Teenage Teanga
September 7, 2013 12:30 PM   Subscribe

A translated version of Avicii's "Wake Me Up" recently broke the record for highest number of views for an Irish language video. It's just the most popular example of the headline-grabbing music videos being made at Coláiste Lurgan, an Irish language summer school for teenagers. Their other popular videos include An tAdh 'Nocht (Get Lucky), Tóg Amach Mé (Wagon Wheel), Pompeii, and Amhrán na gCupán (When I'm Gone). Interview with the school's manager here, setting out his mission. See more songs on YouTube and Bandcamp.
posted by rollick (19 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
They've done Blurred Lines too IIRC
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:33 PM on September 7, 2013


Yep, Blurred Lines / An Laisc Is Mó, with lyrics altered to be a bit more appropriate (same with a couple other songs). There are loads of others at the youtube link. I just put my favorites in the post.
posted by rollick at 12:39 PM on September 7, 2013


Delightful. Thanks, rollick!
posted by MonkeyToes at 12:57 PM on September 7, 2013


Holy cow, that Cups Song is fantastic! All of my kids -- and I -- have been singing it for weeks, and this ought to slow them down. :7)

Heck, the Bandcamp page to download the MP3 even has the Gaelic lyrics. Thank you so much!
posted by wenestvedt at 1:41 PM on September 7, 2013


This makes me giddy. One of my best friends is the pen pal I first got when I was twelve - she grew up in a Gaelic-speaking family in the middle of Cork City, and Irish was pretty much her first language. Her whole family has been VERY active in promoting the use of Irish in all their jobs, schools, everything.

And yeah, she also went to an all-Gaelic language school like this, but they didn't do anything this cool. But I am pretty sure her reaction to this would be a sense of hurray, someone's making Irish cool.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:55 PM on September 7, 2013


Hey Rollick, how's Neil?
posted by GallonOfAlan at 2:31 PM on September 7, 2013


That "Wake Me Up" one, I really wish I could like it, beyond respecting the effort, which I do. Unfortunately it has all the characteristics of those autotuned anthems going around now. I realize I've now transitioned into a geezer, but it all sounds the same. Except now in Gaelic. (Pompeii sounds the same.) Also, get off my lawn.
posted by scamper at 2:34 PM on September 7, 2013


Whatever misgivings I have about the production values, song choices etc... I'm all for the craic.
Irish class wasn't like that in my day.
posted by we are the music makers at 2:59 PM on September 7, 2013 [2 favorites]


This is pretty wonderful.
posted by rtha at 4:59 PM on September 7, 2013


I feel sorry for the kids who are desperate to go to the Gaeltacht next summer and end up in one of the majority that are rather less modern. I remember my friend desperately trying to explain, in broken Irish, to the college president that the reason he didn't attend Mass was because he was an atheist... did. not. compute.
posted by knapah at 5:17 PM on September 7, 2013


Irish class wasn't like that in my day.

I'm pretty sure it still isn't, although hopefully Peig is finally gone. I remember one of our teachers taking us to a pub where everyone spoke Irish and us all being amazed that such a thing existed. Was the most exciting and relevant Irish experience any of us had!
posted by jamesonandwater at 5:53 PM on September 7, 2013 [2 favorites]


Yeah, great that they're making pop music in Gaelic, but the song is shit.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 10:56 PM on September 7, 2013


Glad to see people making music in...Martian...or whatever it is...

In all seriousness, though, more power to 'em.
posted by Fists O'Fury at 3:32 AM on September 8, 2013


Why didn't I post this? I've been feeling out on them for ages cos I actually went to Lurgan for my Gaeltacht trip one summer. It was not at all like this. At all. At. All.
I am thrilled over their success and love how this helps promote and destigmatise the use of the Irish language.

And folks, it is Irish, not Gaelic. Irish is a Gaelic language, hurling is a Gaelic sport. The Irish language is Irish. An easy way to remember this is to only use the word Gaelic if its followed by "football".
posted by Iteki at 5:14 AM on September 8, 2013 [2 favorites]


I hears ya jamesonandwater, for me (and most of my peers) learning Irish in school was mainly based around writing rather than speaking.
I'd take bad pop music over yet another explanation of an Tuiseal Guineadach.
posted by we are the music makers at 5:14 AM on September 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


> only use the word Gaelic if its followed by "football"

Or preceded by "Scots".
posted by ceiriog at 5:41 AM on September 8, 2013 [2 favorites]


A cover of "Fairytale of New York"? This made my day.
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:45 PM on September 8, 2013 [2 favorites]


Glad to see people making music in...Martian...or whatever it is...

Uh, that'd be Irish Gaelic. FYI.
posted by threeants at 1:57 PM on September 8, 2013


A cover of "Fairytale of New York"?

Apparently this one is about "a rare old mountain Jew".
posted by dhartung at 1:52 AM on September 9, 2013


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