Last Thursday may have seemed a normal weekday evening gatheing at The Banshee, the popular Dorchester Avenue pub and restaurant. The barstools were full of people watching the Bruins’ and Celtics’ games while diners at nearby tables shared food and laughs.
But upstairs in the pub’s event space, the scene looked and sounded more than a liitle bit different. With overhead lights bathing the room in a green glow, “Hellos” turned to “dia dhuit” from the Pop-Up Gaeltacht, an informal monthly session, where Irish language speakers and learners chat and brush up on their discourse.
Bill Gaylord, a Dorchester resident, founded the group after searching in vain for an existing pop-up. “There were none in the city. I looked for them,” he said. “I think there was one three or four years ago downtown. I was like, there’s got to be enough people that would be interested. So, I got it started.”
Soon therafter, Julianne Kennedy and Aodán Barry, both fluent Irish speakers, joined the effort.
“Pop-up gaeltachts are a thing in different cities, in Ireland, and all around the world. Irish is really having a resurgence right now,” said Kennedy, who is from Ireland’s Co. Laois. “When I was growing up, it was mandatory. From Pre K until you are 18, you have to learn at least an hour [of Irish] a day.”
She added: “It was awful, but something has happened in the last couple of years where Gen Z really feels connected to the language. There’s been this resurgence of Irish words. It’s cool. We’re holding onto our culture and reclaiming a bit of Irishness.”
A decade ago, Kennedy left the Eastern/Midland region of Ireland for Northeastern University and has lived in Boston ever since. When she left her home, she also left her language behind.
“I was much more fluent in Irish, and over the last ten years I’ve really lost it,” Kennedy said. “I’m annoyed at myself, so I’m trying to get back to it.” The pop-up seems like the best way to do just that.
“Usually, there are 10 or 11 people,” said Gaylord. “The first week, we had 20 or so. It’s a lot of fun. Conversations on and off, and sometimes it will turn into a mini impromptu lesson. Conversation flows, and I try to catch and learn a little bit more.”
While the group ranges in Irish facility, the casual conversations seem to help everyone, from beginners to advanced speakers like Kennedy and Barry.
“I’ve been learning for ten years now,” said Barry. “I started when I was at university. I went to UMass Amherst. We just had an opportunity to learn there, and then I just absolutely fell in love with it and became a crazy person for it.”
The monthly meeting gives him the chance to meet with people who share his passion.
Dorothy Campbell, a native of Co. Down in Northern Ireland, feels that returning to the language has helped her build community. “Any other hobby is quite isolated. Here, you’re getting to know people; it’s very social,” she said.
Her husband, Seamus Whelan, is part of the pop-up, too. “I went to school in Ireland, and not many people at the time had a real love for the language, mainly because of the way it’s taught,” said the Co. Kildare native. “There’s been a little bit of a revival of the language in the last couple of years.”
He added, “The most important part of any culture is the language. There’s a certain beauty.”
Kennedy agrees with him. “In order to keep differentiated, it’s important that we maintain our culture,” she said. “Things that make us unique need to be protected and watered and given the chance to stay alive.”
All are “fáilte,” or welcomed, to next month’s meet-up at The Banshee: Thurs., April 16. As the members say, Sláinte!
More information can be found on the group’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
