Local Faces: Loretta Ní Churraighín
Loretta Ní Churraighín

Local Faces: Loretta Ní Churraighín

THE star of this week’s Local Faces feature is Loretta Ní Churraighín, manager of Feachtas, which runs an Irish Language Youth Club in Tallaght, by Ken Doyle.

Although Loretta has now well and truly dropped anchor in Dublin, she is a proud product of the Gaeltacht area of Donegal, with an accent to prove it.

Club Óige Feachtas Tamhlacht is a youth club based in Scoil Santain in Tallaght. Feachtas is a youth organisation which organises clubs and events through the medium of Irish for young people.

It aims to help with the personal and social development of young people through organising youth clubs through the medium of Irish.

Speaking to Loretta about her roots growing up along the wild Atlantic coast, she says: “Well, I’m originally from a place called Teelin in Donegal.

‘It’s a huge tourist destination as that’s where Europe’s highest sea cliffs are – they are three times higher than the Cliffs of Moher. My family home is in the foothills of Sliabh Liag.”

“When I finished school, I went to study in Letterkenny and then to University of Ulster in Belfast.

After a fruitful start to her career in Belfast, including spells at the Andersonstown News for the Belfast Media Group and Lá, Ireland’s first daily newspaper to be printed in Irish, a familiar tale unfolded.

Gártha: Loretta a proud product of Donegal

“I was Advertising Manager at Lá and I absolutely loved it, but then I met a Dublin man named Paul, and I’ve now been here twenty years and counting. The rest is history,” she laughs.

Obviously, once she had settled here, Loretta was very keen on continuing her work promoting the Irish language, so she landed a job with Feachtas – previous to this she worked for eight years with Oireachtas na Gaeilge.

“Once I heard about running and establishing youth clubs I was immediately interested.

I remembered in my younger days how important my Irish Language Youth Club was to me and my friends in Teelin.

I loved the idea of giving young people in Tallaght the opportunity of embracing the Irish language outside the classroom.

“When I first started, we had one Youth Club in Tallaght. We now have five youth clubs throughout Dublin.

Loretta is keen to ensure that the club’s members get the credit for its success, regardless of her own involvement. She’s extremely proud of the young people she’s seen grow in Club Óige Feachtas Tamhlachta.

“The kids are great and I have to give a special mention to the leaders – Tara, Póilín, Ciarán and Danni – who graduated from being members of the club. They now give us their time on a completely voluntary basis and they’re the heartbeat of the club.

Feachtas manager, Loretta Ní Churraighín

“The Tallaght parents are also a fantastic support to us and I have great support from Oisín Ó Dubhshláine, who works with me as the Development Officer aswell as Pól

Ó Meadhra, a local school teacher who helps us out and I’m truly grateful to them.”

“And of course,” she adds, “a special thanks to our committee, Choiste Cheannais Feachtas.” And her chairperson Aoife Nic Lughadha . I would also like to thank our funders, DCEDIY, Foras na Gaeilge and Dublin Dun Laoghaire Training Board.

The club runs all sorts of activities and has won many awards, not least the Club of the Year in the Tallaght Person on the Year Awards last November.

Club Óige is proud of its charitable work over the years, especially linking in with both Tallaght and Crumlin Children’s Hospital. Club members are also active in cleaning the Dodder Park over the years.

Loretta has great support from the parents

“They’ve been interviewed on Cúla 4 on TG4, and have taken part in Cruinniú Na nÓg festival last year.

We also run an annual summer camp which is one of the highlights of our year.”

As for Loretta, she sees a bright future for the club and nowadays she and Paul are happily ensconced in Dublin with their daughter Caoimhe.

“But,” she adds jokingly, “When Donegal come to Croke Park, that’s who I’m cheering for, Dublin or no Dublin!”

You can’t take the girl out of Donegal . . . but Tallaght is a close second.

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