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How slogans as Gaeilge have become part of Irish Gaza protests
Opinion: The use of Gaeilge at demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people is part of the radical tradition of Irish language activism
Since the bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces began in October 2023, protests and demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people have taken place across Ireland. Activists have called for a ceasefire and an end to the indiscriminate loss of civilian life.
At these rallies, placards and banners are often emblazoned with slogans in the Irish language, an intriguing feature when you consider this is protest about a foreign conflict. Why has Irish become a key feature of Irish-Palestinian solidarity, and what does this say about the current state of Irish national identity?
The use of the Irish language in political and protest discourse is not new. In recent referendums, including the 2015 marriage equality vote, the 2018 repeal of the Eighth Amendment and the 2024 'Care Amendment', activists on both sides of the debates used the Irish language either exclusively or in combination with English (called code-switching) to appeal to public sentiment.
Make Grá the Law
Slogans like N íl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin ("there's no place like home"), Keep Mná in the Law ("mná" meaning women") and Make Grá the Law ("grá" meaning love) utilised the Irish language to elicit an emotional, patriotic response and to create a sense amongst voters that these were votes about what type of Ireland we wanted to live in and what our national identity should signify.
This linguistic strategy is now being extended to international solidarity. Slogans like Saoirse don Phalaistín ("Freedom to Palestine") show how Irish is being used not just to communicate, but to symbolically align the Palestinian cause with Ireland's own history of resistance and struggle for independence. Ní Saoirse go Saoirse na Palaistíne (There is no Freedom Until Palestinians are Free) is a play on the phrase Ní Saoirse go Saoirse na mBan ("There is no freedom until women are free") which has been a common rallying cry for feminist activists from the suffragette movement to the modern day.
Parallels between the Irish and Palestinian struggles are frequently drawn. Both peoples have endured British colonialism and partition, resulting in ongoing sectarianism, cultural and religious suppression and militarised policing. Activists speak to a shared experience of resistance, resilience and solidarity. For many Irish Republicans, the Palestinian struggle is seen as a continuation of their own as history repeats itself in a foreign land.
This feeling of kinship is entrenched in language, particularly the language of protest. The radical tradition of Irish-language activism has found a new foothold on the global stage, where it serves as a powerful symbol of anti-colonial resistance.
The suppression of the Irish language was a key feature of British cultural colonialism. From the 17th century onward, English was imposed as the language of governance, law, education and commerce. The 1831 national school system enforced English-only instruction, and children were punished for speaking Irish, often with the notorious bata scóir, a tally stick used to record and penalise each use of the native tongue.
From RTÉ Archives, Jim Sherwin presents an episode of Watch Your Language from 1970 looking at the conditions and events that have contributed to a decline in the numbers speaking Irish
This suppression was not just linguistic but cultural. During An Gorta Mór (1845–1852), mass death from starvation and emigration to escape it accelerated the physical and psychological decline of the Irish language. Poorer, rural areas which were most affected were disproportionately Irish speaking. By the late 19th century, Irish had become associated with poverty and backwardness.
In response, cultural revival movements like Douglas Hyde's Conradh na Gaeilge sought to "de-Anglicize" Ireland. Indeed, emphasis of radical difference from Britain has been a key feature in defining Irish national identity. The Irish language became a cornerstone of nationalist identity and, after independence, it was enshrined in the constitution as the first official language of the Republic.
But English remained dominant in practice and Irish continued to be actively suppressed in Northern Ireland under Unionist rule. This gives Irish a unique linguistic position whereby it is constantly under threat of "dying out" yet retains enormous ideological power.
From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, reporter Maura Fay on how Kneecap's influence is growing support for Irish language in Belfast
Despite this threat, the Irish language is experiencing another grassroots revival. This revival is not just cultural but political, especially in Northern Ireland, where speaking Irish can be a statement of resistance and identity. The growing popularity of the Irish language rap group Kneecap reflects this.
Language as a symbol of solidarity
The use of Irish in pro-Palestinian protests is as much about symbolism as communication. Given that there are arguably no monolingual Irish speakers today, the choice to use Irish in protest slogans is a deliberate choice. It asserts a national identity rooted in resistance and aligns that identity with other oppressed peoples.
In the case of Palestine, Irish solidarity is not just about empathy; it is about shared history, shared struggle and a shared vision of liberation. The use of the Irish language to lend support to Palestine achieves a secondary purpose of recognising the Irish struggle for independence and liberation from the imperialist yoke and now it is time to extend that same gift to others. Through language a new generation is reclaiming Irish identity not as a relic of the past, but as a living, radical force for justice.
