University Exchange – The University of Edinburgh & Queen’s University, Belfast
Students from The University of Edinburgh visited us this month, on the second leg of a university exchange programme between Scottish Gaelic and Irish language learners.

Our guests sampled the Irish language initiatives on campus, as well as other parts of Belfast.

Fáilte!/Welcome!
Our friends from Scotland received ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’/One Hundred Thousand Welcomes, as they joined Dr. Síobhra Aiken’s Irish lecture.
The University of Edinburgh students got to know some of our Irish students, shared stories, and were taught some useful phrases they could use at the ‘Ciorcal Comhrá’/Irish language conversation circle later that day.

Ciorcal Comhrá/Irish Language Conversation Circle
Our monthly Ciorcal Comhrá was a busy one, with Irish speakers of all abilities using their ‘cúpla focal’ over a ‘cupán tae’.
With Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrations in full swing, we had a large gathering of ‘gaeilgeoirí’/Irish speakers and were entertained by our fantastic Student Traditional Music Group.

Cuairt ar Ghlór na Móna/Visit to Glór na Móna
Glór na Móna, one of the key Irish language organisations in Belfast, was the venue for our Scottish Gaelic students, as they listened to a lecture from Dr. Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh on indigenous, minority languages.
We were also given a guided tour of Glór na Móna, and heard about the pioneering work being done at community and grassroots level.

Ranganna Gaeilge/Irish Classes
Our Irish language students and Dr. Míchéal Ó Mainnín warmly welcomed The University of Edinburgh students to a lecture, in which they exchanged ideas and shared opinions on Irish, Scottish Gaelic and other minority languages.

Madden’s – Ceol Beo/Live Music
Our guests from The University of Edinburgh enjoyed an evening of music and song in one of Belfast’s most well-known bars for Irish traditional music, Madden’s.

Cuairt ar Raidió Fáilte/Visit to Raidió Fáilte
Raidió Fáilte 107.1FM, Belfast’s Irish language radio station, welcomed us to their studios. Our guests had a talk with Raidió Fáilte DJs, Edel Ní Churraoin and Pól Ó Néill on broadcasting, podcasts and all areas of production in a minority language setting.
We were also given the opportunity to record and edit interviews in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, picking up the key skills associated with working in radio.

This exchange programme between Queen’s University, Belfast and The University of Edinburgh was both educational and enjoyable, and we look forward to strengthening our connections and collaborating again in the future. Míle buíochas!/Mòran taing!/Many thanks!