Fáilte! Welcome to a special Off The Ball podcast, for Seachtain na Gaeilge - with some brilliant guests; Pat Lam, David Gough, Naomi Carroll and Chrissy McKaigue all joining Team OTB to celebrate the Irish language and join in on a conversation tied around culture, language, identity and sport.
It's a podcast full of gaeilge, gaeilge briste agus píosa beag béarla, thrown in where neccesary, as Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh helps Tommy Rooney and Darren Cleary, two members of Team OTB, who were fluent, once upon a time, rediscover their cúpla focal.
Former Connacht Rugby Coach Pat Lam, now with the Bristol Bears in the English Championship joined us to talk about how tapped into the unique energy source of life in the West of Ireland to get Connacht on the right track. Discussing how you can use language and identity to implement a culture, and change how a group of people see themselves.
Pat Lam had a huge impact on Rugby in Ireland, he tells us how he managed that, why his Samoan heritage growing up in New Zealand helped him along the way, and recounts to us his own experience of the Irish language throughout his phenomenal spell out west.
Later on you'll hear from another member of Team OTB, Enda Coll from Donegal, before GAA referee David Gough, Irish Hockey and Clare GAA star Naomi Carroll and Chrissy McKaigue of Derry GAA and the brilliant Slaughtneil club discuss a range of topics; from their own grasp of the Irish language, and how they use it, to everything that's going on in their sporting lives too.
Is féile idirnáisiúnta Ghaeilge í Seachtain na Gaeilge, atá ar an gceiliúradh is mó dár dteanga agus dár gcultúr dúchais a bhíonn ar siúl in Éirinn agus in go leor tíortha eile gach bliain.
Bain sult as, agus teagmháill linn ar twitter.com/offtheball!
OTB AM - the sports breakfast show from Off The Ball is live every morning from 7.45am across OTB.
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