Northern Ireland

President Higgins pays tribute to Belfast’s Irish language pioneer Gearóid Ó Cairealláin ahead of funeral

Activist was remembered by son Naoise at sell-out Kneecap gig in SSE Arena

Gearóid Ó Caireallán father of Kneecap's Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Moglaí Bap)
Gearóid Ó Caireallán, who died on Friday at the age of 67.
By Paul Ainsworth

President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to long time champion of the Irish language movement, Gearóid O Cairealláin, who died on Friday evening.

The president described his death as “a great loss for all those who work for the use of the Irish language: its rights, its literature, and its place in the daily life of people”.

The funeral for cammpaigner Mr Ó Cairealláin will take place on Christmas Eve in his native west Belfast.

Mr Higgins added: “He served as president of Conradh na Gaeilge, but his contribution was much wider than that.

“Sabina and I send our sympathy to his family, including his sons Ainle, Cairbre and Naoise.”

Join the Irish News Whatsapp channel

The former president of Irish language advocacy group Conradh na Gaeilge, Mr Ó Cairealláin, who was 67, died at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital on Friday following a short illness.

The father of musician and rapper Naoise Ó Cairealláin, AKA Moglaí Bap of Irish language hip-hop trio Kneecap, Gearóid’s death occurred a day before the band played their biggest ever Belfast gig at the city’s SSE Arena.

The band confirmed the sell-out gig would go ahead on Saturday, but said in a post to X (formerly Twitter) they were “heartbroken” at the loss.

“Tonight’s concert at the SSE arena will be the largest Irish language gig in the city’s history. Nothing would have made him prouder. Tonight is for him,” they added.

A picture of Gearóid was displayed as a tribute in front of thousands of fans during the concert.

The campaigner, who co-founded Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter hub Cultúrlann MacAdam-Ó Fiaich, was also involved in the founding of Belfast’s first Irish language secondary school, Coláiste Feirste, in 1991.

He was a founder and one-time editor of former Belfast-based Irish language newspaper Lá, which he began in 1984, having previously set up weekly publication Preas an Phobail.

Lá ran until 2008, when its last issue was printed by the Belfast Media Group.

Gearóid was also the driving force behind Belfast Irish language station Raidió Fáilte, which was granted a licence in 2006, but had been previously broadcast as a pirate station.

A death notice describes him as the “beloved husband of Bríd Ó Gallchoir, much loved father of Ainle, Cairbre, Naoise, much loved son of Theresa and the late Frank Carleton, brother of Marie, Anthony, Martin, Claire, Cristín. R.I.P.”

A funeral will take place at S Peter’s Cathedral on the Falls Road on Tuesday morning.