I had a baby boy ten months ago. His name is Milo and just like every other mother in the world, I think that my son is the best and most beautiful little boy there has ever been.
I don’t suppose it will surprise anyone to learn that I’m raising him through Irish. It was always my intention that any child of mine would learn Irish as their mother tongue.
However, I have to admit that it’s proving to be more difficult than I thought. Even though I live in the Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking part of Ireland), things have changed utterly since I was a child being raised through Irish.
When I was growing up, my mother, father and my father’s parents (who lived next door to us) spoke to me only in Irish. I hardly ever heard English being spoken until I went to school.
It wasn’t just my family who spoke Irish. All of our neighbours did too. Irish is what was spoken in all of the small rural shops in our community. There was rarely a need to speak or even hear English unless we went to Dingle town, which we only did once or twice a week.
Things are not the same today. In my own house, Milo’s father does not speak much Irish. This means that English is the language we speak when the three of us are together.
We live in a little village where some of the neighbours only have a few words of Irish. Most of the small rural shops have closed and even in those that are still open, you can’t always rely on being served by someone who speaks Irish.
Before Milo was born, I knew that Irish was in decline and might even be at risk of dying entirely. I thought that I was doing my personal best to speak it and keep it alive.
But now I realise that I wasn’t and that I have to do far, far more.
I also realise that Irish is more vulnerable than ever and more precious as a result.
The Irish language and culture is a special treasure that is unique to us.
I’m committed to passing that treasure on to my son, just as it was passed on to me.
I will do that no matter how difficult it proves to be.
