A bilingual platform profiling and promoting the people, organisations, activities, events and businesses which make up the vibrant Irish language community in West Belfast.
Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhein, Fís an Phobail:
Fís an Phobail is a language planning network located in West Belfast. Our overall aim is to support and develop projects and initiatives locally that help create a critical mass of Irish speakers. Central to that aim is ensuring that all of those with Irish or with an interest in learning Irish have easy access to all information relating to services and events through Irish.
We initially had the idea of developing a website but didn’t really know where to start. That's when we reached out to rabble.coop and their expertise and support made our vision a reality.
The Fís an Phobail website offers visitors a visual representation of the Irish language revival blossoming across West Belfast. The team at rabble.coop took on the difficult task of capturing the vibrancy of the many cultural organisations and businesses that visitors to the area encounter in real life, and transferred this experience to the digital space. What they have produced far exceeds any of our initial expectations. The original artwork guides visitors to various areas of interest, ranging from culture and heritage to education, the arts, sport, and tourism, while also capturing many of the landmarks that define the Gaeltacht Quarter. Our site is completely bilingual and the transition between languages is seamless.
Not only is the site easy to navigate but it's also really aesthetically pleasing, which is critical for a new project like ours. We want people to visit and to be impressed with what they see, we want them to explore the site at their leisure. The nature of our work means we work with a range of different language projects locally, rabble.coop worked closely with us and our colleagues and made sure that everyone understood how to use and utilise the site to meet their specific needs.
We are only at the start of our journey with our language plan, our new website and with rabble and we are excited to see it develop in the years ahead reflecting the changing nature of our expanding community.
Ní neart go cur le chéile!
