Member Profile: Cody Lewis

How does someone in Milwaukee suddenly find themselves studying Irish vocabulary, grammar and phrases each week? Cody Lewis may have the answer!

If you met Cody, you might think his dedication to learning Irish is strictly down to the Irish heritage on his grandmother’s side, but that’s only part of the reason. His main motivation for learning Irish, Cody attests, is due to his Dublin-born wife! Furthermore, he has always enjoyed languages, so when the opportunity arose, he thought – why not? 

To get a better sense of what learning Irish means to Cody, it helps to understand his language journey up to this point.

I began learning Irish at the start of this year, after my wife and I had recently moved back to Milwaukee from Philadelphia. Hoping to connect with the local Irish-learning community, I found a few opportunities nearby – but even more online.

What’s remarkable is that Cody is only learning Irish for four months, yet he is already in the A2 Elementary class. He enjoys the feeling of belonging and interconnection that comes from learning a minority language with others, and he says that being part of the online Irish community is a major factor in providing motivation and support:

If I were to simplify what learning Irish means to me, it comes down to one word: connection. I’ve met such a wonderful community—both online and in person – through learning Irish. That sense of community is a big part of what continues to ignite my passion.

Weekly Comhrá sessions have the benefit of facilitating chats with fellow speakers and an opportunity to use the language in a more informal setting. Understandably, learning Irish has had the added bonus of providing a shared interest and link with his wife too:

It’s a connection to my wife, her family, and her country. It’s a connection to others in the community. And even though it’s not the reason I initially started learning, it’s also a connection to a part of my heritage.

Cody’s dedication and determination to improving his skills ‘as Gaeilge’ is certainly inspiring. See below to get to know him more and to read his tips for fellow Irish language learners!