An Cumann Gaelach is the
Irish Language Society (''Cumann Gaelach'') at
Queen's University Belfast ( ga, Ollscoil na Banríona). Established in 1906, it is the third oldest society still in existence at the University, after the BMSA and
Christian Union. The first meeting of the society was held on 30 January 1906, with William Mac Arthur being elected the first president.
The society is part funded by the University, through the
QUB Students' Union.
History
Early years
The Irish Language Society, An Cumann Gaelach, was founded on 30 January 1906 and was the first language society at the University. The society predates the University itself, which founded in 1908 (previously it had been one of three
Queen's Colleges established in 1848).
The establishment of An Cumann Gaelach was part of a movement that had been taking place across Ireland and the Irish communities abroad from the second half of the nineteenth century, which aimed to celebrate traditional Gaelic culture and sport. This period saw the establishment of
Conradh na Gaeilge
(; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...
(known as the Gaelic League in English) in 1893 and the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...
in 1884. Like most of these groups at the time, An Cumann Gaelach was founded by Protestants, indeed only 25 Catholics attended the University out of a total student population in the region of 400.
First president
William Porter MacArthur (1884–1964) was the first president of the society, having learned Irish in Cloch Cheannfhaolaidh in west
Donegal. MacArthur studied medicine at Queens and went on to serve in the British army. He later published a "landmark" paper on
cysticercosis
Cysticercosis is a tissue infection caused by the young form of the pork tapeworm. People may have few or no symptoms for years. In some cases, particularly in Asia, solid lumps of between one and two centimetres may develop under the skin. Aft ...
, wrote on topics such as the
Great Famine, and contributed medical entries to ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
''. MacArthur retired in 1941 as a Lieutenant General.
1920s and 1930s
Following the
partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland ( ga, críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. ...
in 1921, the Irish language became politically associated with Catholic Nationalists who rejected
British rule in Ireland. The growing tensions impacted the Irish language movement in Northern Ireland as opinions of the language became influenced by sectarianism.
This had an effect on An Cumann Gaelach, and the University's Protestant community became less involved in the society.
Between 1925 and 1929, the society had more or less died out until an Irish language revival movement in the University around 1930.
In 1936, the Comhchaidreamh (interrelationship in English) was formed, an organisation that sought to create links among all university Irish societies.
1950s and 1960s
The society grew between 1950 and 1970 due to an increase in the student population and a cultural revival of the Irish language throughout Ulster at the time. This increased interest reflected to some extent the rising influence of Comhaltas Uladh, the Ulster Council of Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League). The society's magazine, ''An Scáthán'' (The Mirror), was formed in 1950 and was published three or four times a year.
From the 1960s, some members of An Cumann Gaelach would travel to Ballinamore in the Donegal
Gaeltacht
( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...
, providing the members with an opportunity to see Irish in use in everyday life.
The Troubles
The 1970s saw an increase in membership, with more than 300 members for most years in that period. The 1970s also saw the Cumann organise monthly céilís in what is now the Mandela Hall in the Students' Union, as well as continuing the classes and trips to the Gaeltacht. During this period, some University signs included both Irish and English. As the Troubles continued, the membership of the society began to dwindle and many events were either abandoned or downscaled.
Present day
Following the
Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...
, the suspicions that had previously surrounded the Irish language began to decrease. An annual survey of Cumainn across Ireland by Irish language daily, ''
Lá Nua
''Lá'' (Irish for "Day"; later known as ''Lá Nua'', Irish for "New Day") was an Irish-language daily newspaper based in Belfast. It was the first daily newspaper in Ireland to be published in Irish. ''Lá Nua'' belonged to the Belfast Media Gr ...
'' showed growth in the society's number since the start of the decade, rising from 25 in 2003 to 168 in 2007, making it the largest in Northern Ireland and the fifth largest on the island.
[''Lá Nua'', '"Glúin TG4" ag teacht in aibíocht ar champais olscoile na hÉireann', 10 December 2007]
2006 marked the centenary of An Cumann Gaelach with a Céilí Mór in Belfast's Wellington Park Hotel, and the publication of a magazine. The society continues to run weekly Irish classes and trips to the Gaeltacht, as well as other cultural events such as traditional music sessions, talks and film showings.
In 2018, the Cumann Gaelach launched a campaign for bilingual signage at QUB, and in 2020 it ran a week long Irish festival.
References
External links
An Cumann Gaelach, Ollscoil na Banríona Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumann Gaelach, Qub
1906 establishments in Ireland
Irish language organisations
Gaelach
Student language societies
Student subject associations in the United Kingdom
Celtic language advocacy organizations