be.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Much more difficult.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42To find the time and then to concentrate in the time.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44And it's exhausting.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Mentally exhausting, actually,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49to get into another language at the best to times.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51I find Irish particularly exhausting.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Even at the talk, I find it very tiring.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58I went to bed at ten o'clock at night. I was knackered.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01One of the funny things about this conversation is you're displaying
0:29:01 > 0:29:04all the characteristics of the things that I hear from my students
0:29:04 > 0:29:07in school when they want to put in place excuses to explain
0:29:07 > 0:29:10why they haven't done anything. They use evasion techniques.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13"I'm busy, I'm the busiest person in the world, I'm doing this,
0:29:13 > 0:29:14"I'm doing that."
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Did you not realise how difficult this was going to be
0:29:17 > 0:29:19when you decided to take it on?
0:29:19 > 0:29:21I thought it was going to be difficult.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26But if I'm interviewing somebody on a radio programme,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29I'm not going to be saying, "How's the weather?"
0:29:29 > 0:29:31That's no use to me at all.
0:29:31 > 0:29:32I mean, some of it's propositional.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35If I'm interviewing someone about a subject or a topic,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38I need to be able to say, "Why do you think that?"
0:29:38 > 0:29:41So we need to look at what you're learning
0:29:41 > 0:29:43and how you're leaning it and make a few tweaks.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45The same advice I would give my kids in school - "Stop putting
0:29:45 > 0:29:49"obstacles in front, stop finding reasons why you can't do it."
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Clear your diary, clear your desk, clear your mind,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54and focus on this for the next couple of months.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56And I know you can do it.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Despite his words of encouragement ringing in my ears,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05I'm heading into the new year with a distinct sense of anxiety.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31I'm getting a good sense of the issues surrounding Irish
0:30:31 > 0:30:33and how some attitudes are changing.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37But discussion about the language isn't unique to Northern Ireland,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41as I'm about to find out in Dublin.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45How does the Irish language play out here south of the border?
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Is it as controversial here as it is in some places?
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Is it tied up with religion? Is it tied up with politics?
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Is it tied up with peoples' experience from their childhood?
0:30:54 > 0:30:57How do people in Dublin see the Irish language?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03While Irish is enshrined in the constitution as the country's first
0:31:03 > 0:31:04and official language,
0:31:04 > 0:31:10in reality English is by far the most common language spoken.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14In 2010, the Irish government launched a 20-year strategy
0:31:14 > 0:31:17aimed at tripling the number of people who speak Irish
0:31:17 > 0:31:22on a daily basis from 83,000 to a quarter of a million.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27It's led to a public discussion about the relevance of the language.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30Some people resent it. Some people are very uncomfortable with it.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31Some people say it's taught very badly.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35On the other hand, there is probably a growing culture that is
0:31:35 > 0:31:40a second or third generation removed from Irish language altogether
0:31:40 > 0:31:42and therefore has a fresh pair of eyes towards it,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45and sees a novelty and like my experience,
0:31:45 > 0:31:47is romantically drawn to it.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51People pay lip service, excuse the pun.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Learn a few words.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56It has a symbolic value for most people.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Not for everybody but a lot of people. Like tourist Irish?
0:31:59 > 0:32:01Yeah, but it doesn't go beyond that.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05It takes a real effort to perfect your Irish. Very difficult.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10I think people are wanting to get back to the traditions that we have.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11The culture.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Definitely when I was in school,
0:32:14 > 0:32:16it was more of a hindrance than anything.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19People weren't happy that they had to do Irish.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Are we going to face the facts of life that we need to have language
0:32:23 > 0:32:25to communicate with the rest of Europe.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28We need to be speaking Chinese now.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32We need to be speaking German, Latin American, Portuguese.
0:32:32 > 0:32:33Communicate.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41People's attitudes to the language are formed
0:32:41 > 0:32:44by their experiences of it, and for most people in the South,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47that means during school.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49In the education system here,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Irish is a compulsory subject right through secondary school,
0:32:52 > 0:32:57but recently, Taoiseach Enda Kenny suggested making it optional,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00an attempt he says at changing attitudes to it.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03I've come to Ballymun,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06an area witnessing a revival of the language,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10to meet with someone who's devoted a lifetime to promoting Irish.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Talking to people in Dublin, especially younger people,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17if they had an option not to study Irish at school,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19many of them would take that option.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Many of the teachers would take the option of not learning it
0:33:22 > 0:33:24to teach it as one of their additional subjects.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28I think it would be a nail in the coffin of the Irish language
0:33:28 > 0:33:32as it's used in Ireland, if it ceased to be a compulsory subject.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Well, I would have to agree with that.
