How to be Irish

Why did the Irish language start to decline? Why should we be interested in learning Gaeilge? How can you go about bringing more Irish into your everyday life? Saoirse Garet is a voice facilitator and accent coach who has recently researched the Irish language and vocal identity. In this episode, Saoirse and I discuss how the loss of Irish has affected Irish vocal identity in our connection to our bodies, our minds and ourselves. We cover: The current revival of the Irish language How a mindset shift can help the Irish language to thrive, and How playing with a language is the best way to learn How the erasure of Irish is similar to Indigenous languages What is Hiberno-English If you’re curious about the Irish language then this episode is for you! Míle buíochas to Saoirse for joining me in the How to be Irish studio today. She creates content around the voice on TikTok and Instagram. Be sure to check her socials out too if you would like to learn more about her research and upcoming workshop that was mentioned in the show. What other topics would you like to see covered by this podcast? Leave a comment. How to be Irish is on Instagram, and you can follow me, Úna, on TikTok. Please consider supporting this podcast by becoming a patron on Patreon. Irish language Gaeilge learning Irish podcast decline loss famine Irish in schools

Are the Irish repressed emotionally? How has our history impacted our soma? How are the young people in Ireland working to heal themselves for their future ancestors today? Caoimhe Gibney, aka The Mindful Physio and founder of the ANAM Collective, facilitates and runs healing retreats. Through her work with Irish people, she has discovered that we all hold a deep sadness within ourselves. In this episode, we explore the impact of intergenerational trauma on the bodies and lives of the Irish, and how young Irish people are doing the work to heal themselves. My discussion with Caoimhe includes: How she transitioned from working as a physiotherapist to finding healing therapies such as yoga, breathwork and Reiki. What healing actually looks like and how the body responds. How cultural shifts in Ireland have paved the way for healing from our intergenerational trauma. How somatic therapies allow us to connect with our ancestors and engage with our spiritual selves. Coping with trauma: alcoholism in Irish society. The shared traumas of Irish women passed on from generation to generation. Caoimhe mentions upcoming retreats in this episode. If you are interested in finding out more, Caoimhe is available on Instagram, TikTok and her website. Do you think the Irish are traumatised as a result of our history? Let me know in the comments! How to be Irish is on Instagram, and you can follow me, Úna, on TikTok.

Why did Ireland undergo so much societal change in the 1990s and 2000s? What was it like to be a young woman or a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland in the late 20th century? What are the issues we should be focusing on next in Irish society? Ailbhe Smyth is an LGBTIQA and feminist activist, campaigner. She was co-director of the Together for Yes campaign to repeal the 8th amendment in 2018, and an academic at UCD where she founded and directed the Women's Studies programme. Join us in the How to be Irish studio as we discuss: The referendums of recent years in Ireland and how they came about. What it was like to be a lesbian in Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s. How the Catholic Church dominated Irish society for years. Why climate change needs to be prioritised. Let me know what you think of this discussion in the comments! You can follow Ailbhe on X and Instagram. How to be Irish is on Instagram, and you can follow me, Úna, on TikTok.

Who are the people of Ireland? How did they spend their days hundreds and thousands of years ago? How were they perceived and what beliefs did they have? Emilie O’Driscoll is a content creator who focuses on the topic of the ancient Irish people and their mythology. Join us in the How to be Irish studio this week where we discuss: What Ireland looked like before colonisation. Where Halloween gets its origins. Whether Christianity was a good thing for Ireland or not. How Irish people are different from the British. If you enjoyed this chat, then why not give the podcast a 5-star rating? Go raibh míle! Join Emilie’s Irish history and Irish folklore book club on Substack. Follow Emilie on TikTok for content on Irish mythology and the ancient Irish people. Follow the show on Instagram or follow me, Úna, the host on TikTok. A note on the discussion around the phrase, ‘daoine gorma’: we mentioned that the phrase is no longer used to describe black people in Irish. This is not true. ‘Daoine gorma’ is still the correct translation for black people. The origins of the term are similar in Gaeilge to Scot’s Gaelic. The word ‘gorm’ describes the reflection or iridescence as opposed to a direct translation to blue in English. The word ‘gorm’ covers a wider breadth of the colour scale than ‘blue’, hence its use in ‘daoine gorma’. Secondly, the phrase ‘duine dubh’ is used to describe the devil in Irish, hence why black person is not translated directly to ‘duine dubh’. You can read more about the origins of this phrase here.

