What’s behind Belfast’s Irish language revival?

Nov 17, 2025

Linda Ervine, manager of the Turas Irish language project and a passionate advocate for Irish-language learning, discusses the vibrant revival of the Irish language in Belfast. She shares her personal journey into the language and highlights the growing demand for Irish-medium education in traditionally unionist areas. The conversation touches on the political sensitivities surrounding the language, the impact of social media in sparking interest, and how learning Irish can unite diverse communities. Linda emphasizes the language as a shared cultural heritage for all.

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ANECDOTE

A Unionist Learner Falls In Love With Irish

Peter, from a Protestant and unionist background, joined Thuris classes out of curiosity and fell in love with Irish.
He praised place names, pronunciation and the island-wide history of the language.

ANECDOTE

Accidental Discovery Of A Lost Heritage

Linda Ervine discovered Irish accidentally in a women's group and felt a deep sense of loss for not knowing it earlier.
Learning the language revealed to her a part of her Belfast identity that had been denied.

ANECDOTE

School Opened Despite Threats And Intimidation

Scull na Xolta nursery faced threats, intimidation and lost pupils before opening but rebuilt and grew after launch.
After a difficult start the school now has surging interest and is living peacefully with neighbours.

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For generations, Irish speakers north and south of the Irish Border have fought to keep their language alive. And today, what was once dismissed as a fading tongue is undergoing an exhilarating and vibrant revival.

The Republic’s newly elected president Catherine Connolly has made it clear the Irish language will play a central role during her time in office and says she wants to see the native tongue of this island flourish.

Meanwhile, north of the Border, the Irish language is also making headlines. In October, attendees at the annual Oireachtas na Samhna Irish-language festival heard Belfast was “leading the revival” of the language. New Irish-medium schools are springing up across the city to meet a surge in demand and Belfast is now hailed by many as Ireland’s largest urban Gaeltacht.

However, beneath all this buzz lies a battleground. The Irish language remains highly politically charged across Northern Ireland, with unionist leaders pushing back against what they see as an erosion of their identity and traditions. They argue the language is being imposed, without consent, into on daily lives.

From bilingual street signs to Irish on council property – every word is a flashpoint.

So why does the Irish language stir such fierce resistance in Northern Ireland?

Claims that the language is being “weaponised”, are unhelpful and only create further divisions, says Linda Ervine, one of the leading activists and teachers of the Irish language in Northern Ireland and manager of the Turas Irish language project in east Belfast.

“I try to say to people if you don’t like the language, it doesn’t symbolise who you are, that’s fine, I totally accept that,” Ms Ervine tells today’s In The News episode. “Nobody is removing the English. All we’re asking for is a shared space.”

“The language is part of the family of Celtic language, it’s spoken throughout the British Isles,” she says. “No matter our history, we have these shared, familial and linguistic ties to each other and I think that’s something to be celebrated, not something to be frightened of.”

Today, on In The News, what’s behind the revival of the Irish Language in Belfast, and why is it controversial?

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair.

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