A side order of ‘cúpla focal’ to go with your lunch
Claire Nash of Nash 19 on Princes St, Cork City, has joined forces with former TG4 Cork reporter Grett O’Connor to present two ‘Cúpla Focal Lunches’ as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge in early March.
This is aimed at non-native Irish speakers who’d like to use a few Irish words in a relaxed social setting while enjoying great Irish food.
Diners will be encouraged to order as Gaeilge and enjoy a three-course lunch, with Ms O’Connor on hand to suggest some easy Irish phrases to encourage the conversation over the meal. Restaurant staff will also do their best to interact with their customers as Gaeilge.
“It’s not designed for fluent Irish speakers. These lunches are for people who want to get their cúpla focal out and polish them up. It will be like that RTÉ television programme Trom agus Éadrom long ago. A bit of English, a bit of Irish, a bit of whatever you can manage — and it’s for everyone,” said Ms O’Connor.
She said she met many people during her career with TG4 who expressed an interest in improving their Irish but lamented the lack of opportunities to revive the Irish they learned at school.
“Many people told me they had sent their kids to Gaelscoileanna because they loved the idea of giving them the opportunity to learn through their native language, but then when the kids came home speaking Irish, their parents couldn’t engage with them.
“I want to give people the chance to dust off their cúpla focal and use them again, hopefully adding a few more ‘focals’ to their vocabulary along the way.”
Ms Nash said she is one of those people who’d love to be able to use more Irish during her working day. “I have little bits of remembered Irish but not enough to give me the confidence to initiate a conversation,” she said.
“I’m wildly passionate about all things Irish — our landscape, our literature, and our music, but especially our food. When I hear Irish spoken I’m constantly reminded of how beautifully sounding a language it is. I would love to enhance my Irish language skills and I’m really looking forward to these events.”
Ms Nash plans to serve a traditional Irish menu at large tables in the Sternview gallery to the rear of her premises for the two special lunches.
“There will be no pig trotters, drisheen, or carrageen moss on the menu, but you will enjoy carefully sourced Irish produce, cooked simply and presented beautifully.”
Tickets for the Cúpla Focal Lunches on March 5 and 12, priced €22pp, are available from Nash 19 (021 4270880) or mycuplafocal@gmail.com
