IACI Celebrates Completion of Irish Language Course

On Thursday evening, May 2nd, an Irish Language Course sponsored by the Jersey Shore Chapter of the Irish American Cultural Institute [IACI] successfully concluded. The course which began at the end of February was held weekly at the Sea Girt Lighthouse. Mícheál Ó Máille a native of Connemara, County Galway who grew up speaking Irish as his first language instructed the course, providing a unique blend of language, history and culture.

Mr. Ó Máille, an award-winning teacher, has experience instructing all levels of language training in immersion programs across the U.S. and abroad. He is a member of a number of various Irish language organizations, such as Daltaí na Gaeilge and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and has hosted the Irish radio hour at WRSU, Rutgers. “I’ve taught Irish for many years, in many settings, and I’ve never met a more committed group of learners. By the end of the course, students had a good basic vocabulary and were able to recite a poem and introduce themselves in Irish. For beginner students, that’s an achievement and a testimony to their dedication.”

Eighteen men and women from area towns including Avon, Belmar, Brick, Brielle, Manasquan, Point Pleasant Beach, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Toms River and Wall came together weekly on Thursday evenings from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the 10-week course. Although the majority of them had never taken an Irish class before this one, they made use of class material and instruction combined with online videos pertaining to each class to study and practice pronunciation. Maria Baker of Spring Lake said, “The ten weeks flew by. I’ve learned so much and had so much fun. I don’t want the class to end!” Similar sentiments were expressed by her fellow class-mates.

Dr. Peter Halas, Chairman of the IACI Jersey Shore Chapter said, “This was our first-time offering a course in the Irish language in an effort to advance our mission to provide resources to preserve, interpret, and promote Irish and Irish-American cultures. We weren’t sure what to expect. Our hope was that there would be local interest in the course since many area residents claim Irish-American heritage. The fact that we had such a strong turn-out was wonderful and the students’ positive feedback at the end of the course was extremely gratifying.”

The IACI also hosts talks on various aspects of Irish history and culture on the second Monday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in Belmar. Admission is free for IACI and FSOS-Belmar members and $10 for guests. All are welcome to attend. For more information on IACI activities, follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/IACIJerseyShore.

The IACI is a federally recognized not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to promote an intelligent appreciation of Ireland and the role and contributions of the Irish in American culture. It is the only Irish-American organization that has as its patron The President of Ireland.