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The Gaeltacht Quarter ( ) in
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, is an area surrounding the Falls Road in the west of the city. A
Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...
is an area where the
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
is spoken. Unlike the traditional Gaeltacht areas in the Republic of Ireland, Belfast's Gaeltacht Quarter does not have legally defined geographical boundaries. The Quarter serves as a socio-linguistic hub focused on the Falls Road/Andersonstown Road corridor in the west of the city, and aims to promote Irish language and
Irish culture The culture of Ireland includes the Irish art, art, Music of Ireland, music, Irish dance, dance, Irish mythology, folklore, Irish clothing, traditional clothing, Irish language, language, Irish literature, literature, Irish cuisine, cuisine ...
in the area and to develop associated tourist attractions. Since the 1980s the Irish language has been statistically stronger in Belfast (especially in the west of the city) than anywhere else in Northern Ireland. The city has witnessed a steady growth of active English-Irish bilingualism, concentrated in the electoral wards in the west of the city. According to the 2021 census, out of the 333,748 people residing in Belfast city, 15.5% of people in the city have some knowledge of Irish, and 5.4% of the city's population claim to be able to speak, read, write and understand spoken Irish. 3.9% of people in the city use Irish daily and 0.8% speak it as their main language at home. According to
Innti ''Innti'' was a literary movement of poets writing Modern literature in Irish, associated with a literary journal of the same name founded in 1970 by Michael Davitt, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Gabriel Rosenstock, Liam Ó Muirthile, later joined ...
poet and scholar of
Modern literature in Irish Although Irish has been used as a literary language for more than 1,500 years (see Irish literature), and modern literature in Irish dates – as in most European languages – to the 16th century, modern Irish literature owes much of its popul ...
Louis de Paor Louis de Paor (born 1961) is a well-known poet in the Irish language. Born in Cork in 1961 and educated at Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, de Paor edited the Irish-language journal ''Innti'', founded in 1970 by Michael Davitt, Nuala Ní Dhomhna ...
,
Belfast Irish Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. It is the second-largest city in Ireland ...
, "a new urban dialect" of
Ulster Irish Ulster Irish ( or , ) is the variety of Irish language, Irish spoken in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. It "occupies a central position in the Goidelic languages, Gaelic world made up of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man". Uls ...
, was "forged in the heat of Belfast during
The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
". The same dialect, according to de Paor, has been used in the poetry of Gearóid Mac Lochlainn and other radically innovative writers like him. The controversial
hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...
trio ''
Kneecap The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...
'' is also based in the Gaeltacht Quarter and performs
rap music Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
in the West Belfast urban dialect of Ulster Irish. Throughout the Quarter six Irish-medium primary schools are located: Gaelscoil an Lonnáin, Gaelscoil na bhFál, Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh, Gaelscoil na Móna, Bunscoil Phobal Feirste and Scoil na Fuinseoige.
Coláiste Feirste Coláiste Feirste is the only secondary-level Irish-medium school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Previously known as ''Méanscoil Feirste'', the (Irish language school) is located in the west of the city in a new facility on Belfast's Falls ...
is one of the fastest-growing secondary schools in Northern Ireland and was the first to teach all subjects through Irish. A third-level institution in the area is
St Mary's University College, Belfast St Mary's University College is a university college in Belfast, Northern Ireland. History The origins of the College can be traced back to 1900 when the Dominican Sisters opened St Mary’s Training College on the present Falls Road campus with ...
which offers teaching qualifications through Irish. Cumann Chluain Árd offers Irish classes for learners to adults in the community. Foras na Gaeilge have their Northern Ireland regional offices in Belfast city centre and fund organisations which provide services (such as youth services, sports training facilities, adult learning, live music) through the medium of Irish for the local Irish-speaking community including the following: In 2011,
Turas Turas (Irish for "journey") is an Irish-language project which is part of East Belfast Mission, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Beginning as a grassroots effort, spearheaded primarily by Linda Ervine, Turas aims to promote the language particularl ...
began promoting Irish through night classes and cultural events at Skainos Centre on the
Newtownards Road The A20 is a road in County Down in Northern Ireland. It runs from Belfast to Newtownards and on to Portaferry. Beginning as the Newtownards Road at the junction of Bridge End close to Belfast city centre, the road runs in an easterly directi ...
in east Belfast. Beginning as a grassroots effort, spearheaded primarily by
Linda Ervine Linda Ervine MBE MRIA is a language rights activist from East Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is an Ulster Irish speaker and supporter of the Gaelic revival and is the project leader of the "Turas" Irish language project which "aims to connect pe ...
, Turas aims to promote Irish in the
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
Unionist community in the belief that "the language belongs to all". Proposals for a Gaeltacht Quarter began in 2002 as a recommendation of the Joint West Belfast/Greater Shankill Task Force. The plan was then adopted by the
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL; ; ) was a devolved government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department was the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure. After ...
and
Belfast City Council Belfast City Council () is the Local government in Northern Ireland, local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of (), the largest of any district c ...
. Key sites and events in the Gaeltacht quarter include
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich (An Chultúrlann) is an Irish language cultural centre in The Gaeltacht Quarter and is located on the Falls Road, Belfast. Opened in 1991, the centre underwent renovation in 2010 and was opened the following year by ...
and
Féile an Phobail Féile an Phobail (''The Community's Festival''), also known as the West Belfast Festival is a community arts organisation known for its ''August Féile'' (Festival). The organisation is prominent for its promotion of Irish and international cu ...
. Many businesses in the Gaeltacht Quarter have Irish language or bilingual signage, public buses announce upcoming bus stops in English and in Irish, and many street names appear bilingually in both languages. There is also an Irish-language community radio station
Raidió Fáilte Raidió Fáilte (; meaning "Welcome Radio") is an Irish-language community radio station, broadcasting from Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It started broadcasting under its current licence on 15 September 2006 having operated as a pirate radio ...
. Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) also have offices in the Gaeltacht Quarter. The Gaeltacht Quarter features highly in the proliferation of events that take part in west Belfast and the surrounding districts every year; Féile an Phobail, Féile na Carraige, Belfast TradFest, Sean-Nós na Fearsaide, Féile na gCloigíní Gorma, Liú Lúnasa and Scoil Samhraidh Mhic Reachtain. In the Gaeltacht Quarter there can be found a broad range of basic family services; including pre-school and afterschool childcare through Irish, Irish-medium youth clubs, Irish medium GAA teams, a cycling club, a gallery, several bilingual coffee shops, a theatre, a school gym, film clubs, elderly citizens meet-ups, a reading circle and several pubs which all cater for and are all well-attended by the local bilingual Irish-speaking community.


