Úna-Minh Kavanagh

Úna-Minh Kavanagh (Irish: Úna-Minh Chaomhánach; born 4 July 1991), is an Irish travel writer, journalist, and social media manager.

Úna-Minh Kavanagh
Born (1991-07-04) July 4, 1991
Vietnam
NationalityIrish
Alma materDublin City University
Known for#FrásaanLae (#Phrase of the day) and #WeAreIrish
Notable workANSEO: An Unconventional Irish Memoir

Biography

Born in Vietnam on 4 July 1991,[1] Úna-Minh Kavanagh was introduced to her future mother Noreen Kavanagh in Hanoi at three days old. Noreen Kavanagh was a primary school teacher from Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. Úna-Minh was brought home to Ireland at six weeks of age and raised by her mother and grandfather, Paddy Kavanagh. She learned Irish as one of her spoken languages. She continued to study Irish in Dublin City University and earned a degree in Irish and Journalism.[2][3]

Kavanagh came to national attention after an event which occurred on 30 May 2013, in Dublin. She was standing at Parnell Street with a boy, when a group of teenagers, grabbed her face and spat on her whilst calling her racial slurs. Her response to this and other similar events in her life where she experienced racism inspired her to make an online Twitter campaign celebrating the diversity of Irish people.[2][4][5][6]

Kavanagh created a blog about travelling with her mother, and wrote a book about growing up as an Irish speaking person overcoming loss, and racism, as well as her love of the language.[7][8][9][10][3] Increasingly Kavanagh is known for being an advocate for the Irish language and is a Duolingo-partnered streamer for Irish and English.[11][12][13]

Today Kavanagh works as a freelance journalist and content creator. She created the website We are Irish which is designed to share good news and stories about Irish people, the country and anything related to either.[14] She has worked on TG4 and with the trade union Fórsa. Her YouTube videos are centered on travel vlogs and gaming videos, both in the Irish language, and funded through her Patreon account.

In 2020, Kavanagh joined the new independent Anti-Racism Committee.[10][15][16][17][3] Kavanagh was made a member of the TG4 Audience Council in 2020 and will serve on that group for five years.[18] She was also one of the National Ambassadors for Culture Night in 2020.[19]

In July 2021, Kavanagh worked alongside three other Gaeilgeoirí to launch the official Irish-language translation of the online multiplayer video game Among Us.[20] She also created two compilations of resources for learning Irish entitled DIY Gaeilge: 150 Online Irish Language Resources and DIY Gaeilge Part Two: 50 More Irish Language Resources.[21][22]

Bibliography
  • ANSEO: An Unconventional Irish Memoir. New Island Books. October 16, 2019. ISBN 1848407491.
  • DIY Gaeilge: 150 Online Irish Language Resources.
  • DIY Gaeilge Part Two: 50 More Irish Language Resources.
  • Experience Ireland. Lonely Planet. Mar 2022. ISBN 9781838694692.

References
  1. Leonard, Sue (12 December 2019). "Úna-Minh Kavanagh". Sue Leonard.
  2. "Céad míle fáilte?". Independent.ie. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. Equality, The Department of Justice and. "Action Plan Against Racism for Ireland to be drawn up by new independent Anti-Racism Committee". The Department of Justice and Equality.
  4. O'Connor, Amy (23 January 2020). "This Kerry woman was sick of being asked why she looked 'different' - so she set up a project about Irish diversity". The Daily Edge. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. "They called me a Chink and spat at me. No one helped". The Irish Times. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  6. O'Connell, Hugh (31 May 2013). "Young woman racially abused and spat on in Dublin city centre". The Journal. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. Bowers, Shauna (30 March 2019). "Every day is mother's day as duo travel the world together". The Times. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. O Broin, Eoin (21 March 2013). "Anseo: a beautiful book interweaving family, race, Gaeilge and social media". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  9. Loftus, Valerie (23 January 2020). "This Gaeilgeoir had the best response for a man who questioned her 'Irishness'". The Daily Edge. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  10. Crean, Dermot (15 October 2019). "Úna-Minh Kavanagh To Launch First Book In Tralee Next Week". Tralee Today. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  11. "How To Learn Irish? - Úna-Minh Kavanagh". Totally Dublin. 13 May 2020.
  12. "Úna-Minh Kavanagh Loves Irish – And Wants You to Love it Too". www.universitytimes.ie.
  13. O'Donoghue, Niall (13 February 2020). "Meet the streamers keeping the Irish language alive on Twitch". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  14. "Anseo! Úna-Minh Kavanagh on being positive & saying no to racism". 8 January 2020.
  15. O'Donoghue, Denise (29 January 2018). "Online Lives: Úna-Minh Kavanagh". irishexaminer.com. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  16. Kinsella, Elaine (6 November 2019). "Kerry's most influential women at home and abroad". rsvp. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  17. Mc Goran, Peter (27 November 2019). "In the name of the Fada". Hot Press. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via PressReader.
  18. "TG4 Board". TG4.
  19. "Úna-Minh Kavanagh - Culture Night". Culture Night.
  20. O'Rourke, Barry (21 July 2021). "Among Us launches official Irish language translation". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  21. Bryan, Mike McGrath (16 September 2020). "'Ask yourself why you want to learn': Úna-Minh Kavanagh on Irish for Culture Night". Irish Examiner.
  22. "Úna-Minh Kavanagh". Payhip.
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