Member Profile: Dónal Grogan

Irish language films are experiencing something of a renaissance. With more films being made every decade and with greater budgets to work with, Gaeilge is finding its way to the screen with increasing fervor. The last few years have seen groundbreaking milestones achieved, from the 2022 movie An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) becoming the first film in Irish to be awarded an Oscar nomination, to the breakout success of Kneecap and how it helped bring attention to the Irish language.

An Mór-Ríoghan—or the Morrigan, in English—is a figure that evolved and somewhat changed throughout Irish mythology. Nonetheless, she is most commonly associated as the goddess of battle and war, and in the larger scope, the goddess of sovereignty. With her name translating as “great queen” (or by some accounts, “phantom queen” from proto-Celtic), she often takes an active part in influencing battles, whether by encouraging the warriors of one side or disrupting those on the other. While she is known as a shapeshifter that can turn herself into various animals, she most often takes the form of a crow.

Ireland is surrounded by sea, so let’s take a look at ‘focail na farraige’, words describing marine life, sea travel, the waves, the weather and even superstitions…