Beginner’s pluck: 'Gaeilge i mo Chroí' YouTuber Molly Nic Céile

Molly Nic Cheile felt a connection with the language and she enjoyed learning Irish in school.

Molly wasn’t raised speaking Irish, but her parents loved using Irish phrases in the home.

“I loved the sound of them, and felt a connection with the language,” she says.

She enjoyed learning Irish in school.

“But in the educational system there was no room for passion.”

After gaining a diploma, Molly started a degree in cinematic arts.

It wasn’t for me, but I really enjoyed the acting module during our second semester.  

“So I left, deciding to give acting a go.”

Moving to Dublin, she took a year our and studied acting part-time at the Gaiety School.

“I’m so glad I did,” she says. “I gained confidence.”

Molly then started making YouTube videos on fitness, food, and mental health.

“But I wasn’t passionate about it.

“In November 2019, I launched my Gaeilgé mo Chroí YouTube channel, and in lockdown, when I went home to Donegal, it really took off.”

She has more than 70,000 followers across her social media outlets.

“It was good timing. People took time to relearn Irish.”

Molly had been thinking about writing a book, before a publisher asked her for one.

Who is Molly Nic Céile?

Date/ place of birth: 1999/ Donegal.

Education: Secondary School in Letterkenny; Northwest Regional College, Derry, diploma in creative media production.

Home: New York.

Family: Partner, Ruairí; mum, dad, Jack, Finn, and the Snoop the dog.

The day job: “I tutor in Irish online, all around the world.”

In another life: “I was applying to study English before I happened upon media production.”

Favourite writers: “I try to read books in Irish, but my romance novels in English are my guilty pleasure.”

Second book: “I want to write another one, but I haven’t settled on a subject yet.”

Top tip: Listen to your body’s rhythm: “I wanted to write early in the day, but my ideas come at midnight.”

Instagram: @gaeilge_i_mo_chroí.

The debut

Gaeilge i mo Chroí — Irish in my Heart

Hachette Books Ireland, €18.99/ Kindle, €9.86

This instructive, easy to follow, and fun book helps people to connect with Irish, and find a new pride in the language. Including stories and proverbs it uses the ‘if Irish were English’ approach to help people better understand sentence structure.

The verdict: Inspirational. Molly’s passion shines through the pages.