0:33:35 > 0:33:41I think we also need to look at flexible ways of dealing with
0:33:41 > 0:33:44a flexible school population.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48To make a more persuasive argument for the enjoyment of Irish
0:33:48 > 0:33:52rather than seeing it as something like bad medicine you have to take.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56I agree with that totally and I think a lot of that has to do...
0:33:56 > 0:34:00It is very difficult to change attitudes.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04It's one of the most difficult things to do in life is to change attitudes.
0:34:04 > 0:34:10If you can change the attitude in a particular school,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14and that can be done, and it has been done in an awful lot of schools
0:34:14 > 0:34:18where Irish is only a subject, where it isn't even a medium,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22where the teachers of Irish in that school have offered
0:34:22 > 0:34:25exciting opportunities to the children to use the language
0:34:25 > 0:34:26that they are learning.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30For example, schools I know have internal radio,
0:34:30 > 0:34:35they involve themselves in all sorts of debates and drama, everything.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39As somebody who has been a language teacher,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42I think there comes a point where...
0:34:42 > 0:34:44There always is a point,
0:34:44 > 0:34:48that there is no point in learning a language if you're not using it.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52I do think that the Irish language community needs to do more to present
0:34:52 > 0:34:57itself to the public and to people, to offer opportunities to them.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01It has to be done, and I don't like saying "in a fun way",
0:35:01 > 0:35:03because not everybody wants fun.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07Enjoyment in the sense of being fulfilled,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11and they don't want to lose what they have.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Jane Fonda, I think it was, I often use...
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Well-known gaeilgeoir. Well-known gaeilgeoir.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21She did a video for keep-fit and one of her mantras was,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25"use it or lose it".
0:35:25 > 0:35:26I think we need that.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Clearly, the debate about the language here is political
0:35:34 > 0:35:39but in a very difficult way from the politics of Irish in Northern Ireland,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41but there are common themes north and south,
0:35:41 > 0:35:45including addressing attitudes to Irish and the teaching
0:35:45 > 0:35:49of the language, which reminds me, time to get back to the books.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09It's now March 2013.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12I'm still having difficulty finding time for my one-to-one classes,
0:36:12 > 0:36:17so I've signed up for a few day courses to boost my knowledge.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Time for another one, here at an Irish cultural centre in Belfast.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29I feel like I'm making progress actually
0:36:29 > 0:36:31at an intellectual level with Irish.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35I'm understanding, for example, more and more of the grammar.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37"Fadhb ar bith" - "no problem" -
0:36:37 > 0:36:40but in your intonation, "fadhb ar bith?" "Is there a problem?"
0:36:40 > 0:36:43One of the things we did here today was started putting together
0:36:43 > 0:36:45a page of useful phrases you could drop in here and there,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48which takes you on a little bit,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51being able to respond to someone who asks you how you are in a way
0:36:51 > 0:36:54that's more interesting than simply saying,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56"I'm well, I'm doing all right." "Ta me go maith."
0:36:56 > 0:36:58You'll maybe not be so well.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01You might be middling, neither here nor there.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04"Ta me go measartha," which is more accurate.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Or you might be having a great day and you want to say,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10"I'm having a great time, I'm doing brilliantly well."
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Those little phrases just build up your vocabulary as you go.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Just use them as much as you can
0:37:15 > 0:37:19and find ways to squeeze them into your speech.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26Using the language in everyday life
0:37:26 > 0:37:29is key to developing my grasp of Irish.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Finding those opportunities can be difficult but sometimes
0:37:32 > 0:37:37the language is being used in places where you might not expect it.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40It's St Patrick's Day,
0:37:40 > 0:37:44and this is St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47This morning is a special communion service,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50a Church of Ireland service, and it's in Irish.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:37:59 > 0:38:02A further twist is that today's service is being led
0:38:02 > 0:38:07by Archdeacon Gary Hastings, a rector in Galway,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10who was born and raised in East Belfast.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11When I went to do Irish,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14my granny didn't know there was an Irish language.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17There was no connection with anything at all.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20I went to university and I met Catholics for the first time.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22A lot of them were in the Irish department.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24I was interested in the music,
0:38:24 > 0:38:26because this was mid-70s we are chatting about,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30so traditional music had a whole big flowering then in Ireland.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33I got fascinated with that. I was able to meet stuff
0:38:33 > 0:38:36you weren't going to come across in East Belfast.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42People tend to associate the Irish language with the people they know
0:38:42 > 0:38:44who speak it, but if you see a Church of Ireland minister
0:38:44 > 0:38:47like yourself speaking it, that's a very different image.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49They are confused, still.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52We're not supposed to do that kind of thing, you know?
