Linda Ervine MBE
Irish Language Activist
In 2011, Linda Ervine fell in love with the Irish language after attending a beginner’s class run by the cross-community group, East Belfast Mission. Soon people began to take notice that the wife of the Progressive Unionist Party leader, Brian Ervine, was learning Irish.
Raised in the traditionally Protestant area of East Belfast, Linda faced criticism for her newfound passion, but she was resolute in her understanding that ‘there is a rich history of Ulster Protestants speaking Gaelic and it is a beautiful language that anyone of any background can choose to learn.’ She founded her own beginner’s class which is known now as Turas or ‘journey’ – an apt name for a project Linda says for her ‘is not only a journey into a language but also a journey of healing and reconciliation.’ Turas is now one of Belfast’s biggest Irish language providers and signs up close to 300 people every year, with 65% of those coming from Protestant backgrounds.
“The Irish language belongs to everybody and anyone who is interested is free to learn it and appreciate that its heritage belongs to unionists and nationalists alike.”
Credit: NewsLetter
Although many unionists in Northern Ireland associate Irish with Irish Republicanism, Linda has stressed how it is in fact ‘an undeniable part of our shared history.’ She has spent years trying to educate the public on the ‘the hidden Protestant history of the Irish language’ through talks and workshops at Turas.
“Since the establishment of the Turas project in 2012, Linda and her colleagues have been working hard to provide Irish classes to non-traditional learners of the language. She has shown that language is a medium that can unite communities, promote reconciliation, and heal divisions through learning about our shared history and culture…”
In late 2021, Linda was one of the key figures behind the opening of Naíscoil na Seolta – the first Irish-medium pre-school in east Belfast. This came after years of planning, and a last-minute hurdle when they were forced to abandon plans to open in Braniel PS due to a tiny minority of protestors.
“I felt quite threatened because you don’t know where these things are going to go, you don’t know who is involved and also when things were put out on social media who is it going to get to?”
Linda receiving her MBE
Despite the intimidation that the committee, and Linda, faced, the school was set up successfully and has plans to find a permanent home in the future. ‘For the first time people within the Protestant community in east Belfast can say this is an option I’d like for my child, and they’ve been able to inquire and talk about it…’ she said of the new school.
In early 2022, Linda was awarded an MBE for her tireless work and service to the Irish language.
She continues her work today.
Sources:
Savage, Joanne, ‘LINDA ERVINE: ‘The Irish language is an important part of Protestant heritage,’ online at: https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/people/linda-ervine-the-irish-language-is-an-important-part-of-protestant-heritage-3320839 [accessed 19 July 2022].
Belfast Telegraph, 5 Apr 2022.
Savage, Joanne, ‘LINDA ERVINE:‘The Irish language belongs to everybody who wants to learn it and has a rich Protestant heritage,’ online at: https://www.newsletter.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/irish-language-advocate-reminds-us-that-gaelic-has-rich-protestant-heritage-3571869 [accessed 19 July 2022].
The Irish News, 25 Oct. 2021.
Quann, Jack, ‘We sign up 300 people a year: The growth of the Irish language in Belfast,’ on newstalk, online at: https://www.newstalk.com/news/we-sign-up-300-people-a-year-the-growth-of-the-irish-language-in-belfast-1318185 [accessed 19 July 2022].