Longford's Laura Pakenham promotes Gaeilge to the nation as she lands her dream job

Laura Pakenham graduated from Trinity College through Irish and she speaks to Jessica Thompson about landing her dream job with TG4

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’ll have to travel further west to find fluent Irish speakers but, while Longford is not well-known for its Gaeilgeoirí, one local woman is hoping to change all that.

Lisryan’s Laura Pakenham recently attended at Leinster House and spoke with members of the Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish-Speaking Community, to air their views and aspirations of the Irish language.

The Longford native is one of just 34 people in the history of the state to graduate from Trinity College with a Bachelor of Education through the medium of Irish.

Following her graduation late last year, Laura has started working full time for TG4, promoting the Irish language and encouraging engagement.

“I think my true interest in the language was sparked as a teenager when I first went to the Gaeltacht to complete a summer course,” Laura told Longford Life magazine.

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“Up until that point, I merely viewed the language as a school subject, which I fortunately happened to be good at, which I believe helped me to maintain a positive outlook on the language until the point where I decided to fully immerse myself.

“My time in the Gaeltacht as a teenager opened my eyes to see Irish as a living language that is used by thousands of people in this country.”

Laura was educated in Lismacaffrey National School and Cnoc Mhuire Granard, solely through English before she decided to go on to do the Baitsiléir san Oideachas Trí Mheán na Gaeilge, or Bachelor of Education through Irish.

Suddenly, after 14 years of education in English, she was not only studying at third level - and in Trinity College - but through a completely different language. That must have been intimidating?

“Absolutely,” said Laura. “In the beginning I think I was oblivious as to what I had signed myself up for considering I had no previous experience with education through Irish.

“I definitely struggled more than those in my course who had completed their education through Irish up until that point but, thankfully, all my fellow students and lecturers were so patient and supportive.

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“Over the duration of the four years, everything started to come together seamlessly as I immersed myself into the language further. It certainly wasn't an easy undertaking but will always be my proudest achievement.”

And, of course, she feels very privileged to be among the first in the history of the state to graduate with this qualification, referring to it as “an absolute honour”.

“This course is paving the way to train the teachers of the future who will lead Irish-medium education in a positive and uplifting direction,” she said.

“However, I must admit that I carry some guilt about the fact that I'm not applying my qualification in a classroom setting. I will always be Múinteoir Laura at heart but I believe it's insightful and stands testament to the quality of the course that I have taken my skill set and knowledge and applied those in the media industry.”

Irish classes in schools today follow a very specific format and curriculum, which could be perceived as inadequate when it comes to actually speaking the language in an everyday setting. But Laura feels that it all depends on how well the teacher instils a love of the language in the students.

“My stance on how Irish is taught in schools is that regardless of curriculum content, the teacher must have a passion and love for the language that they can transfer to their pupils.

“Teaching Irish is a weighted task as you're combating negative opinions surrounding the language that students may be exposed to. I believe it's crucial that those teaching Irish outside the Gaeltacht provide an insight on the practical applications of the language and also career opportunities to ensure that students have an understanding of the greater context of the language outside the classroom.”

The language is dead, some people might say. Nobody speaks it anymore, they might insist. But such negative attitudes towards our native language are certainly being challenged.

“Unless someone has immersed themselves in the language, they are not in a position to refer to it as being ‘dead’,” said Laura.

“If you've never been to the Gaeltacht, had a conversation with a Gaeilgeoir, sat and watched TG4 or listened to likes of Radio na Gaeltachta, your stance on the vitality of the language is unsupported and factually incorrect.

“Unfortunately, the narrative of Irish being a dead language is one that won't be re-written overnight but I am extremely hopeful about the success of its resurgence.

“Our very existence as a nation is so tied to our language,” Laura added. “Gaeilge gives life to our traditions, place names, music, song, dance, names, heritage, history and culture.

“Our language is at the core of our very being and existence as a country and should therefore be cherished and respected. In keeping the language alive we are keeping alive the work of poets, storytellers and those who fought to protect our country's identity.”

Laura’s way of doing that is through her work with TG4 - a role she says is “an absolute dream come true”. She currently works as a social media coordinator, promoting the Irish language across the nation, and receiving extremely positive feedback as she goes.

“TG4 is at the centre of the preservation of Irish and I am so lucky to work for an organisation whose core values align so clearly with my own personal values.

“For the most part, I'm received very positively on social media. Of course, there are trolls who make their way to my content and leave degrading comments about the language and my work to preserve it, but those are quickly deleted,” she added.

“I provide content for like-minded Gaeilge lovers and enthusiasts, regardless of fluency level. I have created a positive and uplifting online space on my social media platforms and am so grateful for the thousands of people who resonate with and learn from my content.”

And the content is certainly easy to learn from. Laura’s own tiktok account, @laurajpakenham is currently nearing 11,000 followers, and is bursting with content that provides followers with easy, doable ways of integrating the Irish language into everyday conversations.

“The best way to learn a language is through immersion,” said Laura. “Engage with Irish language media and content, whether that be through social media, TV, radio or reading.

“Research any resources in your area such as a ciorcal comhrá or Irish classes. The Gaeilge is out there and once you open your mind and life up to the language, it will come flooding in, as well as support from Gaeilgeoirí.”

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