In popular culture

The 2024
biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...
film ''
Kneecap The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...
'', in which the
band members Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
play themselves alongside more experienced actors including
Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender (; born 2 April 1977) is a German-Irish actor. His accolades include nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number nine on ''The Irish Ti ...
,
Josie Walker Josie Walker (born 1970) is an actress born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was brought up in England. Career Musicals * ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (Manchester, 1992; London, 1996) * ''Cats'' (English tour, 1995) * ''The Beautiful Game'' (Lo ...
, and
Simone Kirby Simone Kirby (born 28 October 1976) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Oonagh in the Ken Loach film '' Jimmy's Hall''. Other credits include Irene O'Donnell in ''Peaky Blinders'' (2014), Marilyn Hull in ''Notes on Blindness'' (2016) ...
, is set in the Gaeltacht Quarter in 2019. The film premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
on January 18, 2024, the first film in the
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
to do so.


See also

*
Shaw's Road Shaw's Road is a road in west Belfast, Northern Ireland, connecting the Andersonstown Road with the Glen Road. Shaw's Road Gaeltacht Located on the road, is a small Gaeltacht ( Irish-speaking area) known colloquially as "The Irish Houses", and ...
*
Belfast quarters The Belfast quarters are distinctive cultural zones within the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, whose identities have been developed as a spur to tourism and urban regeneration. These "quarters" differ from the traditional Districts of Belfa ...


References


External links

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
Quarters of Belfast {{Belfast-geo-stub