0:38:52 > 0:38:54That was the way they thought.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57That all comes about the late 1800s when the Gaelic League was founded
0:38:57 > 0:39:00and all that political nationalism,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03that espoused the whole cultural side of stuff.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05If you want to be a Unionist, the Nationalists were doing
0:39:05 > 0:39:07all the cultural stuff, so we couldn't do that.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12All we were left with was the Orange order and drums and banners and stuff,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15but you weren't allowed to play traditional music or talk Irish,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17because that's what they did so we didn't do that.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19MAN SPEAKS IRISH
0:39:22 > 0:39:27What do you enjoy most about speaking Irish? It's good craic.
0:39:27 > 0:39:33I mean, it's not to do... There are no highfalutin ideas about it, nationalism or anything.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35I actually enjoy doing it.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Like, I play a lot of traditional music
0:39:37 > 0:39:39and I get a lot out of that personally.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42That's good steam, and I meet people through it, it is a social thing.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47And the language occupies nearly the same set of brain cells in my head.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:39:55 > 0:39:58What is the most difficult part of learning Irish, do you think?
0:39:58 > 0:40:00What's difficult about it?
0:40:00 > 0:40:02I could tell you myself what the most difficult part is.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04I'm sure you know. It's brain-frying.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08Because learning a second language as an adult is excruciating. It is.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Because here you are, you're a grown man, you have an education behind
0:40:11 > 0:40:15you, you're literate and everything else, and suddenly you are reduced
0:40:15 > 0:40:20to being a sort of mentally not very sharp three-year-old, you know?
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Have you become a bit of an evangelist for the Irish language?
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Do you encourage people to learn it?
0:40:26 > 0:40:28No, actually.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Not because I don't think they should learn it,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34but I don't like inflicting my own interests on other people, you know?
0:40:34 > 0:40:36I do it and it is what I do
0:40:36 > 0:40:38and I don't even know I'm doing it any more.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42If people are interested in that, then that's good, but I do my faith the same way.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45If I'm doing my faith the right way, then other people would be interested
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and attracted to that, rather than me asking them if they are saved,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51which is a different matter entirely.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53You don't carry leaflets around with you, then, no?
0:40:53 > 0:40:54No.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Gary challenges so many stereotypes.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00A Protestant minister, based in the south of Ireland,
0:41:00 > 0:41:05who is originally from East Belfast, who speaks fluent Irish.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08It's refreshing to meet a man who is still clearly at ease
0:41:08 > 0:41:10with his own identity.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26It's now April and only a month left until the radio show.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30And what is your fear? Lack of vocabulary or just something is going to go wrong
0:41:30 > 0:41:32on the night or you're not going to be able to pronounce something?
0:41:32 > 0:41:34All of that, yeah. All of those!
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Clearly this task is going to be difficult,
0:41:41 > 0:41:45so to give me any chance whatsoever of pulling it off,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49I'm going to have to concentrate on preparing to present a radio show.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Over the final weeks, I am going to learn essential words
0:41:53 > 0:41:56and phrases that I will need to get by.
0:42:01 > 0:42:01Tonight on Blas.
0:42:03 > 0:42:04HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:42:04 > 0:42:05Easy.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Try that one again.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12THEY SPEAK IRISH
0:42:16 > 0:42:19You're saying it...
0:42:19 > 0:42:217.20.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22HE SPEAKS IRISH
0:42:22 > 0:42:23No, no, no, no.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27How many of these do we do in half an hour?
0:42:27 > 0:42:29We can't do it every five minutes.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Say a little bit more about that.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Yes, I agree with you. Keep talking.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Well, at least one of us is feeling confident.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16As I have learnt more about the language, I have clearly seen
0:43:16 > 0:43:20how many previous attitudes are changing, but what about the future?
0:43:21 > 0:43:25I have come to visit a rural community focused on the next
0:43:25 > 0:43:31generation. Just outside Maghera, the Carntogher Community Association
0:43:31 > 0:43:34has been successfully regenerating the area
0:43:34 > 0:43:36for the past 20 years.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39It now consists of a post office, schools, businesses,
0:43:39 > 0:43:43a library, a GAA club and even a nature reserve.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47And the Irish language is the common thread linking it all.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52The group is in the middle of a major development project,
0:43:52 > 0:43:54a brand-new cultural centre,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58housing an auditorium that can seat more than 200 people.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Already you've got hundreds of people involved
0:44:03 > 0:44:05in this community, haven't you, in this association?
