Irish Rail launches new campaign to encourage workers and passengers to speak Irish on trains

Conradh na Gaeilge will deliver Irish language classes for Irish Rail staff, in a bid to help workers build their confidence and fluency to use Irish with passengers.

Irish Rail staff who have 'cúpla focal' are going to wear a fáinne as part of a new campaign to encourage workers and passengers to speak to each other in Irish.

The ‘Fáinne on Board’ campaign, referring to the circle-shaped emblem that signifies a person can speak Irish, has been developed in partnership with social and cultural organisation Conradh na Gaeilge to encourage people to use their Irish, at whatever their level, as part of the everyday travel experience.

The pair have also published the results of an online survey showing 50% of train passengers would use Irish if they knew staff spoke it, while two in three people (65%) felt very positive about hearing Irish spoken on trains.

“The survey results clearly show that passengers want to use their Irish; they just need the opportunity and confidence to do so,” Irish Rail’s Irish language officer Erin Burns said.

Through our partnerships with Conradh na Gaeilge and An tOireachtas, we’re making Irish more visible, welcoming, and accessible across our services.

The survey also found one in six said visible signs, emblems, or badges indicating a staff member’s ability to speak Irish would encourage them to use the language too. Furthermore, one in three said a “lack of opportunity” was the main reason they don’t speak Irish more often on trains.

As part of the initiative, Conradh na Gaeilge will deliver Irish language classes for Irish Rail staff, in a bid to help workers build their confidence and fluency to use Irish with passengers.

“These results demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for the Irish language and a clear desire for practical spaces to use it,” Conradh na Gaeilge’s director of development Aodhán Ó Deá said, adding it was about creating "real, tangible ways" to use Irish.

Irish Rail also said it would support Oireachtas na Samhna, an Irish-language arts festival taking place in Belfast from October 29 to November 2.

This will include providing complimentary travel for 30 performers and volunteers, and hosting a “Gaeilge Amháin” carriage on its train for festival goers. However, it added this carriage was not open for general public booking.