Conor Brummell writes about the 'Paul Mescal effect' on the Irish language and how perceptions might just be changing, fueled by the blossoming arts scene.

Gan dabht, tá scannánaíocht na hÉireann ag dul ó neart go neart i rith seasúr na ngradam i mbliana.Tá neart ainmniúcháin bainte amach ag aisteoirí agus scannánóirí Éireannacha a bhí lámh acu sná scannáin Banshees of Inisherin, Aftersun, An Cáilín Ciúin agus an gearrscannán An Irish Goodbye ach an oiread. Ardaíodh croíthe na nGael nuair a fógraíodh go raibh ainmniúchán faighte ag scannán Gaeilge don chéad uair riamh ag na hOscars. Ceangailte leis sin, chuaigh daoine Éireannacha ar mire ar an Domhnach beag seo caite nuair a labhair Paul Mescal agus Brendan Gleeson Gaeilge le TG4 ar an gcairpéad dearg ag na BAFTAs.

Rinneadh mearscaipthe ar na fiseáin seo ar líne go láithreach agus an bheirt aisteoir ag labhairt go neirbhíseach os comhair na gceamraí. Rinne Paul cur síos géarr ar an ngaol a bhí aige lena chomhrealta ón scannán Aftersun Frankie Corio, agus labhair Brendan faoi na féidearthachtaí atá ann do scannánóirí agus aisteoirí na Gaeilge na laethanta seo. D'aontaigh an bheirt acu go raibh éacht ollmhór bainte amach ag An Cáilín Ciúin.

Anois tar éis na BAFTAs, tá gach mác máthair idir Ghaeilgeoirí agus Béarlóirí ag labhairt faoi Paul Mescal agus a chúpla focal. Rinne sé a sheacht ndícheall an Ghaeilge a labhairt, cé go raibh sé as cleachtadh agus nach raibh a chuid Gaeilge foirfe. Tá na tuairimí ar aon ghuth amháin faoi: thóg Paul Mescal an seans Gaeilge a labhairt, rud a léiríonn gur féidir leat cúpla focal a úsáid anois agus arís, pé léibhéal atá agat féin. Neartaíodh an tuairim seo nuair a ghabh Paul Mescal leithscéal nach raibh a chuid Gaeilge foirfe i rith an agallaimh, rud a chuir an seanfhocail 'Is fearr Gaeilge bhríste ná Béarla cliste’ i gcuimhne dúinn go léir.

Ach an gcaithfidh tú a bheith i d'aisteoir cáiliúil chun seans a thógail ar an teanga? An bhfuil muid gafa leis an teanga toisc go bhfuil sé faiseanta anois agus gur chualthas í ar an gcairpéad dearg? Nó an bhfuil normalú á ndéanamh ar an teanga faoi dheireadh?

Tá an cuma air go bhfuil meón na ndaoine Éireannacha ag athrú i leith na Gaeilge. Mar shampla, bhí an-tóir ar na scánnáin Frankie agus Rosie, Arracht agus Black 47 agus iad sa phictúirlánn leis na blianta beaga anuas. Chomh maith leis sin, tá ardú ar líon na bpodcraoltaí agus earraí eile Gaeilge le gairid freisin.

Faoi láthair, táim féin i mo chonaí thar lear sa Bhruiséil sa Bheilg, áit a bhfuil pobal mór Éireannach ag obair trí Ghaeilge san Aontas Eorpach. Cloistear na Gaeilge go tráthrialta sa chathair. Ní amháin sin, bím ag úsáid mo chuid Gaeilge níos mó anseo ná in Éirinn, cé go n-oibrím i mBéarla. Roimh Nollaig, mar shampla, bhí mé ag seasamh taobh amuigh den phictiúrlann agus chuala mé fear ag labhairt na Gaeilge ar an bhfón. Nuair a chuala mé i dtús é, bhí ionadh orm go raibh mo chuid Géarmáinise ón scoil níos fearr ná gur cheap mé. B ach Gaeilge a bhí ann! Chomh maith leis sin, fiú mura bhfuil Gaeilge foirfe ag cuid mór na ndaoine Éireannacha anseo, déanann siad iarracht cúpla focal a labhairt má chloiseann siad an teanga timpeall orthu.

