On World Translation Day (Monday, September 30, 2024) members of Wales’s largest youth organization, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, and Irish youth project TG Lurgan joined forces to release a new cover of Florence and the Machine’s hit song “Dog Days Are Over”—in a mix of both the Irish and Welsh languages (www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoNznPzw8Mg).
Their collaboration releases, which began during the COVID-19 shutdown, have received over a million views across video and music streaming services.
In January 2021, members of the Urdd and TG Lurgan released the first-ever music video in both the Welsh and Irish languages, “Golau’n Dallu / Dallta as na Solise,” an adaption of the popular song “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd.
In August, 400 young people from TG Lurgan and 30 from the Urdd attended the summer school Coláiste Lurgan in Connemara in western Ireland to record this latest release, before performing in a live concert.
At the core of this collaboration is a shared vision of showcasing minority languages as the living and breathing entities that they are, ensuring that young people are given the confidence to use Welsh and Irish in everyday life. Harnessing the creative outputs of this collaboration also brings this vision to a global audience, a core objective of the Ireland–Wales Shared Statement.
Mali Thomas, director of communications and international relations at Urdd Gobaith Cymru, explained their objectives: “At the Urdd we believe that Cymraeg (the Welsh language) belongs to everyone, and we know how important the Irish language is to the people of Ireland. The Urdd and TG Lurgan have a shared vision—by showcasing both languages as the dynamic and relevant languages they are, we’re giving young people the confidence to use them widely in their everyday life. What better medium than pop music to spread the word and widen the appeal? To continue this project is hugely exciting for us and we already look forward to future collaborations with TG Lurgan.”
Speaking about the musical collaboration, Mícheál Ó Foighil, director of TG Lurgan, added: “The Lurgan–Urdd project is of significant importance to us, and we are delighted to continue to strengthen our partnership. This project is a symbol of the deep cultural ties between our two countries. It shows how we can learn from each other and emphasizes the strength and increasing relevance of our languages, breaking down language barriers in an ever-changing physical and online world. This latest event not only demonstrates the talent of young people from Lurgan and Wales, but also the deep affection they hold for their native culture and arts.”
