Embassy celebrates European Day of Languages with Irish language classes

Each year the Embassy celebrates European Day of Languages together with our partners at the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). This year, we invited James Foran from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, to teach Irish phrases to Warsaw secondary school students. It was the students’ first contact with the Irish language, and the classes were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

In 2001, the Council of Europe designated September 26 as European Day of Languages – a celebration of the diversity of European languages, promoting language learning and language awareness. Very soon, EUNIC’s Warsaw cluster joined the celebrations and the Embassy has been an active participant of these festivals.

The Embassy has screened films such as "Scéal na Gaeilge" (A History of the Irish Language) and "An Cailín Ciúin" (The Silent Girl), and organised events with Irish artists, including Irish poet Nuala Ni Domhnaill, winner of the 2018 Zbigniew Herbert International Poetry Prize.

A key element, however, has always been introducing young people in Poland to the Irish language. Every year, we offer demonstration lessons for Polish secondary school students, both in-person and online. So far, nearly 1,000 of them have had the opportunity to participate in our lessons and answer the question, "An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?"