TW for this episode: Suicide, Mental Illness Daragh Fleming is a multi-award-winning poet and author who uses his art to explore and heal mental health and mental illness. Daragh shares his deeply personal journey, starting with the devastating loss of his best friend to suicide at age 17, and continuing through his own struggles with depression in his early 20s. He opens up about how writing became his lifeline, offering an outlet for expression in a society that often stigmatises men's mental health. We also dive into some gripping personal stories, including Daragh's traumatic experience of being catfished and blackmailed, and the shocking tale of a scammer from Cork targeting Irish people in Barcelona. Daragh caps off the conversation by reading his witty and reflective piece on how the Irish are "Consistently Average." Resources Mentioned: Daragh’s award-winning blog: Thoughts Too Big His podcast: Thoughts Too Loud Follow Daragh on Instagram and TikTok Need Support? If you’ve been impacted by the topics discussed, please reach out. Freephone 1800 111 888 or visit yourmentalhealth.ie for mental health support resources in your area. Get Involved: Vote for the Mental Health Media Awards (MHMA) and support impactful mental health storytelling. What does it take to climb Mount Everest? Where are the best pints of Guinness in New York? What was it like to volunteer in the West Bank? What is the reality of living in Ireland in your 20s? Support the podcast via Patreon.

Hannah Nash is the host of ⁠⁠Greener Fields⁠⁠, a podcast about the realities of life in your 20s and 30s, a time often associated with emigration for Irish people. Having recorded nearly 90 episodes (and counting), Hannah reflects on what she has learned from speaking to so many young Irish people and their choice to emigrate, come home or stay in Ireland, a choice that is often the least likely! In this episode, we discuss the meaning of home, mental health and wellbeing, the decline in drinking culture and the rise of the sober movement, as well as Hannah's plans for Greener Fields and her psychotherapy career. Let me know what you think about the themes discussed in this episode using the comment feature or by engaging with ⁠⁠How to be Irish on Instagram⁠⁠. Follow ⁠⁠Hannah⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Greener Fields⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠NASHH⁠⁠ on Instagram. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a 5 star rating here on Spotify, or even consider ⁠paying me a small token⁠ for my work. Go raibh míle, Úna

Rob O’Donnell is an exciting new voice on the Irish political scene. He’s a Green Party candidate for Limerick County. In this episode, we chat about climate change and our supposed grá for the land (road frontage etc.!), about local politics and the shift we’re noticing in how people perceive rural Ireland and the Irish language since the pandemic. Rob also spent time volunteering in the West Bank. It’s where he met his Palestinian dog, Yasser. We chat about his time there and the human rights abuses he witnessed by the Israeli settlers against the Palestinians. You can follow Rob on Instagram @robodonnellgp and TikTok @tharlear.

John McDonagh is quite the character. He’s an Irish-American born in New York, went to school and lived in Donegal for periods of his life and had been driving a yellow taxi for the past 40 years. His colourful background in the arts and political activism has left him with a treasure trove of stories about the FBI, Guinness and the Troubles. John has kindly joined me for my first-ever chat for ‘How to be Irish’ where he gives his insight on the North during the Troubles, the perception of Irish Republicans in the US and the importance of storytelling as part of preserving Irish culture. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation. John has a magnificent way with words and has been proudly flying the flag for Ireland in New York all his life. Keep up to date with John: Instagram: @cabtivist For details about John’s upcoming shows and events: www.offthemeter.net

Pat Falvey is a world record-breaking Irish explorer, having been the first person to climb the highest Seven Summits of the world, twice! His journey starts from a council house in the Northside of Cork City, where he watched planes taking off and landing at Cork airport. He was a dreamer who went on to achieve his dreams such as climbing Mount Everest, leading great expeditions to some of the most extreme corners of our globe, and learning life's most important lessons from the remotest of tribes. In this episode, Pat talks about growing up as a Norrie, going on to become a millionaire aged just 20, to losing it all and becoming depressed aged 29. He explains how climbing Mount Carrauntoohil in County Kerry saved his life, as it gave him a new goal and motivation - to reach the summit of the highest mountain of them all, Mount Everest. Pat explains what he has learned from his achievements and his failures and how being Irish has been an important part of it all. Follow Pat and his adventures over on patfalvey.com, or @patfalveyexplorer on Instagram and YouTube.

To be Irish, is to be from the island of Ireland. Or so Google tells me. But have you ever considered what Irishness means to you? I’m your host, Úna Harty, and I’m super curious about Irishness in the context of modern society. I’m so excited to be chatting to load of wonderful and wacky Irish personalities on this brand new podcast. I want to go beyond the Book of Kells, the sraithphictiúrí and even Cheese and Onion Tayto kinds of Irishness. I’m going to be talking to Irish people who have a unique take on what it means to be Irish. Each episode is based on a guests’ life, interests and perspectives, so I hope there will be something for everyone to enjoy. If you have any feedback or suggestions for the show, get in touch with me on Instagram @howtobeirish.