| Pop-Up Gaeltacht | |
| Native Name: | Tob-Ghaeltacht |
| Native Name Lang: | ga |
| Founder: | Osgur Ó Ciardha, Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh |
| Founding Location: | Dublin, Ireland |
| Type: | Non-governmental organisation |
| Purpose: | Irish language promotion Gaelic revival |
| Language: | Irish |
| Website: | cnag.ie |
A Pop-Up Gaeltacht (Irish tob-Ghaeltacht) is an informal gathering of Irish speakers of various abilities (often in a bar) where they can meet and talk in a convivial atmosphere. In Dublin such gatherings can number up to 300 people, and similar events have been held abroad.[1]
The pioneers of the Pop-Up Gaeltacht were Osgur Ó Ciardha and Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh, language activists who established the first one in Dublin in 2017.[2] The objective was to provide a space in which Irish speakers could chat freely without feeling obliged to switch to English for the benefit of any non-Irish speakers present.[3]
In a study of the phenomenon Stiofán Seoighe has argued that such a project must be seen in the context of validation of the identity of non-traditional speakers of a minority language, and that this is a continuous process.
It has been estimated that there are about 200,000 daily and weekly speakers of Irish in Ireland, north and south, who are “nuachainteoirí” – i.e. not traditional native speakers. Of these, almost 15,000 live in Dublin, comprising almost 20% of daily speakers nationally. It was the intention of the founders of the Pop-Up Gaeltacht that even the less confident of those speakers should have a public space in which they could converse at their ease.
The Pop-Up Gaeltacht has found some popularity in America and elsewhere. In 2019 one was held in New York, and others have been held in La Jolla, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.[4] Still others have been held in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Bolivia. The originators have estimated that there have been over 150 held world-wide.
The concept has also spread other minority languages. In 2019 on the Isle of Man, Manx Pop-up Gaeltaghts were held as part of the Cooish,[5] a festival which promotes the Manx language, and by Pobble, a Manx language advocacy organisation and charity.[6]