In the Name of the Fada Episode Rating Graph

The question of why Des is undertaking this is incessant and confronting. Bottom line is that it's hard to get answers sometimes in Ireland. Galetacht people just speak it as it is their language. Irish people have to learn it in school, so their opinion of the language is largely impacted by that experience. For some respite and reflection, Des returns to New York and Boston where Irish is the 66th most spoken language. He meets Irish speakers, students and teachers, many of whom share his motivations - to tap into an Irish identity that is so important to the diaspora. He meets up with the extension of the Connemara Gaeltacht in Boston where he is inspired by the motivation of people who have never been to Ireland but continue to work hard to learn and teach the language - not for money - but for the sheer love of it.

Born in the UK, raised in the US and living in Ireland since he was 14, Des Bishop decides to go in search of a true rite of passage into Ireland by learning Irish in Connemara's Gaeltacht. He gives himself a year to learn enough Irish to do a gig "as Gaeilge". Des moves in with a family in Tir an Fhia, Leitir Móir and begins to immerse himself in Gaeltacht society. He joins the Junior C GAA team, works odd jobs with locals and does a gig in a nearby pub to explain in his own words what he is actually doing. In an effort to motivate his learning, Des goes back to school and signs up for the school leaving certificate and after two months attempts the oral Irish exam. How will he manage?