S5E17: Mollie Guidera – Teaching Irish to Global Ireland
So why learn Irish?
"Studies have shown that learning your native language, learning any language, but especially your ancestral tongue, brings feelings of comfort and freedom. And especially when considering our past and our heritage, learning Irish is very revealing and very healing," says our latest guest Mollie Guidera, the Irish language teacher for Global Ireland.
She grew up “with Irish in her ears all the time” and gave her first Irish lesson at age seven to a visiting American cousin. And even though her Irish language school expelled her for uttering one sentence of English, her love for the language grew.
She’s taught over 6,000 students Irish online for a decade, currently through her engaging online global Irish language school simply named Irish with Mollie, a “blossoming community of worldwide Irish speakers, people from every background, every age, and just people who love Irish and are willing it forward.”
Add co-host John Lee to the student roster--he registered after finding Mollie on Instagram and TikTok. With about 150,000 social media followers, she’s a leading Irish language influencer, spreading awareness of Irish in refreshing new ways.
“We're hearing the echoes of our parents and grandparents and Irish writers in the Irish sounds and in the syntax and in the words themselves. It is such a tender and humorous language, replete with poetry and magic. It brings to life so many funny and quirky kinds of realizations and revelations.”
Join us for an episode of Irish language “realizations and revelations” with Múinteoir Mollie.
Links
- Website
- TikTok
- In the Irish Times
Mollie Guidera
Irish Language Innovator
“I taught my first Irish lesson to my American cousin, aged 7. I was aged 7! It was at a Thanksgiving dinner at home in Dublin, and while she shared her feast, I shared our native language.
“I attended Irish college in the Gaeltacht every summer and became Head Girl in my coláiste (college). That was after being kicked out for saying one sentence in English. It was a very strict place. But the immersion worked!
“I travelled around the world, got the Cambridge certificate in teaching, and taught English, before realising what energised me most is immersing myself in the Irish language. I used my skills learning other languages to break down Irish in a way my Irish peers and international students had never been exposed to, and started becoming extremely busy teaching people from all over the world on Zoom.
“People are in love with Ireland and our language, and I wanted to share this motivation and excitement with newcomers and people who grew up traumatised by learning Irish!
“I was completely booked out, and I realised that I wanted to help even more students, and that’s why I started making online courses.
“So far, I am very proud to say that I have helped more than 6,000 students from many different countries, and I want to continue to spread the language to everyone who loves it or loves Ireland!
“My mission is to continue to spread my love for the Irish language to as many people as possible worldwide!”
Listen On