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Definitely, I guess, and we cater for the broader community,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12it's not just the Irish language community.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14We try and get the entire community
0:44:14 > 0:44:17in behind all of the activities we're doing.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21We have several hundred Irish speakers within this area.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24They happen to be young people, nearly all young people.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Most of the Irish speakers in this area are under 20 years of age.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Is that right? Because of the schools?
0:44:29 > 0:44:32Because of the schools, because of the Gaelscoil.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42The fact that you're doing this bilingually is important, isn't it?
0:44:42 > 0:44:46Because the Irish language could be seen as a badge of exclusivity for some people.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50"I don't speak the Irish language, so I can't come to your events."
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Yes, I think that something we really want to dispel
0:44:53 > 0:44:56and we want to make sure that doesn't become a force of any
0:44:56 > 0:44:59sort or people feel, "I can go to that because I can't speak Irish."
0:44:59 > 0:45:02So bilingualism and doing a whole range of activities
0:45:02 > 0:45:05which are not in the Irish language at all.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08We do a whole range of lectures and things like that,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11which are not necessarily in the Irish language.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15And we also do a lot of outreach within the wider population
0:45:15 > 0:45:19to home in on things like local history, local environment,
0:45:19 > 0:45:23explore those areas which are of common interest across a wide
0:45:23 > 0:45:29range of people, and we do a lot more with other community groups.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34All of that helps dispel this myth that there is this language,
0:45:34 > 0:45:39which is exclusive. It is part of everybody's heritage.
0:45:39 > 0:45:40How do you join the dots?
0:45:40 > 0:45:44How do you make the connection between Irish
0:45:44 > 0:45:47and community life and cultural identity here?
0:45:48 > 0:45:52I think we do it by weaving the Irish language in as part
0:45:52 > 0:45:54of the background to different things we are doing.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56A sort of subliminal Gaeltacht.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58You know the phrase, it is part of what we are.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02That's what it is, it's not the whole of what we are, but it's part of what we are.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05You don't push it, you don't make it a big issue, it's just there.
0:46:05 > 0:46:06It's just normal.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12The energy of this community is evident in these regular
0:46:12 > 0:46:16traditional music sessions. I have been known to play the bodhran
0:46:16 > 0:46:19on occasion, so I am happy to join in.
0:46:22 > 0:46:29The creativity that we see in those young people is incredible, and these facilities will give them
0:46:29 > 0:46:35an opportunity to develop that creativity. The name of this building is
0:46:35 > 0:46:38the Cauldron of the Arts. That is what it is about, it is
0:46:38 > 0:46:43about creating a future for their children and shaping the future
0:46:43 > 0:46:47and their artistic future and giving them the opportunity to develop.
0:46:49 > 0:46:55The focus on the next generation brings a confidence to this rural community.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59What is happening here at the foot of the Sperrins is intriguing.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02It's almost like a social experiment,
0:47:02 > 0:47:06developing a bilingual community where the Irish and English
0:47:06 > 0:47:09languages happily coexist in everyday use.
0:47:09 > 0:47:16But what's even more intriguing will be how this community will look and sound in 20 years' time.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23But this is where the fun ends for me.
0:47:28 > 0:47:35Right, William, D-Day. It's May 2013. Tonight's the night.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38Ten months ago, I announced I was going to co-present
0:47:38 > 0:47:44the Irish language radio show Blas live. I must've been mad.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47It has been ten months of ups and downs,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50but have I learnt enough to pull it off? I'll be your safety net.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55If I look to her and go like, she knows, time to jump in.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24My focus now is try not to be too good,
0:48:24 > 0:48:28because they are lovely girls, don't want to embarrass them.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31You know, they do this every day. No, that's not my feeling at all!
0:48:31 > 0:48:32I'm stressed.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35I didn't sleep the other night at all thinking about this.
0:48:35 > 0:48:40You've just done a great half an hour and you'll ruin it all by saying...
0:48:40 > 0:48:44I just don't want to fall off air with embarrassment.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47I mean, even in that meeting in there, they said, don't worry,
0:48:47 > 0:48:49we have a track of music on standby
0:48:49 > 0:48:51in case you collapse.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10How much time do we have? It'll be half seven by the time you've said that.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17It feels quite real now. Years, you've got a running order.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20So out of the 31 minutes, how many minutes are you going to talk?
0:49:20 > 0:49:26Probably about three. And slow down on this one.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Once you're in the studio, the focus is there.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34I don't want to think about what I'm feeling,
0:49:34 > 0:49:35I just want to do the job my focus on the job.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39And are you afraid of over-preparing? I'm not over-prepared!
