‘Weaving bits of Gaeilge into each pose, my dormant abilities start to waken’ – how to put your cúpla focail to the test

If I’m honest, the last time I properly used my Irish was in my 20s, and that wasn’t even in Ireland. Travelling around Southeast Asia with my friend Jeanie, whose whole foclóir (dictionary) probably amounted to four words – tá, níl, uafásach agus go hálainn (yes, no, horrible and gorgeous), we managed to escape quite a few encounters with weirdos or let the other secretly know we were interested in a buachaill (boy).