Derry’s Irish language heritage to be celebrated this weekend

A bilingual walking tour and céilí will take place in Derry this weekend.

As the culmination of six-months worth of research with Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin’s ‘Céim ar Chéim’ project, the findings and the event will shine a light upon the frequently overlooked linguistic heritage of the city.

The tour will take place on Sunday, November 17 at 2.00pm from Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin and finish with a céilí in St Columb’s Hall where Conradh na Gaeilge held their first classes in the city back in 1894.

Mary Delargy, primary researcher of the project who will also be leading the tour, said: “As an Irish speaker who was born and raised in the city, I grew up hearing about the grassroots efforts of Gaeilgeoirí in building and preserving the linguistic heritage that we all share here in Derry.

“Even still, the articles, the schoolbooks, and the stories from all the kind people who have contributed to the project (and the self-guided audio tour which is soon-to-be-released) has offered a deeper look into how the Irish language has been revived here.

“With that, it’s my pleasure and privilege to invite you, whether you have Irish or are simply interested in local contemporary history, to join us for the event, and celebrate our heritage that has often been bubbling right under the surface.”

Some of the stops along the tour include The Guildhall (the place of the first Derry Feis), the house of the scholar Richard Irvine Best, and An Craobh (the starting place of Craobh Sheain Uí Dubhláin of the Gaelic League).

The tour will focus on more recent history, from the early 1900’s on to the present day.

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The project comes at a time where many people are discovering their links to the Irish language, including in Belfast with a project aiming to present the story of the Irish language revival as an exhibition at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

For more information, you can follow Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin’s social media at @culturlanndoire on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

For any further queries, you can contact eolas@culturlann.org, call (+44) 028 7126 4132, or visit the building at 37 Great James’ Street.