Aiteach agus Gaelach

Comharghrúpa spleodrach ealaíne is ea AerachAiteachGaelach agus breis agus 70 ealaíontóir aiteach ann. Eoin Mc Evoy agus Ciara Ní É a bhunaigh an grúpa in 2020. AerachAiteachGaelach (AAG) is a queer arts collective which operates through Irish. The group has over 70 members and the collective supports practitioners of a wide variety of art forms - playwrights, poets, writers, musicians, drag performers, academics and visual artists. Ciara Ní É explains the similarities between Pride in our language and in our identities.

Gaeilge is the native language of this country, and queer people have always existed, so the queer history of our island is inextricably linked to the Irish language. Tá sé spéisiúil nach samhlaíonn daoine gur féidir bheith aiteach agus Gaelach, ach tuigim dóibh, shamhlaigh mise an rud céanna tráth! That’s not unique - in countries all around the world queerness is viewed as a foreign influence, and for a long time there was the mindset that being queer and being Gaelach were at odds with each other.

Tá cúrsaí tar éis athrú ó bhonn ó tharla an reifreann pósta in 2015. Go tobann bhí daoine LADTA+ le Gaeilge feiceálach agus cuireadh tús le ré nua i saol na Gaeilge.

The Queercal Comhrá LGBTQ+ conversation circle is held on the third Thursday of the month. Cuirtear fáilte roimh chách teacht chuig na himeachtaí spraíúla sin agus is féidir iad a leanúint ag @QueercalComhra ar Instagram leis na sonraí a fháil.

We started tentatively holding Bród celebrations from 2017, i gClub Chonradh na Gaeilge. Ar dtús ba rud iomlán nua é Bród a cheiliúradh trí Ghaeilge. Chuaigh sé i bhfeidhm orainn éisteacht leis na scéalta ón nglúin a chuaigh romhainn - daoine aiteacha nár bhraith go raibh spás dóibh i saol na Gaeilge riamh roimhe sin.

Fós sa lá atá inniu ann, feictear dúinn nach bpléitear cúrsaí aiteacha mórán sa Ghaeilge agus nach bpléitear an Ghaeilge mórán sa saol aiteach, agus déanaimid iarracht le AAG é sin a chur ina cheart.

I’ve attended the Dublin Pride Parade every year for a while now and have found solace in the solidarity of the LGBTQ+ community in the city but attending the first ever Bród na Gaeltachta anuraidh i gCloich Cheann Fhaola, b’eispéaras speisialta ar fad é sin. The Gaeltacht is not a place traditionally associated with queerness, which is all the more reason to have a Pride Parade there. There were great crowds of people supporting us agus nuair a shiúlamar thar scoil dúirt fear in aice liom gur cuimhin leis a bheith istigh ann, tuiscint aige go raibh sé aiteach, agus é ag briondlóidí faoin áit a fhágáil agus é níos sine. Ba é an lá sin an chéad uair a bhraith sé go mbeadh fáilte roimhe fanacht ann.

AAG are looking forward to returning to Bród na Gaeltachta this year to perform Grindr, Saghdar and Cher, a new drama which was nominated for three awards at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival last month. Tugadh léiriú sa dráma ar shaol aiteach na Gaeilge mar atá sé sa lá atá inniu ann, agus tá tábhacht mhór ag baint le hé sin a chur ar shúile daoine.

The play is in Irish with English subtitles, as we are well aware that our work is enjoyed by people with all levels of Irish. People often have emotional reactions to our performances - for many audience members it heals a long felt wound to see queer experiences expressed through our beautiful national language. Tá spás ann dúinn ar fad.

In that vein, our 2021 Dublin Fringe Show Idir Mise agus Craiceann do Chluaise was an immersive on-site audio promenade piece that told the life story of one of the older members of our group. D’fhág Alan Walpole Éire sna 1980í toisc nach raibh spás ann dó bheith aerach ann ach nuair a d’fhill sé in 2015 d’aimsigh sé pobal bríomhar aiteach Gaeilge a chuir fáilte roimhe. Níor shamhlaigh sé riamh go mbeadh spás ann dó ina thír féin agus ina theanga féin, agus b’iontach an deis an turas sin a cheiliúradh.

There’s a lot of talk this time of year about the meaning of Bród. I used to feel pride in my growth and self-acceptance. Since getting involved with AAG I also feel a pride in doing that while keeping in touch with my dúchas, and inviting others to do the same. Is Gael aiteach mé agus tá go leor againn ann. Ba mhaith linn go dtuigfeadh daoine de gach aois gur féidir a bheith Aerach/Aiteach agus Gaelach.