How a Belfast community built Ireland’s first urban Gaeltacht

A new exhibition documenting the origins of Ireland’s first urban Gaeltacht has opened at the Ulster Museum.

Developed in partnership with Spórtlann na hÉireann’s GaelStair project, ‘How Do You Create a Community? The Inspiring Story of Belfast’s First Urban Gaeltacht’ traces the journey of a group of pioneering young couples who, in 1960s Belfast, took the decision to establish an Irish-speaking community at Shaws Road (Shaws Road Gaeltacht/Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe).

“There was a huge amount of personal risk involved in setting up the first urban Gaeltacht,” explains GaelStair project coordinator Michael Jackson.

“The creation of the Gaeltacht coincided with the outbreak of the Troubles, and doing something different at that time certainly marked you out as a potential target for violence.

“Even before the Troubles, the basic act of creating a school was risky. The people who set up Bunscoil Phobal Feirste met with the Department of Education in 1965 or 1966 and were basically told that if they went ahead, they would go to jail.

“But they pressed on regardless, and the school eventually received state recognition in 1984. So it definitely took people who were determined and brave enough to go against the grain, because without that willingness to take risks, we wouldn’t be standing here today.”

Michael believes what set the Shaws Road Gaeltacht apart from previous Irish language revival efforts was that its founders never viewed it as a purely cultural project.

From the outset, Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe played a central role in a range of wider community initiatives, including founding schools, cultural activities and community enterprises, in a bid to address unemployment and poverty in the surrounding area.

They were also instrumental in the rebuilding of the homes on Bombay Street after they were torched by loyalists during the pogroms of August 1969.

“The people who led Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe grasped the fact that the Irish language revival couldn’t happen in isolation and that they had to deal with the obstacles and difficulties that were facing the community around them,” he says.

“So effectively what we’re trying to do with this exhibition is show that people who were active and busy on behalf of the Irish language were also active in all sorts of progressive causes because they knew the revival of the Irish language was contingent on uplifting the people in the community around them.”

It’s for this reason that community sits at the heart of the exhibition. The story it tells focuses on how collective action was vital to ensuring the survival of the Gaeltacht.

Through personal testimonies, archival material and contributions from a new generation of young Irish speakers, the exhibition highlights how strong, resilient communities can be created where none existed before.

“One of the interesting things about the creation of an urban Gaeltacht was the various kinds of elements that it took to make it a reality,” Michael says.

“Some people think that it’s simply a story about self-help. The famous mantra at Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe is ná habair é déan é, which means ‘don’t say it, do it’, but we think that the story we’re telling goes far beyond that.

“This exhibition delves into the things that were needed to create a community and while self-help is a prominent element, so are things like cooperation and solidarity.

“Because although there were a small number of very diligent, brave and courageous pioneers who drove the revival forward, they still relied on the strength, power and determination of ordinary working-class people throughout Belfast and beyond who really supported them in their endeavours.”

That focus on community is also reflected in how the project was created. Young Irish speakers from Coláiste Feirste took part in an expedition to the roof spaces of the Shaws Road Gaeltacht, uncovering archival material that now features in the exhibition.

The initiative brings the idea of a “living archive” to life, linking the experiences of the Gaeltacht’s pioneers with a new generation of Gaeilgeoirí.

“It was crucially important to involve young people in work like this,” Michael says.

“And in this case they were instrumental in uncovering some of the artefacts and photos that can be seen in the exhibition.

“We’re hoping that through working on this project young people realise that this history belongs to them as well. It’s part of their own community, identity and their own story. This isn’t a stale idealisation of the past.

“We want them to draw lessons from the history that they’re delving into so they can make history of their own someday.”

Speaking at the launch of the exhibition, director of collections with National Museums NI William Blair said the Ulster Museum is delighted to host the project and hopes it helps to educate people both in and outside the Irish language community on the origins of the revival.

“The Ulster Museum is always endeavouring to open up conversations across different communities around issues that matter,” he says.

“We’re committed to showcasing all aspects of Northern Ireland’s identity, language and history, and this exhibition has been a really exciting opportunity to build a greater degree of mutual understanding across society as a whole.

“So we’re absolutely delighted to have been able to collaborate with GaelStair on this project and see it come to fruition so successfully.”

How Do You Create a Community? The Inspiring Story of Belfast’s First Urban Gaeltacht, located in the Belfast Room at the Ulster Museum, will run until May 10, 2026.