Why Pray in Gaelic?

Throughout many of my articles, I have provided resources for individuals to prayerfully engage in a Gaelic language of one’s choosing. Despite the amount of time spent on this endeavor, I have not articulated a reason as to why one should pray in Gaelic. Given the cultural climate and the general view of language as a tool for social mobility, I feel that it is important to demonstrate the importance of praying in one’s ancestral language. While the position of those who find learning any language difficult, due to disabilities caused by birth or injury, I understand and do hope that you may learn something from this article. For those who can and refuse to learn for one reason or another, I hope that the message contained herein will inspire you to open your mind to pray alongside your ancestors in one voice.

In discussing the importance of Gaelic prayer, one cannot overlook its relationship within the larger Celtic Christian tradition. For this reason, it is tempting to focus on the theological emphases and nuances present within various texts. However, it is just as important to focus on the language and how it encapsulates the history of the Gaelic church encoded in prayer. This is evident in prayers, such as the Faeth Fiada or “Lorica of St. Patrick.” The quintessential prayer of the lorica genre, this prayer has been argued to be related to the féth fíada that the Tuatha Dé Danann used to shroud themselves. It may be seen as point of congruence between the indigenous tradition and Christianity, where latter served to transfigure the former rather than eliminate it.

But Gaelic prayer is more than a connection to the history of the Gaelic church, but with its philosophy. Within the grammatical treatises of the filí tradition, the philosopher-poets of Gaeldom, it was understood that Gaelic wasn’t simply a vehicle for communicating wisdom but was the crux of their tradition. Or as it is written in the Auraicept na n-Éiges, Gaelic is philosophy. This powerful statement demonstrates the sincerity of the vernacular that even speaking with poetic skill could bring merit or misfortune. Through Gaelic prayer, we connect with this ethos and its continual study offers the opportunity to understand this way of life with greater clarity.

Learning how to pray in Gaelic can be therapeutic, either aiding in the development of one’s identity or a means of bolstering a local community. This is particularly important for those in diaspora, as discrimination and a disconnect from one’s ancestral homeland may create a sense of longing and alienation. This creates tension within families, potentially causing trauma in the form of neglect and abuse. It is through the adoption of ritual, whether it is secular or religious in nature, that members of the diaspora are capable of healing. Through Gaelic prayer, or even learning a Gaelic language, family dynamics will improve through the re-establishment of identity. This may even matriculate into the local community, as more Gaelic speakers will forge stronger bonds through a common language and ethnic identity.

When we engage in Gaelic prayer, we are interacting with the history of the Gaelic people and connecting with how it deepens our own faith. We begin to learn how the spoken words are a form of wisdom in action, creating blessings as we speak through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Through this consistent engagement, we begin to reforge our identity that connects us more deeply with our own history. By praying in Gaelic, we begin the process of understanding this ethos through the connection of faith with culture and understand the Christian tradition as our ancestors understood it. We begin the process of truly becoming Gaelic Christians.