Una McDaid tells the story of Cuchulainn to campers at Club Cultur.
Only three days into Club Cultur, an Irish-themed summer camp at Sacred Heart School in Havertown, the campers already knew that sui sios meant “sit down” and seas su meant “stand up.” While they got that cuinas meant “quiet,” they weren’t as familiar with the concept as they might have been.
Sometimes, they were just having too much fun to be quiet.
Club Cultur was started by four Delaware County residents—three of them Irish immigrants—who thought their little idea of teaching children about Irish culture might rouse a some interest in a community where so many Irish immigrants have settled. “We thought if we got 20 kids we could build on that and it would be good,” says Tina McDaid, a native of Glenswilly, County Donegal. “We didn’t expect the response we got.”
Seventy children between the ages of 5 and 14 were registered for the week-long camp, where they were immersed in the Irish language, geography, mythology, music, sports, and games.
Many of their parents are like Camp Cultur co-founder Una McDaid, Tina’s sister-in-law—anxious to keep their American children rooted to their Irish heritage. “When I first came here I used to hear people say they were Irish but when I asked them what part of Ireland they came from, they didn’t know,” says Una. “I couldn’t have my children not knowing where I came from. This is part of who I am.”
The blueprint for Club Cultur’s program is the curriculum in Irish primary schools. “The kids are learning here all the things they would learn if they went to school in Ireland,” says Tina.
A game that looked like net-less volleyball, for example, was a lesson in Gaelige, or Gaelic, the native language taught in Irish schools. The older girls counted down in Irish as they passed the ball to one another and followed Tina’s directions, spoken in her native tongue. “The children have already learned their colors, counting to 10, how to say thank you,” says Tina. “Our motto is, ‘Better to have a little bit of broken Irish than perfect English.’ If the children can pick up 5 percent and keep it, I’ll be happy.”
The campers also learned about modern Irish culture, including what can only be called Irish English. That was taught by Una who says that her own children understand that when she says she left something in the “boot” they should look for it in the trunk of the car. “But they never call it the boot; they say trunk,” she laughs.
“Can anyone tell me what a vest is?” she asked the crowd of kids at her feet during the lesson where most kids knew, thanks to Irish parents or grandparents, that “bangers” are sausages and that a “footpath” is a street. “A sweater?” one child ventured tentatively. No. “A coat?” another guessed. Una allowed for a few seconds of silence then revealed the answer. “It’s undershirt.” The crowd buzzed.
Later, Una’s niece, Fiona Bradley, who is a McDade Irish dancer, taught the littlest girls a few ceili dance moves, assisted by some campers who’d obviously done this before, while Ciaran Porter, games development officer for the Philadelphia Gaelic Athletic Association and a half forward on the St. Patrick’s Gaelic football team, taught the boys how to pick up a sliotar with a hurley (translation: pick up the hurling ball with the hurling stick).
“When we started talking about this, we realized that between the four of us we had everything—sports, language, dancing, and culture,” says Tina, laughing.
With 70 campers in its premier year, there’s a good chance Club Cultur could become a staple of Delaware County summers. But sheer numbers aren’t the only reason. “Most of the kids were signed up by their parents who were skeptical that the kids would like it,” says Una. “But the kids are really, really enjoying it, so it’s win-win.”
We stopped by Club Cultur on Wednesday morning and took some photos, which you can see here.
