Irish Language Group

Gaeilge san Ionad Smaragaid Cathair Leire 

Irish Language at The Emerald Centre Leicester

Gaeilge san Ionad Smaragaid Cathair Leire
The Emerald Centre Irish Language Group meets weekly and welcomes all levels, from beginners to advanced speakers. With a rich history rooted in community passion, we offer fun evenings filled with reading, singing, and conversation.

• Join Us: Beginners are especially welcome! Contact Annie Gallagher at leicesteririshlanguage@outlook.com.

The Emerald Centre Irish Language Group have been meeting on a weekly basis for over 7 years.  Irish Language courses have been held across Leicester and Leicestershire for many years and a number of native Irish speakers have made their homes in this area.  People from these groups continue to meet to maintain and grow their knowledge of the Irish language at various levels.

The current Irish Language Group developed from the Sunday evening set dancing.  On one such set dancing evening in 2012, the Leicester Comhaltas Irish Language Officer was given a bag of Irish Language books by a set dancer from Derby which belonged to her aunt.  Her aunt had attended Mount St. Michael secondary school, Claremorris Co Mayo.  We had the bag of books but no time to take a look at the books as Sunday after Sunday went by.  A suggestion was made by the set dancers that an evening to look at the books and perhaps even think about reviving our own Irish language skills should be arranged.  On enquiries for a meeting venue, The Emerald Centre offered to accommodate us on a Thursday evening.  Therefore on Thursday, 11 April 2013 at The Emerald Centre we began the challenge to plan a way forward.