Irish speaking TikTok creator backs calls for teaching national anthem in schools
Louise Walsh
A native Irish speaking Tik Tok creator and Sean Nós singer is backing an Irish TD's call for the mandatory teaching of the national anthem in schools.
Máire Ní Churraoin has received a huge following on social media since she began teaching the words to the Irish Anthem 'Amhrain na bhFiann' across her Instagram and TikTok Channels.
So far her posts which include English translations to the 'Soldier's Song' have garnered over one million views since she first started last year.
The Irish language content creator, sean-nós singer, TV presenter and artistic researcher has over 103,000 followers on TikTok and 52,000 followers on Instagram, where she actively promotes the Irish language as a vibrant living language.
Máire said she was shocked at noticing how many teenagers didn't know the national song while she was working as a substitute teacher across many schools across Meath in the last few years.
She no longer teaches and is currently on scholarship for the PhD in Modern Irish and Performing Arts.
She has now agreed that the song should be taught as part of the curriculum in schools, a call which was also made by Waterford TD and Sinn Fein's spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Community Development and the Gaeltacht Deputy Conor D. McGuinness earlier this week.
The 26 year old teacher who hails from the Rathcairn Gaeltacht in Co. Meath admits that she also never learned the song while at an Irish speaking school.
"I 100% agree it should be taught in schools and students should know every word from a young age," she said.
"I thought nothing of it when I posted a TikTok video last year singing Amhrain na bhFiann before the All-Ireland GAA football final but then it hit me, through the comments that so many people didn't know their own country's anthem and wanted to learn it.
"So I posted another few videos with phonetics and translations and they got an amazing reaction."
Máire said it was such a pity that so many didn't know the anthem and that everyone should be proud to stand up and sing it at as many occasions as possible.
"It is such a beautiful song and contains so much pride in our history.
"I didn't learn it at school, it wasn't a community or family thing. My sister Étain and I only learned it when it was sung at the end of ceilis by visiting students who came to Rathcairn to learn to be more fluent in the Irish language.
"While I was teaching in post-primary schools, I tried to give them a flavour of the Irish anthem and found everyone was so willing and eager to learn the song.
"The etiquette should also be taught. People should stand, put down their phones and even just be respectfully silent if they don't know the words when it is played.
"Many people only know the last line of the song, if at all, to sing at sporting events. And it seems that many young players lining out ahead of a match also struggle with the words.
"It is our national song. We wave the flag so we should be able to sing it."