Bringing Gaeilge Global – Meet Moira O’Deorain

Ireland is often re-enthused by our native tongue Gaeilge through a number of different initiatives. But little did you know one Gaeilgoir has brought the language to over 35 million people and counting, and she doesn’t even exist; another feat achieved by gaming. – meet Moira O’Deorain.

Tá ag teipeadh do neart – Your strength is failing.

So who is Moira O’Deorain

Moira is the 26th playable character from the global smash game. In Overwatch, diversity are incredibly important in grounding the lore of the game. Already characters hailed from Egypt to India, China to Brazil are playable, bringing with them their language and culture.

And EdHacked have already talked on how they represent LGBT characters and those with special needs. So when Moira was released, it took many by surprise to learn she was in fact a Gaeilgóir (fluent Irish speaker).

Lig dom cabhrú leat – Let me help you

Actress Genevieve O’Reilly voices Moira O’Deorain, a ‘mad scientist’ character whose unethical experiments have given her a villainous reputation. She can both damage enemies or support team mates both long range and short range, and her fade ability lets her escape like a shadow.

Like many in Overwatch, Moira’s entire storyline hasn’t been revealed. What we do know can be seen below:

What even is Seachtain Na Gaeilge?

Across every school in Ireland there will be craic, dance, music, art and more greenery than the tropics. SnaG is a massive opportunity teachers and society use to promote the language as alive, working and growing, in an effort to support our rich culture to children

While promoting the language has always been a heated topic in Ireland, with many saying the standard after formal education just isn’t there despite countless investment, it’s important to highlight to children the ‘cool’ nature Gaeilge can have across the world.

And so, when Moira started ag caint liom as Gaeilge – you can imagine my delight! Many times in the classroom, particularly when the grammar of Gaeilge is introduced, children question why we are learning it. Parents, perhaps stemming from their own experiences of learning the language, are also dubious. Perhaps media examples like Moira can show just how cool a language can sound? It’s significance. And it’s potential.

And so, to Overwatch I say…

Go raibh maith agat – Thank you