Lusmagh teacher launches new Irish language app

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Lusmagh native and TG4 presenter Eamon Corcoran hopes to encourage more people to overcome their fear of speaking Irish.

The Offaly secondary school teacher and TG4 presenter is the creator of HeyRua. Corcoran went to school in Banagher, and taught for a number of years in Limerick.

For the past five years, he has been teaching with online Irish school Gaeilgoir Guides, as he spent time travelling around the world and inviting strangers to sit down and have a conversation with him as Gaeilge.

He said one of the most common things he hears from people is that, despite studying Irish for years at school, they are still afraid to speak it.

"The message I get most often is 'I did Irish for 13 years in school but I'm afraid to speak it'," he said.

"It's never really about ability, it's about confidence. When I get people to sit down and try, they're nearly always surprised by how much Irish they actually have. It was in there the whole time, waiting for somebody to ask."

The app has been developed against a backdrop of census figures showing that almost 1.9 million people in Ireland can speak Irish, although more than half said they did not speak it well.

"There's been an absolute resurgence. There's a huge Irish diaspora, and young people have a huge interest. They see that Irish can open doors," Corcoran said.

"HeyRua has been the number 2 education app over the last couple of months. We're starting to see the next generation coming up through Padraig on The Traitors, and the band GrooveLine in Dublin."

Users are guided through lessons by Rua, a red fox wearing an Aran-style sweater. The lessons focus on everyday situations, including ordering in a café, greeting a neighbour and chatting to someone at a match.

Learners listen to phrases, repeat them aloud and receive feedback on their pronunciation before taking part in short, guided conversations.

Users can choose between Connacht, Munster, Ulster and Standard Irish, with audio based on recordings of native speakers.

The app also asks users why they want to learn Irish, with options including reconnecting with their culture, learning for fun and even starting a republican rap band.

"Everyone has their own reason, and we take them all seriously," Corcoran said.

"Some people want to learn to order a coffee, some want to be able to order a pint, and a fair few want to start a republican rap band. All valid."

Corcoran has attracted a substantial online following through videos of his conversations with strangers in Irish. He has recorded encounters in Rotterdam, Barcelona, Portugal, Indonesia, Australia and China, with several videos reaching more than one million views.

He believes people should not feel they need to be fluent before they can consider themselves Irish speakers.

A simple greeting to a friend, saying 'go raibh maith agat' in a shop or asking a colleague 'conas atá tú' are all ways of incorporating the language into everyday life.

"Nobody ever became an Irish speaker by being afraid of mistakes," he said.

"HeyRua gives people that first go in private, on their phone, in their own dialect, until they're ready to try it on a real person.

"Once you've said something in Irish out loud, you're a Gaeilgeoir."