Business leaders say Dia dhuit to new Irish language organisation

Borradh, a new business organisation for Irish speakers, is to officially launch on Thursday.

The initiative is the brainchild of a group of senior professionals from companies that include IBM, Google, Indeed and Accenture. With LinkedIn data showing at least 30,000 professionals in Dublin who can speak Irish, it is hoped the new organisation, whose name translates as growth, will not only allow individuals to brush up on their Irish but also to increase their professional network.

“We’ve all seen the benefits of connecting like-minded individuals through professional networks and we’re delighted to finally launch Borradh following months of graft,” said founder member Dáithí de Buitléir.

“Finding contemporary contexts in which to speak Irish can be challenging. By nurturing the community of professional Irish speakers we’re going to unlock massive opportunities for people to connect, collaborate and create together. As the seanfhocal goes, cíonn beirt rud nach bhfeiceann duine amháin,” he added.

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Among those speaking at the launch of the initiative, which is being held at Huckletree on Pearse Street, Dublin, are David Kyne, chief executive of specialist health care public relations company Kyne. Huntsworth acquired a majority stake in the group last year in a deal valued at up to $20 million (€18 million).

Mr Kyne returned to Dublin a few years ago from the US, where he continues to run the PR company now known as Evoke Kyne. He said that being part of Borradh was attractive for someone who had been living away for 20 years with limited opportunities to speak Irish.

Support each other

“To be able to bring together business people to support each other is great. I look at it very much like a Chambers of Commerce that could be very useful in terms of recruitment, business deals and so on. What I also like is that it doesn’t set out to be “an all-Irish utopian business world”. But at the same time it is nice to know that if someone has a few words of Irish they can get to speak it,” he said.

“The big difference from when I left school in the early 90s and now is that there is a whole wave of great talent that has gone through an all-Irish education. I’m looking to hire in Dublin and it is tough to find the right talent, so Borradh could be a great forum for that.

Other speakers lined up for the launch event including Micheál Ó Conghaile , managing director of MUFG and Aisling Quinn, founder of VideoRankMe.