Neurodivergence, The Hard Shoulder & an Irish Oral. How was your 2025?

Publication 3 of 2026

Introduction

2025 was the year we lost Manchán Magan. It was also the year the North got a Language Commissioner, Kneecap’s star continued to rise, and the Irish language became an issue in the Presidential campaign. There was a large national march in Dublin indicating strong public support for the language. Personally, 2025 was the year I was diagnosed with ADHD, and that I took the TEG level B2 Oral Irish exam.

January – Eanáir 

January started with a #100DaysOfGaeilge challenge – a commitment to use some Irish everyday for 100 days. Kieran Cuddihy, who was participating in #100DaysOfGaeilge, invited me on the Hard Shoulder with Louise Cantillon, and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh who wouldn’t let go of the mic 😉

February – Feabhra 

Kneecap followed up numerous other awards – including at the Sundance Film Festival – with Rich Peppiatt winning a Bafta for their film, ‘Kneecap’. The #100DaysofGaeilge challenge continued. I published a piece on Colette Nelson who is raising her family through Irish and whose family spent a year on Inis Meáin. I published Part 1 of my interview with Mollie Guidera (@IrishWithMollie) who has been such a huge presence with her social media and Irish language courses. Part 2 of that will be here this February.

March – Márta

I went see An Chéad Ghlúin Eile for the first time in March at the Sugar Club in Dublin. From the Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht, An Chéad Ghlúin eile are sisters Étáin and Máire Ní Churraoin. I’d met Máire before, who performed brilliantly as Bean an Tí at Pobal Gaeilge 15’s show in Ongar, Dublin 15, in 2024. The gig at the Sugar Club was really enjoyable. If you haven’t seen them yet, you’re missing out!

Upfront With Katie Hannon on RTÉ1 television had a live discussion on the Irish language later in the month, which was interesting and demonstrated a clear divide between the audience and a couple of the invited guests on the panel. Kayleigh Trappe spoke very well as an advocate for the language. There was huge positivity for the language in the audience. I was sitting next to Kayleigh’s mam, agus bhí sí go hálainn! (and she was lovely!).

I published a piece on St. Patrick’s Day and I actually had arguably the best spot in Dublin for the afternoon at the trad session in the Cobblestone Pub. I felt like I spoke Irish all afternoon there – there were loads of Irish speakers about!

One of my kids performed with Cór Náisiúnta na nÓg ‘The National Youth Choir’ at the National Basketball Arena, and I was a suitably proud dad, as I always am.

April – Aibreán 

D’fhreastail mé ar ‘An Rí’ le Pádraig Mac Piarais ag Músaem na bPiarsach, Páirc Naomh Éanna.

I attended ‘An Rí’ by Pádraig Pearse at the Pearse Museum, St. Enda’s Park.

May – Bealtaine

Champion of minority languages, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, passed away. He was a world renowned leader in postcolonial theory and referred to Ireland and the Irish language many times. He was particularly interested in how the language and the traditional Gaelic naming system were targeted by the colonial administrators in Ireland. I was delighted back in 2022 when he commented positively on my article on him.

A post I put on social media that got a bit of attention. I suggested we reclaim some of our placenames, the vast majority of which were originally in Irish, and told us something about the people, the history, or the geographic features of the place. I suggested we start with places like Log na Coille, ‘The Hollow in the Woods’, the tallest mountain in Leinster (manglicised as Lugnaquilla). I think Glendalough is also an obvious one as a symbol of Ireland. The Irish is Gleann Dá Loch, ‘the Valley of the Two Lakes’, which is exactly what it is.

June – Meitheamh

Pobal Gaeilge 15, the local Irish group I’m involved in, organised a fantastic Comórtas Peile na Gaelscoileanna (Gaelic Football Competition of the Gaelscoileanna) between Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg, Scoil Oilibhéir and Gaelscoil an Chuilinn of Dublin 15 and Dunboyne. We had to postpone by a day when a Weather Warning suggested lightening strikes with potential risk to life! The next day, the sun came out, the competition went ahead, the children, the referees, the teachers and the adults all enjoyed the morning as Gaeilge, and ár gcara ‘our friend’ Máire Ní Churraoin kindly presented the medals and trophies for us.

The BBC Censored Kneecap at Glastonbury, apparently for fear of them potentially criticising the dropping of 2,000lb bombs on children in tents.

