I was so moved to see this little story from me turned into an animation. It’s one in a series of animations about Protestant Irish language learners from the Turas project in east Belfast.
I've always felt a pull towards the Irish language. But growing up as a Protestant in Northern Ireland, I didn't really have any way to connect with it. There were no Irish classes where I lived. It wasn't taught in my school. I didn't know anyone who spoke it.
The animation shows me as a teenager, listening to Irish language radio in my bedroom, having no idea what the words meant, but making mix tapes of the songs.
One song stuck with me in particular - Dónal agus Mórag. Every so often over the years, I would hear it on Raidió Fáilte, and try to google it. But I didn't have a clue where to start. It was only later in life, taking Irish classes at Turas in east Belfast, that I was able to make the connection.
Dónal agus Mórag is a traditional song about a wedding on Rathlin island. The more I found out about the song, the more it came to mean to me. Rathlin is a meeting point between Ireland and Scotland. The wedding was a big mix of both traditions. It made me want to find out more about both parts of my heritage - Irish and Scottish - the shamrock and the thistle, and how they have grown around one another.
The animation follows on from the stories of Gail, Ivor and Chris - three other Irish learners from Protestant backgrounds. Each of them approached the Irish language with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity, but soon found a generous welcome and connection with place.
The series is called Ulster Gaeilge: It's Yours Too! and is available on the QFT Player. Created by Enter Yes, directed by Don Duncan from QUB and Linda Ervine from Turas.