Rud a thugadh dom agus mé ag maireachtáil san Eoraip, áfach, go mbíonn scileanna teangacha Eorpacha níos láidire ag daoine Éireannacha ná a gcuid scileanna teanga Ghaeilge. Is rud an-spéisiúil dom é seo, agus cuirtear ag smaoineamh mé go minic faoi.

Tá seanscéal agus meirg air na gearán faoin Gaeilge mar ábhar scoile sa mheánscoil. De gnáth is tuairimí dímheasúla iad, a chaitheann aníos ar an teanga. Dar le grúpa mór daoine in Éirinn, is teanga marbh í an Ghaeilge agus ní úsáidtear go laethúil i. Ní mhúintear an teanga i gceart ar scoil, agus aontaím go huile is go hiomlán leis an meon seo. Is fadhb chorásach í agus tá sé seo le feiceáil toisc nach mbíonn daoine in ann an Ghaeilge a labhairt nuair a fhágann siad an scoil. Ach an múintear teangacha Eorpacha níos fearr sna scoileanna, nó an rud é go mbíonn ábhair níos suimiúla le plé sna teangacha eile sin? Ní dóigh liom é, i ndáiríre.

Cinnte, bíonn brú ar dhaoine staidéar a dhéanamh ar próslitríocht agus filíocht cosúil le Dís agus Caca Mílis ar scoil. Cuireann sé seo leadrán agus fearg ar dhaoine ar chúis éigin. Ní thosóimid ag labhairt faoi Pheig Sayers, an duine ba chonspóidí a bhí ann riamh, cé nach bhfuil sí ar an gcuraclam le blianta anois.

Ach céard iad na difríochtaí is mó idir An Cailín Ciúin agus na hábhair atá ar an Ardteist? An bhfuil níos mó luacha ag baint leis an nGaeilge nuair atá sé ar an scáiléan mór? Ag deireadh an lae, is ábhair na healaíona Gaeilge iad ar fad, agus gan a chéile, bheadh cultúr na teanga thíos. Is spéisiúil an rud é go bhfuil An Cáilín Ciúin bunaithe ar téacs scríofa i mBéarla, a bhíonn ar an gcuraclam Béarla na hArdteiste. Fós ní dhéanann sé sin difríocht don tuairimí atá ag daoine faoi plota an scéil.

Glactar leis gur rud dearfach é amach is amach gur labhair Paul Mescal Gaeilge ag na BAFTAs. Is cúis mhór bróid í go bhfuil an teanga faoi bhláth níos mó anois ná a bhí sí roimhe. Is leir go bhfuil i mbun athbheochain nua aimseartha na Gaeilge, agus ta súil agam go mbeidh an tacaíocht céanna atá tugtha don An Cáilín Ciúin agus Paul Mescal anois, don Ghaeilge go laethúil. Mar a dúirt Brendan Gleeson é féin ar an gcairpéad dearg, is seans anois é don rialtas infheistíocht a dhéanamh ar an teanga agus ar scannanaíocht na hÉireann go ginearálta. Cuirfidh sé sin an dá chultúr chun cinn agus cruthóidh sé sin meon níos dearfaí faoin scannáníocht agus an teanga in Éirinn.

The Irish film industry has gone from strength to strength this awards season. Many actors and filmmakers have received award nominations for their part in creating The Banshees of Inisherin, Aftersun, An Cailín Ciúin and also the short film An Irish Goodbye. Irish people were left elated when it became clear that Ireland’s first ever Irish language film received an Oscar nomination for An Cailín Ciúin. The nation also went wild last Sunday when Paul Mescal and Brendan Gleeson spoke about An Cailín Ciúin as Gaeilge on the red carpet at the BAFTAs.


