Devin Flanigan Blankenship (Deibhin Ó Flannagáin) - Language
Devin started collecting Irish language books prior to a
family trip (back) to Ireland. Later, he taught in County Donegal on the edge
of a Gaeltacht region (an area where Irish-Gaelic is spoken). Upon his return
to Indiana, he sought others with familiarity and interest in the
language. He studied with another
Irish speaker in Indianapolis and became connected with other speakers in
Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With the encouragement of the Irish language
community in the Midwest, he formed a study group in Bloomington and began
hosting immersion weekends. He has participated in Irish language summer school
at the Acadamh in An Cheathrú Rua, one of National University of
Ireland-Galway’s programs. Devin has taught Irish in Bloomington, through
community-based programs, and in Columbus through IUPUC.