Daltaí na Gaeilge

Daltaí na Gaeilge (www.daltai.com), a non‑profit Irish language organisation based on the east coast of America, is dedicated to promoting and teaching the language. It was founded in 1981 by Ethel Brogan, an Armagh native who emigrated to the US in 1946. All of the organisation’s work is done by a group of dedicated volunteers.

Daltaí run immersion programmes throughout the year in New York State, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These programmes offer classes which are suitable for every level of ability, from total beginners to native speakers, and attract learners of all ages.

More than thirty people attended Daltaí’s first programme in 1981, and the number has grown considerably since. 110 people, for example, attended the language weekend held by the organisation in Esopus, upstate New York in February 2010 and the annual weekend in Jamison, Pennsylvania is attended by up to 130 people.

Liam Guidry, who has been involved in the running of Daltaí na Gaeilge for 17 years now, says that the organisation’s weekend courses have inspired others to start language courses elsewhere.

“Some of those who have attended our events have returned home and established their own programmes which are based on Ethel’s model. Their programmes are now running throughout North America. When I started learning Irish twenty years ago there were no such courses available.”

Results from the US census in 2000 showed that some 25,000 people spoke Irish regularly. This number continues to grow, due in no small part to the sterling work of Daltaí na Gaeilge.