Over the course of two days (28 February – 1 March) Urdd staff will deliver Chwarae yn Gymraeg sessions to children Years 5 and 6 at Galescoil Thaobh na Coille, an Irish language primary school in South Dublin.  As part of the sports and cultural sessions the Urdd will be introducing Wales, the Welsh language, its culture, and country to a new audience. 

Siân Lewis, Urdd Chief Executive said:“I am delighted to be in Dublin on our national holiday to officially launch Chwarae yn Gymraeg internationally, a programme to allow children to learn Welsh in a fun environment outside the classroom. 

“In Wales, the Welsh language belongs to everyone, and as a national youth organisation our mission is to engage through sport and arts a contemporary way of introducing the language to a new young audience. We know how important the Irish language is to the people of Ireland, so to begin our European journey in a Gaelscoil is hugely exciting for us. 

“We will engage the pupils here in cultural and sport sessions. Our ambassadors will teach the pupils a traditional Welsh folk dance and will hold a ‘Twmpath’ – a Welsh version of a céilí. Through play, children will also learn foundational Welsh vocabulary, as well as working on their performance skills such as rhythm, confidence, and movements. The sport sessions will include a variety of fun, educational and engaging sport games that develops the pupils’ sport skills but also introduces the Welsh language in a fun environment.”

The Urdd’s Chwarae yn Gymraeg is already delivered at schools across Wales.  Chwarae yn Gymraeg was first launched outside of Wales during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.  In November 2022 a team of the Urdd’s young ambassadors delivered the sessions at schools in Doha and Dubai as part of the Team Wales 2022 World Cup campaign. The Urdd received a fantastic response by all the children as they introduced Wales, the Welsh language and its culture to a new international audience.