Local Faces – Pol O’Meadhra
By Hayden Moore
Speaking Irish is something that comes quite naturally to Pól Ó Meadhra, who has been a driving force for the language at a grassroots level for the best part of a decade now.
An adopted-Tallaght man, Pól was a key figure in the founding of Gaelphobal Thamlachta and has served as the chairperson of the organisation since its inception in 2011.
Pól Ó Meadhra (Photo by Aidan O’Neill)
“I was always into using whatever Irish I had,” he says.
“When I was in college, I was living with lads who were from different Gaeltacht’s from around the country and we spoke almost exclusively Irish, very informally, in the house every day.
“My Irish now, even after spending 13 years up here in Dublin, is very much Munster Irish because of it.
“It’s very much like music, it will just come together over night for you if you give it enough time.”
A Tipperary native, Pól Ó Meadhra has called Tallaght home since 2007, when he made the move after meeting his then wife-to-be Carolyn.
He graduated from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick with a Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching and after teaching in Cork for a few years, started in Scoil Santain in Tallaght 13-years-ago.
At home, the Ó Meadhra household is bilingual with Pól speaking mostly Irish with his five children – who are aged between one and 10.
Speaking Irish is a way of life for Pól, playing for Lucan-based Irish speaking GAA club Na Gaeil Óga, he believes that the language could easily be given a revival in an urban setting such as Tallaght.
Caife Aon Sceal
“With 100,000 plus people in Tallaght, you can be sure that when you organise an activity that people will regularly show up to it,” Pól explains to The Echo.
“There was a very strong Irish language culture in Tallaght in the 1970s and 80s but that kind of went quiet for about 15 years.
“Gaelphobal Thamhlachta came together then in 2011 and the big project for us was getting the Irish centre.
“We thankfully bought a property in Tallaght Village then in 2014, it’s in a great location, with a good bit of space.
“Then we opened Caifé Aon Scéal there last November, it started off quite slow but it was really motoring there for about two-three months before this all happened with the coronavirus.
The Caifé Gaelach opened with the hope of harnessing the growing local affinity for the Irish language, creating a new cultural hub right in the heart of Tallaght Village in the process.
“There has been a shift in the way people think of the Irish language in the past 10 to 15 years.
“It’s almost cool and trendy to speak Irish now.
“I think TG4 really broke that mould and got people thinking that it’s not some dormant book language.
“I know when I was in school people were almost allergic to it.
Pól Ó Meadhra (Photos by Aidan O’Neill)
“Speaking Irish is part of the fabric here but the number of people speaking it in traditional speaking areas is dropping, it’s been receding really since the famine.
“There’s only really pockets around the country now but it is starting to spread again in urban areas.
“What we want to do is put the structures and networks in place in a casual cultural centre to build up a level of bilingualism through activities and events.”
Gaelphobal Thamlachta have a great following online and can be found on Facebook, where they frequently post about upcoming events.
Caifé Aon Scéal is located on Main Street in Tallaght Village in a house that has been transformed by the organisation into a bright open-plan café. In the past, Pól has stressed that the caifé is a social outlet for those with little to no Irish and fluent speakers.
It was also highlighted that Scoil Santain is, just like The Echo, celebrating 40 years in the community and were recently featured on Cleas Act, with members of Pól’s Fourth Class class being interviewed on the show – which can now be found on the TG4 player.
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