Ireland was ahead of the Stoics, Mindfulness, and CBT; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy within Gaeilge
Release Date: 04/25/2025
Hunger, Gorta, Troscadh: Cultural Memory, Political Resistance, and Brehon Law
Undercover Irish
Episode Notes Hunger, Gorta, Troscadh: Cultural Memory, Political Resistance, and Brehon Law Hunger in Irish history is rarely just about food. In this episode, we explore three words — hunger, gorta, and troscadh — and what they reveal about power, memory, and justice in Ireland. From the cultural weight of An Gorta Mór, to fasting as a recognised act within early Irish law, to hunger as a form of political resistance, this episode traces how deprivation could be imposed — and how it could also be chosen. Drawing on language, law, and tradition, this episode asks how hunger moved from...
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An Irish Christmas: Brush the Floor and Clean the Hearth
Undercover Irish
🎥 Watch the Song from this Episode Huge GRMMA to Grace! 🔗 https://youtu.be/BJyO6xRL5KA?si=8dUh09AjWVaT78Ow Christmas in Ireland — Am na Nollag — is not a single tradition. It is a layering of customs: Christian belief laid gently over practices far older than Christianity itself. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Irish Christmas traditions preserve ideas of survival, fire, hunger, and renewal — stretching back to the solstice and the rebirth of the sun. Using material from the Dúchas Schools’ Collection, traditional song, and Irish folklore, this episode traces...
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Guerilla Gaeilge: The Irish Hidden in Our English (Hiberno-English, Irish Language Survival, and Hidden Gaeilge Grammar)
Undercover Irish
Guerilla Gaeilge: The Irish Hidden in Our English Undercover Irish Podcast In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Hiberno-English contains hidden grammar, structures, and ways of thinking that come directly from Gaeilge. From phrases like “I do be” and “I’m after doing” to “ye / yiz / youse” and the Irish habit of answering questions without yes or no, this episode argues that Irish is hiding in plain sight inside English. This is not just a linguistic curiosity. It’s a story of survival, resistance, mockery, and internalised shame, stretching from colonial schools...
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An Irish Guerrilla Commander and "The Murder Machine"
Undercover Irish
An Irish Guerrilla Commander and "The Murder Machine" What This Episode Covers ...
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The Irish Way to Understand Time
Undercover Irish
In this episode, we dive into Ireland’s Hidden Curriculum through something deceptively ordinary: the names of the months. By shifting your meon — your mindset — we explore how time itself becomes a doorway to the deeper Irish worldview. We look at: Why the English month names are Roman imports that don’t match Irish reality ...
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Erased Leader: Margaret Buckley and Ireland’s Counter-Revolution
Undercover Irish
Erased Leader: Margaret Buckley and Ireland’s Counter-Revolution 🎨 Exclusive Artwork for Patrons I’ve created original artwork based on Margaret Buckley’s historic portrait — designed to repopularise her image and bring her back into Ireland’s visual memory. Patrons can download, print, share, post, and use the artwork freely. 👉 Download the Margaret Buckley Artwork: 👉 Download the PDF Pack: Episode Summary In this episode of Undercover Irish, we uncover the story of Margaret Buckley — a woman erased from Ireland’s historical record, despite being President of Sinn...
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How the Irish Language Finds Connection in the Dark: Samhain and Uaigneas
Undercover Irish
🎧 How the Irish Language Finds Connection in the Dark: Samhain and Uaigneas When the Irish speak of loneliness, they don’t just name a feeling — they map it. This episode explores uaigneas, Samhain, and how the Irish language finds connection even in the dark. Show Notes As the fires of Samhain fade and the year exhales, the world feels still — that quiet pause between life and death, light and dark. In Irish, this season is Mí na Samhna, a time to honour the dead, light candles, and remember what connects us. But it’s also the season of uaigneas — a word that means far more than...
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How Cork’s Streets Became a Battleground for Ireland’s Identity
Undercover Irish
Show Notes: How Cork’s Streets Became a Battleground for Ireland’s Identity Podcast: Undercover Irish Episode Title: How Cork’s Streets Became a Battleground for Ireland’s Identity Part 2 AVAILABLE HERE https://www.patreon.com/posts/empire-strikes-142363777?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Description: In this episode, we journey through the city of Cork — its streets, its story, its struggle — to explore how street names became a contested space in the years of Ireland’s path to independence and...
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How A GAA Crest leads us to the Battle of Fontenoy
Undercover Irish
🎙️ Episode Title: How a GAA Crest Leads Us to the Battle of Fontenoy In this episode of Undercover Irish, we follow the trail of a symbol — from the familiar GAA crest of Limerick to the Treaty Stone on the banks of the Shannon, and further still to the cry that echoed through the fields of Fontenoy in 1745: “Cuimhnigh ar Luimneach! Remember Limerick!” What begins as a look at a sporting logo becomes a journey through Irish memory, resilience, and identity — how the imagery on a GAA crest carries centuries of history, from the Treaty of Limerick to the Irish Brigades fighting for...
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How Ice Cream is linked to the Presidential Election
Undercover Irish
🎙️ Episode Title: How Ice Cream is Linked to the Presidential Election In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore an unexpected but deeply Irish connection — how ice cream and the Presidential Election are linked through language, lore, and story. From the words we use to describe sweetness and celebration, to the symbolic meanings behind Irish terms of leadership and belonging, we uncover how the Irish language shapes not just how we speak, but how we think and feel about who we are. This episode is also a tribute to the late Manchán Magan, whose passing has left a quiet ache in...
info_outline"The Irish Were Ahead of the Stoics and Mindfulness: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in Gaeilge"
Episode Summary:
In this thought-provoking episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how the Irish language (Gaeilge) encodes emotional intelligence in ways that predate Stoicism, modern mindfulness, and even Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Through the lens of linguistic relativism—the idea that language shapes the way we think—we delve into how Gaeilge frames emotions, resilience, and human experience in profoundly unique ways.
We begin with a global tour of language and thought:
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In Guugu Yimithirr (an Aboriginal Australian language), people navigate space using cardinal directions, not egocentric ones like “left” or “right”—a linguistic habit that literally rewires spatial awareness.
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In Aymara (South America), time flows differently—the past is seen as in front of you, while the future is behind, challenging the assumptions of linear time.
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In Mandarin Chinese, vertical metaphors influence how speakers understand time—months go “up” or “down” rather than forward or backward.
Then, we come home to Ireland. We unpack how Irish expressions of emotion and feeling differ from English—not just in vocabulary, but in worldview. While English often seeks clarity and classification, Gaeilge embraces ambiguity, connection to nature, and emotional nuance. Phrases like “Tá brón orm” ("Sorrow is on me") reflect a subtle, externalized way of processing emotion—more aligned with acceptance than control.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
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What linguistic relativism is and why it matters
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How global languages show different ways of thinking and feeling
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Why Gaeilge may offer a more mindful, compassionate approach to emotional life
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How Irish culture embedded emotional intelligence into everyday speech
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What we can reclaim from our language in a world hungry for depth, presence, and meaning
Keywords: Irish language, Gaeilge, emotional intelligence, Stoicism, CBT, mindfulness, linguistic relativism, Guugu Yimithirr, Aymara language, Mandarin Chinese, language and thought, Irish culture, emotion in language, cognitive behavioral therapy in Irish, Irish History