Humans of An Dream Dearg: Eoghan Ó Garmaile

My name is Eoghan Ó Garmaile. I am a student at Queen’s University Belfast and am part of a group of activists lobbying the university for language rights for a couple of years now, but it wasn’t here that I first witnessed the attack on the Irish language.

As a young person growing up through the medium of Irish in the six counties, I’ve been well used to it. My generation in Coláiste Feirste had been part of the demonstrations outside the Equality Commission and Education Authority buildings protesting the cuts on Irish-medium funds in education.

The hardest thing about moving from an all-Irish school to an all-English university was the lack of visibility around campus and lack of use of the Irish language in class.

Therefore, a group of us started a campaign to erect bilingual signage around the university for the first time since 1997, which exposed the university’s real attitude towards the Irish language: that it was ‘provocative, offensive and intimidatory’.

This created a storm in the university and the public, such a storm that could not happen in universities down south, or in Scotland or Wales since the minority and indigenous languages there are not only promoted, but are protected by strong legislation in government.

According to these universities, bilingual signage not only dismisses such problems of discrimination but gives opportunities of a more equal, diverse and inclusive society.

This is why we need an Irish Language Act in the north. Beir bua! #AchtAnois #RedTodayAndEveryday