Sasháil away.
A Canadian website has written a pretty scathing post about the Irish language and is now facing major backlash on Twitter as a result.
Canadian website On The A-Side wrote the post following RuPaul’s supportive tweet as Gaeilge yesterday entitled “RuPaul tweeted in an almost forgotton language — we figured out why”, referring to the Irish language.
RuPaul of course posted the tweet as Gaeilge to support best pal Michelle Visage, who is currently a judge on Ireland’s Got Talent.
https://twitter.com/RuPaul/status/964518113160019968
On The A Side was attempting to explain why the drag superstar tweeted in an “almost forgotten” language but they’ve since made some people very angry with their derogatory references to the Irish tongue.
“Maybe it made no sense to you. It was written in a strange, ancient language that very few RuPaul Drag Race fans in Canada or the US would instantly recognise. Yes, RuPaul had tweeted in Irish, also known as Gaeilge or Gaelic,” they wrote.
“The schools are terrible at teaching it. In a country with one of the highest birthrates in Europe, people who speak the language on a daily basis are dwindling,” the scathing article continued.
“This tweet sent in a language that is struggling to stay alive and relevant in the 21st century — one that has often been unfairly portrayed as belonging to a conservative, religious past. That’s not far from the truth, the most common form of saying hello in the language involves an invocation of God.”
Right in the jugular.
Needless to say, Twitter was not amused.
😉 Irish has more than 70K daily speakers outside the system of education. And more than 1M of people with some knowledge. A bit subjective and evaluative statement you have there. Minority language, not forgotten.
— Nicíota (@anamgaelach) February 17, 2018
Almost forgotten? Is that why so many Irish courses are taught worldwide, why it's an EU recognised language and so many of us lost our shit when Ru tweeted to us in our own language? Please. pic.twitter.com/Tx5JrgLuCp
— charles de galway (@TheGoldenMej) February 17, 2018
I'm a Cdn who's had the blessing of living in Ireland & visit regularly. Frm road signs to Gaeltacht areas, Irish gov’t should be commended for its work in protecting it. My sons can greet and thank in Irish b/c even they undrstnd the rich history & are proud of their heritage. pic.twitter.com/VRhr7hws9A
— Mellissa (@MellConnolly) February 17, 2018
That well known ancient and almost forgotten language that three of my nieces speak almost exclusively
— shemur23 (@shemur23) February 17, 2018
Following a huge number of backlash tweets, A.Side took to Twitter to express their wrongdoings and thanked everyone for sharing the “complexities” of the language.
We appreciate everyone who's taken the time to share their opinions on the complexities of representing Gaeilge in a contemporary context. In the interest of providing a platform for additional conversation, we'd like to invite anyone interested in writing a follow-up to DM us.
— . (@A_Side) February 17, 2018
Their tweet said:
“We appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to share their opinions on the complexities of representing Gaeilge in a contemporary context. In the interest of providing a platform for additional conversation, we’d like to invite anyone interested in writing a follow-up to DM us.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
