President Catherine Connolly wants to do something no Irish president has tried in a serious way before: make Irish the actual working language of her presidency. Not just the cúpla focail at a podium, but real-life emails, meetings, memos, and day-to-day business conducted as Gaeilge. It sounds inspiring, slightly terrifying, and raises a simple question: could anyone else pull that off? 

In today’s podcast, we ask what it would mean for an ordinary workplace to follow her lead. Could a private company – say, a busy radio station like Newstalk – decide that Irish is the language of the office? What would that look like for staff who are fluent, staff who are rusty, and staff who still wake up sweating about their Leaving Cert oral? 

Today FM presenter and How To Gael co-host Louise Cantillon joins Shane to talk about living and working bilingually every day, why she slips between Irish and English on air without thinking about it, and how listeners really react when a national presenter leans into Gaeilge. She explains where her own grá for the language comes from and what she learned interviewing President Connolly during the campaign. 

We also hear from Natasha O’Flaherty of Hynes’ Pub in Stoneybatter, where customers are actively encouraged to order their pints in Irish. She explains how a few words at the bar can change the atmosphere of a place, and why making mistakes is part of the fun rather than something to fear. 

Then HR expert Moira Grassick from Peninsula Ireland joins Shane to reality-check the idea of an Irish-language workplace. She talks through what the law actually says, whether a company could insist on Irish for certain roles, how contracts and policies would have to change, and how employers might promote Irish without alienating staff who aren’t confident speakers. From lunchtime conversation circles to bilingual signage and the branding benefits of using our first official language, she lays out what’s possible – and what would be a legal or practical nightmare. 

So can Irish really move beyond the Gaeltacht, the classroom and the Dáil chamber to become a genuine working language again? Or is this one of those ideas we love in theory, but quietly abandon once the Monday morning inbox lands? 

🎧 Listen to Louise Cantillon on the How To Gael podcast: https://www.howtogael.com/ 

🎧 Tune into Splanc with Cuán Ó Flatharta on Newstalk: https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/splanc 

📧 Tell us whether Irish could work in your office: newstalkdaily@newstalk.com