Turas (Irish for "journey") is an

Irish-language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...

project which is part of East Belfast Mission, in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

. Beginning as a grassroots effort, spearheaded primarily by

Linda Ervine Linda Ervine MBE is a language rights activist from East Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is a speaker and supporter of the Irish language and is the project leader of the "Turas" Irish language project which "aims to connect people from Protestant ...

, Turas aims to promote the language particularly in the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Unionist community. Historically, the Irish language was more closely associated with

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

identity. Turas was first established in 2011 with a single Irish-language class held on the Newtownards Road. Today, the project caters to approximately 200 learners and is considered the largest provider of Irish-language classes in Belfast. Turas has received many accolades for its cross-community work. In 2015, after awarding Linda with the Civic Leadership Award, Community Relations Council chairman Peter Osborne stated that Turas' success was a "testament to Linda’s vision, bravery and leadership."

History

Linda Ervine, sister-in-law of the late

Progressive Unionist Party The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) is a minor unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979. Linked to the Ulster Volunt ...

leader

David Ervine David Ervine (21 July 1953 – 8 January 2007) was a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist politician who served as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2002 to 2007, and was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Bel ...

, participated in a six-week Irish-language course in early 2011 as a member of an East Belfast cross-community women's group. When an article published by the ''

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...

'' prompted local interest in learning Irish, East Belfast Mission decided to host a 15-week Irish-language class in November 2011. In 2012, with funding from

Foras na Gaeilge (, " Irish Institute"; ) is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the role ...

, East Belfast Mission was able to hire Ervine as Irish Language Development Officer. In 2014, further funding allowed for the allocation of a permanent space for Turas in the newly built Skainos Centre.

Programme

Turas currently offers 12 Irish-language classes each week, with levels ranging from total beginners to GCSE. Some learners at Turas have since continued on with A-levels as well as diploma certificates. Cultural classes include singing, set dancing, and tin whistle. Turas also hosts plays, lectures, debates, film screenings, festivals, and trips to the

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

Outreach

Ervine and Gordon McCoy (who has served as Education Officer at Turas since 2015) host outreach presentations and events about the 'hidden' heritage of Northern Ireland at local churches, clubs, libraries, schools, and community centres. McCoy is an expert on Irish-speaking Protestants, and runs a bus tour about the history of the language in East Belfast. Ervine and McCoy have also encouraged and facilitated the development of Irish-language programmes throughout the greater Belfast area.

Advocacy

The status of the Irish language has proved divisive in post-

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in Nor ...

Northern Ireland. As a representative of Turas, Linda Ervine has actively engaged with Unionist politicians, as well as members of the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots people, Ulster Sco ...

, in order to promote the language. Ervine has been particularly vocal about her support for a standalone

Irish Language Act The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom providing "official recognition of the status of the Irish language" in Northern Ireland, with Ulster Scots being an officially recognised m ...

References

{{reflist Irish language organisations Organisations based in Belfast