Cork businesses promoting Irish are honoured in City Hall

Cork businesses that promote the Irish language won prizes in the Gael-Taca-organised Gradaim Uí Chuanacháin at an event in City Hall on Thursday evening.

It was the first such ceremony in five years, because of the pandemic.

Gradaim Uí Chuanacháin is an awards scheme named in honour of Irish-language activist Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin, who was indefatigable in persuading businesses to use Irish in their frontage, signage, and marketing material, until his untimely death in 2008.

Sinn Féin councillor Joe Lynch, a member of the city council’s committee dedicated to the Irish language, was deputising for Lord Mayor Fergal Dennehy and said that it was important “to see it to be it”.

“This phrase is in widespread use to encourage the participation of young people in sport,” said the Ballincollig councillor, speaking in Irish.

“It’s equally valid in the context of encouraging the use of Irish by local businesses.

“The best thing we can do to encourage people to use the language is that we see it when we go into public spaces.”

He also suggested that people should not be afraid to use an English word if they are struggling to find the Irish word, and that bilingualism was a step in the right direction.

Gael-Taca organiser Hannah Nic Carthaigh praised the participants in this year’s Gradam Uí Chuanacháin and said she aimed to double the number of participants next year.

“The efforts of each business to promote the Irish language in this beautiful city were amazing,” she said. 

“We would like to give a special mention, especially, to the winners of this year’s competition. In third place we had the Oliver Plunkett bar, in second place O’Sho, and in first place Cafe Myo.”

The Gael-Taca organiser expressed the group’s gratitude to Cork City Council, the Cork Business Association, the chamber of commerce, and The Echo for their support in organising and promoting the competition.

Risteard Mac Annraoi, speaking on behalf of Myo, which is located on Pope’s Quay, gave high praise to Gael-Taca for their diligence in keeping the flame of the Irish language alive in Cork: “This occasion is a source of great emotion for me, for many reasons, chief among them is that I have realised my ambition to make Cafe Myo a centre for the Irish language.”