July – Iúil

BBC Radio 1 caused controversy when they played CMAT’s Euro Country without the opening verse in Irish. You’d think that Irish radio stations would have taken note, but I heard the same thing happen here afterwards.

One of my kids went to the Gaeltacht and had a fantastic experience. For many children, the Gaeltacht experience – where children go to a summer college in an Irish-speaking region for ideally three weeks – is wonderful in their development of language, confidence, sociability and maturity. Regrettably, not every child has this opportunity.

August – Lúnasa

I brought my kids to Delphi in Mayo, and to Inis Oírr, na hOileáin Árann (the Aran Islands). We had a really lovely time agus bhí deiseanna againn ár gcuid Gaeile a úsáid ‘we had opportunities to use our Irish’. I was very proud watching them order food and drinks as Gaeilge because that takes more courage than just chatting to me.

I was diagnosed with ADHD, which helps me understand my language journey in a different way – but I’ll deal with that in a post some other time. It really gives me cause to re-examine my experiences ‘learning’ Irish in school.

September – Meán Fómhair

Up to 20,000 people took to the streets of Dublin for the Mórshiúl Náisiúnta ‘National March’ for the Irish language – a significant indication of public opinion on the language issue, and a wonderful event to be part of. The atmosphere was really great, as it was in Belfast at An Lá Dearg in 2022.

October – Deireadh Fómhair

Manchán Magan died on 2 October. A huge inspiration in the areas of language, land and legend; there were tears shed all around the country. I went to his funeral, which was some occasion. I planted some of Manchán’s acorns (there were baskets of acorns and apples from his land for attendees at his funeral), and hopefully they will grow into oak trees. Uisneach was the site of the scattering of his ashes.

Pól Deeds was appointed Irish Language Commissioner for the North – a significant milestone for the Irish language movement following years (decades) of campaigns for Cearta Teanga ‘Language Rights’.

October 2025 saw the Irish language emerge as an issue for the Presidential Election. Irish was regularly raised with the candidates in debates and in interviews. This was the first time I have noticed this level of interest from the media during an election campaign. There is some evidence that within the cohort of younger adults and teenagers, there is significant importance attached to the language as a fountain of culture; a connection between past, present and future; and as part of personal and national identity.

November – Samhain

During November, I was doing a really good Irish language course with Gaelchultúr and their tutor Niall Ó Siadhail, writer, musician and founder of Nuacht Mhall. The TEG Oral exam was creeping up on the horizon in December.

I co-delivered a series of workshops in Brussels and got to use a cúpla focal in most of these. I also had the pleasure of meeting several Irish speakers in Brussels, which is an EU hub with many Irish people living and/or working there.

December – Nollaig

I saw CMAT and Kneecap within a week of each other in the 3 Arena. There were really good gigs. I’m so glad I got to them, with my only regret of 2025 that I didn’t see Fontaines D.C. live. I went to see An Chéad Ghlúin Eile again at The Sugar Club. It was great fun again.

I attended the launch by Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly, of An Foclóir Nua Gaeilge at the CHQ building in Dublin. This is the first Irish – Irish dictionary and adds a fantastic online resources.

I sat the TEG B2 Irish Oral exam. How did I get on? As of 26 January 2026, I haven’t got the result yet. It should be another week before they’re out. For anyone learning Irish, I think the TEG exams – which are aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – are one way to tell if you are making progress. They’re also an official certification. There are various exam levels available: A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1. You can opt to just do the Oral exam if spoken Irish is your focus. In my experience, our ability to assess our own proficiency can be way off. Sometimes progress is imperceptible, and it can feel like we are getting nowhere. That said, language learning is not linear and perfection is the enemy – we have to be able to take a risk and get it wrong.

Agus sin é! Athbhlian faoi mhaise doaibh uilig agus ádh mór oraibh ar bhur dturas teanga i 2026. That’s it Happy New Year to all and good luck on your language journeys in 2026.

• Next up from me will be a piece on Imbolc – Brigid’s Day – Lá Fheile Bríde. If you like the blog, please leave a comment, like it, share it, share on social media, subscribe free to the mailing list, or support me with a paid subscription on Patreon

Go raibh maith agaibh!

Next up from me will be a piece on Imbolc – Brigid’s Day – Lá Fheile Bríde. If you like the blog, please leave a comment, like it, share it, share on social media, subscribe free to the mailing list, or support me with a paid subscription on Patreon