The videos of the two actors speaking Irish on the red carpet immediately went viral with commentary online praising both for attempting to speak Irish with TG4 despite being nervous about the task. Paul spoke fondly, as he does, about Frankie Corio while Brendan Gleeson spoke about the opportunities there are for Irish-language filmmaking and acting now that an Irish language film has received an Oscar nomination. Both agreed that An Cailín Ciúin has achieved a magnificent feat.

Everyone, Irish speakers and English speakers in Ireland alike, is talking about Paul Mescal’s interview after the BAFTAs. He did his best to talk to TG4, even though he appeared to be out of practice and after he himself said his Irish was not perfect. Everyone is of the same opinion: Paul Mescal took the chance to speak Irish when could, something that shows anyone can use their couple of words every now and again, despite their language level in Irish. This was proven also by the fact that Paul apologised that his Irish wasn’t perfect during the interview. The old proverb ‘Is fearr Gaeilge bhríste ná Béarla cliste’ certainly springs to mind.

But do you have to be a famous actor to take a chance on the Irish language? Is this sudden outpouring of admiration for the language a direct result of Irish ‘being cool’ and fashionable now that it was spoken on the red carpet? Or is there a process of language normalisation finally happening in Ireland?

It does appear that the mindset of Irish people is changing when it comes to Irish. There was a lot of attention given to the Irish language films Frankie agus Rosie, Arracht agus Black 47 when they were in cinemas in the past couple of years. Not only that, but there is a rise in the amount of Irish language podcasts and other Irish language content too.

I’m currently living abroad in Brussels, Belgium, a city where there is a large community of Irish people working in the European Union through Irish, and you can hear the language occasionally when out and about. Before Christmas, I was standing outside a cinema and heard someone speaking a language that was not English on the phone, but which I could understand. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that my German from school was better than I thought, but it was actually Irish I was hearing. I also find I use Irish more here than I do at home because I have more chances to. Even Irish people who don’t have strong Irish try to throw in a few words here and there when they hear the language being spoken.

While living in mainland Europe, something that occurred to me is that some Irish people have stronger European language skills than they have Irish language skills. I find this interesting and I think about it a lot.

We’ve all heard the opinions about Irish as a subject in school. These opinions are usually disparaging, and devalue the language. A lot of people think that Irish is a dead language and that it isn’t used daily. I agree that the language isn’t taught correctly in schools, but that is a systemic issue that needs constant addressing. It is a shame that the majority of Irish people can’t speak Irish when they leave school, or that they forget it soon afterwards. But are European languages really taught better in schools, or do they have more interesting topics to learn about within them? I don’t think so, honestly.

Of course, there is pressure on students to study literature, short films and poetry as Gaeilge such as Dís, Cáca Mílis agus Colscaradh in school. The fact that there isn’t more emphasis put on oral language skills angers people regularly. We won’t even begin to talk about Peig Sayers, who seems to be the most controversial person to ever have lived, even though she hasn’t been on the Irish curriculum for decades.


What is the biggest difference between An Cailín Ciúin and the prose on the Leaving Cert? Is Irish inevitably more valuable if it’s seen on the big screen? Realistically speaking, they’re both cultural works made through Irish, and without either, Irish language culture would significantly suffer.

It’s an interesting point to make that An Cailín Ciúin is based on the novella Foster by Claire Keegan, which also features on the English curriculum at Leaving Cert level. Yet still, that doesn’t have an effect on people’s opinions of the story.

It is of course an entirely positive thing that Paul Mescal spoke Irish at the BAFTAs. It’s a massive cultural milestone and a reason for many to be proud that is blossoming in ways that it never did before. It seems we’re about to enter into a new era of Irish language revival, and I just hope that this type of support for the Irish language is shown more regularly and more often than it has been up until now. As Brendan Gleeson said, it’s a massive opportunity for the Irish film industry, and the Government needs to invest it in more. This would give both the Irish language and the Irish filmmaking industry a place to grow.