Seachtain na Gaeilge

Week of Irish
Seachtain na Gaeilge

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Abbreviation	SnaG
Formation	1903
Founder	Conradh na Gaeilge
Type	Irish language Gaelic revival
Headquarters	Ireland
Website	snag.ie

Seachtain na Gaeilge (English: "Irish language week") (SnaG) is a non-profit organisation in Ireland which promotes the Irish language during a two-week festival held at the beginning of March every year, just before Saint Patrick's Day on March 17.

History

The festival was established by Conradh na Gaeilge in 1903, and Seachtain na Gaeilge is now sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge.

Events during the festival include music sessions, speed-dating, and street céilís. Over 150,000 people of all levels of fluency in Irish take part, including thousands of children from schools and youth clubs in Ireland.

The festival motto is "Croí na Teanga – It's You!" (The Heart of the Language – It's You!).

In 2012, SnaG coincided with Rith, a relay race in support of Irish, modelled on the Basque Korrika.

Music albums

As part of the celebration, compilation CDs have been released during the 2000s. These albums feature Irish acts singing their popular hits in the Irish language. Called SnaG '05, Ceol '06, Ceol '07 and Ceol '08 etc. these albums have included songs from Paddy Casey, Mundy, The Frames, and The Corrs. The Ceol '07 compilation featured a return of some of the artists from previous albums and debuts from Damien Dempsey, Bell X1 and Declan O'Rourke. Profits from the sale of these albums were donated to the charity Concern. In 2011, the production and distribution of this CD was allotted to radio station Raidió Rí Rá and the Irish Daily Star newspaper, and reached tens of thousands of listeners at the beginning of the festival, being distributed in the paper.

External links

• SnaG website