The English man quietly learning Irish in Strabane

PATRONS of the Alley Theatre over the past few weeks will have noticed a man sitting alone, quietly in the corner surrounded by books and a steaming teapot. ‘Nothing unusual about that’ one would think; after all, the Alley foyer is a serene spot for relaxation and contemplation. This particular man is using that serenity to undergo a journey with the Irish language.

A native of Richmond in Surrey, octogenarian George Preston is a quiet, well-spoken fellow. He explained: “My late wife Marie is from Strabane, and her father Paddy used to own the Ulster Bar in the town back in the day. We met when Marie was living in England, fell in love and married. We came to live in Ireland for a while and it was then my love for the native language began.

“Unfortunately, Marie passed away last year following a battle with cancer and is buried in Leckpatrick church graveyard so I come to visit her whenever I can.”

Already a skilled linguist, George’s career as a technical writer for a company took him all over the globe. For his job, George had to learn different languages, translating manuals into German, French and many other languages for his clients. His love for Irish came from an unusual source – hiking.

George said: “When Marie and I lived here, we – or more so I – had a love for hiking. We would go hiking up mountains across Tyrone and Donegal and I found myself fascinated by the names ‘Errigal’, ‘Slemish’, ‘Muckish’ and ‘Derryveagh’. My curiosity on what they meant was piqued and it grew from there.”

George’s ‘workstation’ at the Alley includes a copy of ‘Gaelige I Mo Chroi’ (Irish in My Heart) by Molly Nic Ceile, an Irish dictionary and a bundle of sheets outlining spelling, meaning and pronunciation. Asked if he can speak any Irish, George lets out a chuckle: “No definitely not. Look at these words (pointing to ‘Cad e mar ata tu’, ‘go mhaith’ and agus’). I can’t even pronounce some of them; they just look so different from how they sound.

“I’m perfectly happy learning to read this beautiful language and I’ll keep on doing so, whether back home in Richmond or Strabane.”