Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, Belfast

This cultural centre is dedicated to promoting Irish language art and culture through workshops, classes and its well-stocked bookshop.

Cultúrlann McAdam O Fiaich is in West Belfast, an area also known as the Gaeltacht Quarter because Irish is widely spoken there. The centre opened in 1991 and is in an old Presbyterian church building, named after two men: Robert Shipboy McAdam, who was an important figure in the 19th century revival of interest in Irish culture, and 20th-century Irish scholar Cardinal Tomás O Fiaich. When it first opened, it was used by Meánscoil Feirste, an Irish-language secondary school which had only nine pupils. The school has since moved to a new building but the Cultúrlann’s key aim of promoting Irish language projects remains. Other projects that have been supported by the centre include the newspaper Lá/Lá Nua, and Raidió Fáilte, and it now provides space for an Irish language magazine, theatre company and TV production company. 

The centre was extended in 2010 and re-opened with an exhibition space and new art gallery named after local artist Gerard Dillon. It stocks a wide range of Irish language books for beginners and fluent language-speakers, and runs Irish classes as well as concerts and art classes designed to preserve Irish culture and make it available to all members of the community.

Eric Jones/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Eric Jones/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Opening Hours

Monday:
09:00 - 18:00
Tuesday:
09:00 - 18:00
Wednesday:
09:00 - 18:00
Thursday:
09:00 - 18:00
Friday:
09:00 - 21:00
Saturday:
09:00 - 21:00
Sunday:
11:00 - 16:00
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