0:49:41 > 0:49:44That's yours, that's what you had anyway.
0:49:48 > 0:49:54Hello, everyone, have you met my camera crew? How are you?
0:49:54 > 0:49:57You didn't need to dress for this, really, you didn't.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59Good to meet you, how are you? Good to meet you.
0:50:01 > 0:50:07Three minutes to go. Were you wondering where I was? I was.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Aye, I bet you were.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17Right, William, here comes. how are you feeling? You nervous?
0:50:17 > 0:50:21I have felt better. I really have. Am I nervous?
0:50:21 > 0:50:22Is the Pope a Catholic?
0:50:47 > 0:50:49And yes, that was William Crawley you just heard.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51You may recall a number of months ago,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53William came into the studio and declared on air
0:50:53 > 0:50:57he had set himself a challenge to learn Irish and co-present Blas.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01Well, that night has finally arrived. The Voice UK star Conor Rua Scott
0:51:01 > 0:51:05drops into the studio to give us a taste of life on the BBC TV show.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13Stay tuned, because you have survival tips on the way.
0:51:39 > 0:51:40Not a bad start,
0:51:40 > 0:51:44but tonight's first guest is certainly going to test my ability.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40I'm too busy thinking about Alex Ferguson.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Speaking of Alex Ferguson...
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Thankfully, that's the first item over.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Next up, I am interviewing a guest about a new book on Irish poetry.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Not an easy task, but I think I'm starting to settle into it.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45I should switch into English for a second,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49because this is important, it's a controversial thing
0:53:49 > 0:53:53for some people that Michael Hartnett wrote both...
0:53:59 > 0:54:03Part of it is people's idea of what a poet should be.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13I was more nervous than you were.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16No, you were not! But I couldn't tell how much
0:54:16 > 0:54:21she understood. The deal was I was to continue in Irish and assume.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Absolutely, and I was picking up some wee phrases and things.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26So that's where I am... jigsaw puzzle.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38I'll just do a few tweets now and then at the end,
0:54:38 > 0:54:40we'll do the rest of these and yours. OK?
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Ten minutes to go!
0:54:45 > 0:54:47You take as long as you need, Conor.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19# You're old enough to understand
0:55:19 > 0:55:21# You'll always be a stranger on a strange, strange land... #
0:55:21 > 0:55:23Right, William, over to you.
0:55:28 > 0:55:29Corny!
0:55:59 > 0:56:00Well?
0:56:14 > 0:56:19I just turn up at 6.30, and you just do everything in Irish and every so often speak to me in Irish,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and I'll reply in English to a question you didn't ask.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27And we'll just make that our shtick. That's what you do best. That's what I do best.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42It's the following morning, and I'm taking time out to let it all sink in.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46There were times when I thought I wouldn't be able to pull this off, but I did.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54Of course I could have done more,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56I could have dropped some things and done more,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59I could have woken up every morning in the way some people
0:56:59 > 0:57:02go to the gym and go to my Irish books
0:57:02 > 0:57:08and just drive myself through it and then I would've made more progress,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11but I have no regrets about it, because,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14and I'm not haunted by, I could have done more,
0:57:14 > 0:57:19I'm actually just amazed and relieved that,
0:57:19 > 0:57:24because I had the best Irish tutor in the world, in ten months,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28I got to the point of presenting a live Irish language radio
0:57:28 > 0:57:33programme, which is an achievement. I feel really proud of that.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37The past ten months have been quite an experience.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40I have learnt a fair bit of Irish, but I have learned a lot
0:57:40 > 0:57:43more about the language and about those who speak it.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48I have discovered with the Irish language community,
0:57:48 > 0:57:52that most of the people I meet are very open-minded,
0:57:52 > 0:57:53they are very open to diversity
0:57:53 > 0:57:57and they are very open to giving space to other people,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00because that is what they feel they haven't received at times
0:58:00 > 0:58:05in their history and that was a bit of a revelation, actually.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09So if there was more Irish and more interest in Irish in this society,
0:58:09 > 0:58:13one would hope there would be more open space for the kind
0:58:13 > 0:58:16of pluralist diversity I think defines a healthy society.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23But I have one piece of advice for anyone else wanting to learn.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Whatever you do, when you're learning Irish, do not
0:58:27 > 0:58:33do it with a television camera crew following you around for a year.
0:58:33 > 0:58:37I mean, it's enough pressure all by itself to learn a new language,
0:58:37 > 0:58:40but to be stalked by this?
0:58:40 > 0:58:42Not the way to do it.
0:59:01 > 0:59:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd