Armagh footballer Jamie Clarke is proud of the fact that he speaks Irish fluently.

Speaking to the Armagh website, Clarke tells of how he learned the Irish language at school and feels he has a better understanding of Irish culture, having done so.

When asked if the GAA has role in promoting the Irish language, Clarke was adamant that it did indeed.

"I think the GAA has a huge role to play in the promotion of the language because it has been one of the GAA's main objectives since the organisation was founded," he told www.armagh-gaa.com.

"We're lucky in Armagh that our county board has a number of high profile speakers who use Irish regularly when speaking or contributing to programmes, something which encourages others to use Irish. We have a committee who are doing a lot of work to promote the language and to promote Scór, which is also important for our culture.

"The president of the Ulster council is an Irish speaker and it's great to hear Irish being used in Croke Park at presentations. I think it's important that captains use Irish in their acceptance speeches, I would always try to use my cúpla focal.

"Our club has a few Irish language signs in and around the clubhouse and most of the signs at the Athletic Grounds also use Irish. I think there is a lot more that could be done to encourage people to use more Irish, but I think the media have a big influence on this. It's great that TG4 show club matches and I would pick up a lot of words that I am familiar with." Tweet

Most Read Stories