You may have seen Máire’s videos on social media, where she sings and chats to her niece in Irish
If you search “A native Irish speaker loving her niece in a ‘dead’ language” on TikTok up pops a heartwarming video of a woman speaking Irish to her baby niece as she holds her in her arms.
The woman behind the posts, Máire Ní Churraoin, is from the Gaeltacht area in Connemara and is a native Irish speaker.
@maire_na_greine Sounds pretty not dead to me💋 #gaeltok #gaeilgetiktok #irishsoundslikethis #máire #speakingirish ♬ growth – Gede Yudis
Their exchange is a short conversation around food: “Tá me scrútaithe!” (translation: I am starving!) Márie says to her little niece, to which she responds with inquisitive babble while Márie continues to chat with her on the topic. The comments section is awash with love and positivity for the gorgeous exchange and use of the language.
“The definition of a dead language is one that is no longer passed down to children during early childhood language formation. If your niece natively picks up the language from you, you have prevented the death of a language,” writes one person.
While another comments: “I’ve never heard Irish before! This is beautiful – keep the language alive.”
@maire_na_greine She KNOWS it’s her song🥹 #gaeltok #gaeilgetiktok #máire #irishsinger #irishsoundslikethis ♬ fuaim bunaidh – Máire | Native Irish Speaker🧡
Keeping Irish alive is exactly what Márie intends to do. Her TikTok account is awash with videos of her speaking the language and sharing phrases and words for others to incorporate in everyday conversation, as well as videos of her singing as Gaeilge to her niece. Catching up with Máire, she shares the whirlwind public reception since her videos began to go viral.
We first came across you via a video of you singing and speaking as Gaeilge to your niece. What has been the public reception to these videos?
The reception has been incredible with tens of millions of views and thousands of people from all over the world sharing their stories in the comments. It has honestly been so sweet to hear that we’ve inspired people all over the world to reconnect with Gaeilge and with their various indigenous heritages.
Why is it important to you to speak the Irish language to your niece?
I grew up in the Gaeltacht in Connemara, an Irish-speaking village, with Gaeilge as my first language and the language I have always spoken to my siblings, parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours. I grew up with Deaide (my dad) reminding my sister and I on repeat, “muna labhródh sibhse í, cé a labhrós í?” If you don’t speak her, who will? The onus has always been on us to share Gaeilge with everyone, especially with the next generation. I sing and have a band with my sister, called ‘An Chéad Ghlúin Eile’ (The Next Generation) – the name was important for us.
My favourite way to share Gaeilge with the next generation is to sing and chat in Irish with my niece, in the language my aunties have always chatted to me in. I’m another link in the intergenerational chain and I treasure that.
What do you hope sharing these videos will achieve?
I hope that after watching my videos, people realise that the Irish language is theirs to speak and/or learn. I would love if people could stop mistaking Irish for a dead language or merely a school subject. She is so much more than that! I also really hope that people will continue to reconnect and honour their native languages and indigenous cultures.
What advice do you have for others looking to incorporate a little more as Gaeilge into the lives of children – whether it’s their niece, nephew or children.
I highly recommend encorporating handy Irish phrases into daily life and building on them, like ‘Maith thú!’ (Go you!) ‘Go raibh maith agat’! (Thank you!) ‘Oíche Mhaith!’ (Goodnight!) ‘Codladh sámh!’ (Sleep tight!) A new Irish phrase a week is always a fun way to start.
I would also encourage listening to music in Irish. There are so many genres and artists to choose from. Also, I ten out of ten recommend switching screentime to watching Irish language shows on Cúla4. Cúla4 Player is Gaeilge’s answer to Netflix for children. You might spot me presenting ‘Teach Spraoi’. TG4 Player has shows and films for all ages you can stream whenever.
Most importantly, do not wait for your Gaeilge to be perfect to speak her. The energy we need to bring is audacity. Have the audacity to speak Gaeilge to your niece, nephew or child, regardless of whether you’re fluent or not. Regardless of whether you’ve the “cúpla focal” or are learning as you go. The less shame and embarrassment you have in speaking Gaeilge, the less children will.
