Michael AvilaCommunity Voices is an interview series where Michael Avila and Ani Kanakaki speak to a range of folks from the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland about the work they’re doing to bring about positive change. The series, formally known as #AtsUsNai, is produced in partnership with AvilaMedia and funded by the Community Relations Council. Their latest interview is with Linda Ervine, Irish Language Development Officer for Turas – an Irish language project hosted by the East Belfast Mission.
*Note: Due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, the ‘Community Voices’ series will continue without filmed interviews*
Being an outsider in her own community was detrimental to Linda Ervine up until her early adulthood. Little did she know that these troubled years would lead her to undertake some of the most transformative community work going on in Northern Ireland today.
Linda is the Irish Language Development Officer for Turas, an Irish language and heritage school in the heart of East Belfast. Its formation was something that was met by controversy and opposition by some within the local community in its early days.
‘Turas’ in Irish means journey or pilgrimage in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and reflects a personal journey that Linda took to better understand what it means to be both ‘Irish’ and ‘Protestant’. This same journey has now been embarked upon by many from her own community background through her and Turas’ innovative approach to teaching and advocating about the language and cultural ties between these islands.
65% of Turas’ students come from the Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist community and has transformed “what it means to be ‘Irish’” in many communities that may have not previously considered this as part of ‘their’ heritage or had access to the language. The project also attracts people from the Catholic, Nationalist, Republican community to come and study Irish in East Belfast, attracting people to a part of the city many were previously unfamiliar with.
Many of Turas’ projects centre, not just on learning Irish Gaelic, but also on understanding the connections in terms of the shared language and culture that has permeated throughout Ireland and Britain since the dawning of the early Celtic period.
Besides learning and becoming immersed in a new language and culture, Turas’ projects expose students to the often overlooked and strong Protestant links to the Gaelic language, which helps to depoliticise and alleviate myths, making the language more inclusive to people of all backgrounds. Turas now has over 200 graduates per year.
When asked, “Do you feel the Gaelic and wider Celtic connections between these islands is something that unites rather than divides,” this is what Linda had to say:
This is absolutely a connection that more of us, regardless of communal background, should be more aware of and take great pride in, and it’s something we hone in on in our courses. Etymology is something very important to me and you can see the similarities between Irish, Scots and Manx Gaelic just by immersing yourself in the languages – it’s proof that we’re all connected. It’s in our town and street names. It’s all around us – It is ‘us’.
She sees the cultural differences between the constituent countries of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland as not confined to their borders, but as testimony to a beautiful amalgam of culture that makes up these islands and connects all of their inhabitants.
This is visually true in the way modern culture has evolved in Britain and Ireland, but language may be an even more crucial signifier. She argues understanding these facts and projecting them to wider society is something we all ought to be doing, and a tool that politicians and the current education system are under-utilising as a means to accomplishing a shared society.
On Northern Ireland and its future, Linda stated:
Education is important; it is the foundation of how we move forward. It is also important ‘how’ we educate and that the system is teaching from an all-encompassing and inclusive perspective – especially when it comes to history and culture.
She believes that most people want to share Northern Ireland. She stated that, even 22 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, we still really only talk about our future in terms of either the UK or Ireland. She claimed that this diminishes our ability to be creative with the place we call home, and that it’s not even representative of the cross-island culture that has evolved over the millennia. She stated that we need to come together to continue reconciliation and further break down the walls that divide – only then will it be that our society is truly ‘shared’.
With the restoration of Stormont and the establishment of both an Irish and Ulster-Scots Language Commissioner, Linda Ervine was one of the first names that came to civil society’s mind to take up the new post. When asked by the Belfast Telegraph whether she would consider the position, Linda declined, stating that she is committed to her work in the grassroots:
I’m a people person and I don’t think a commissioner role suits that. It’s not really a people person job. To give up what I’m doing now would be like giving away one of your children. I love what I do and I don’t want to stop, so I can officially rule myself out.
No doubt, Northern Ireland’s communities will continue to be enriched by Linda’s magnificent spirit and dedication. Her positivity, passion and humility abounds. Many of us never journey out of ‘our own backyards’, but Linda Ervine has gone on a linguistic turas across these islands and brought back a perspective that can benefit us all, together.
Go raibh maith agat Linda!
AvilaMedia is a social enterprise running community and research projects across Northern Ireland. If you’re interested in being interviewed for the #AtsUsNai project, you can get in contact with AvilaMedia here.
