Every Thursday night, under the cover of an Irish flag, a small group meets at the local coffee house and bookstore, As Time Goes By. Consisting of both Marion Military Institute faculty and students, as well as a few local residents, the group gathers to celebrate their shared love of Irish heritage. The owner of As Time Goes By, Charlie Flaherty, a fellow Irish-American, is also a member of the group and is happy to host the discussion and activities each week. MMI’s Gaelic Club was created in the Fall of 2014 by Dr. Rankin Sherling, a History professor specializing in Irish immigration and immigrants in America, in his first year at MMI. “Every Thursday night we eat cake, pie, drink coffee, look at and buy books, and then learn the Gaelic language. Sometimes, we watch short Gaelic language films or English language documentaries about Ireland and Scotland,” Dr. Sherling said.
During the last year, Dr. Sherling and a group of cadets were able to independently raise the funds necessary to take three students to Ireland to participate in a Gaelic Language Immersion program at Oideas Gael, an Irish Language and Culture Summer School located in Western county Donegal. Several MMI faculty members were able to attend — including English professor Dr. Nicole Peacock and Public Relations Officer Claire Sherling — who serve as “house-moms,” assisting students who have never had the opportunity to travel abroad. After the completion of three trips to Ireland, the Gaelic Club has now grown to the size of 15 students.
While attending the weekly classes at As Time Goes By, the club is now in the process of attempting to raise funds for a returning trip to Ireland. Students who have become active participants in the Gaelic Club have come to enjoy the team work and life-changing experiences associated with international travel and exposure to a differentiating culture. “The kids absolutely love it, and they greet me in Gaeilge when they see me on campus. We all love it. It makes us happy to use our own secret language here,” Dr. Sherling stated in his article written for The Irish Times.
The Gaelic Club, while founded at MMI, is open to all who wish to take part. “The Gaelic classes are definitely open to anyone who wants to join, and students from Judson are welcome to come to Ireland with us. If we can raise enough money, this will be our fourth straight year of going to Ireland for five weeks to learn Gaelic in Gaelic-speaking areas of Ireland,” Dr. Sherling said.
As part of their process to raise funds, the Gaelic Club held an event on Sunday, February 11, 2018 with live music provided by Henri’s Notions, a Tuscaloosa-based band that plays both Irish and Scottish music. Admission was $15 per person, while students paid $10. The event was held at the Train Depot, located at 1200 Washington Street, and lasted from 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.
If you would like to participate in the Gaelic Club and travel abroad, visit the Gaelic Club’s Facebook at www.facebook.com/MMIGaelic or email Dr. Sherling at rsherling@marionmilitary.edu.