Gaels of laughter: How an Irish language comedy group is changing perceptions of Gaeilge

GaelGáirí is a stand-up group with a difference. Performing gigs through the Irish language, they have helped make comedy ‘as Gaeilge’ more accessible and attractive to for a wider audience

"It’s a community full of encouragement.” Irish language comedians Louisa Ní Éideáin and Hugh Carr. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Sorcha Grisewood

On a chilly day in December, I find myself squeezed into the back of a room in the Club Chonradh na Gaeilge bar on Harcourt Street in Dublin. I’m at a stand-up gig, but it’s not your typical comedy gig. This one is in Irish. The woman on stage is instantly eye-catching and has the audience eating out of the palm of her hand, judging from the laughter in the room. She’s a tall blonde dressed as a very saucy Mrs Claus in a short red and white outfit. It’s not just her appearance that immediately captivates, however. She’s funny — very funny — and the fact that she’s delivering her material in Irish is neither here nor there. I find myself laughing along heartily with the other people in attendance. Afterwards, I’m amazed at how much I understood and how much I enjoyed the experience. When I talk to others after the gig, it seems that they felt similarly.

Just like Kneecap is doing with hip-hop music and the likes of ‘The Kerry Cowboy’ Séaghan Ó Súilleabháin is doing to showcase farming on TikTok, a new generation of younger Irish speakers is promoting the language through comedy. While still being somewhat niche, it has the potential to become more mainstream by attracting an audience with an interest in and some fluency in the language who might not have previously considered attending a comedy gig as Gaeilge. Given that the Irish language is considered “endangered” and at risk of extinction by the end of the century – according to a study by Unesco any creative and innovative attempts to promote the language can only be a good thing.