Cupán Focail: Reviving the Irish Language One Cupán Caife at a Time

The first words most people learn in Irish are usually how to order a pint of Guinness, a cup of tea or a cup of coffee…

Tá dhá cheist agam

Before we get into it, ask yourself:

1. Do you have Irish and have been wanting to speak it more in real life?
2. Or have you wanted to learn, but you're just not a fan of grumpy Gen Z birds on your phone?

If you answered yes to either of these… Cupán Focail was built for you.

The Dublin Craicathon

During Seachtain na Gaeilge, myself and Nicola jumped on the train from Belfast to Dublin and headed to Dog Patch Labs for the Craicathon, one of Ireland's first hackathons dedicated entirely to the Irish language, culture, and tech.

We were the only team down from Ulster, which made it feel even more special. The energy in the room was brilliant. So many people genuinely passionate about Irish culture, technology, and what the two could do together.

We didn't get to pitch on the day, but we did get something better. Niall Larkin pulled us aside and said:

"Honestly my favourite app of the day. And that's saying something."

For us, that was real validation.

We also had a brilliant conversation with Daithí de Buitléir, who told us about Gaeilge365 and the recent Give Gaeilge a Go campaign running in Dublin. What he shared stopped us in our tracks: local businesses that became known as Irish-speaking spaces were seeing huge uplifts in footfall and community engagement. There's real data here suggesting that an app like Cupán Focail could give coffee shops a genuine competitive advantage — if they're willing to bet on culture and community over loyalty points.

What is Cupán Focail?

Cupán Focail — a cup of words.

It's a discovery and learning app, available on both desktop and mobile, built around one simple but powerful idea: what if you could find somewhere in Ireland to order your coffee in Irish, and actually feel confident doing it?

The app works on two sides:

For Customers — Find Your Spot, Learn Your Lines

Cupán Focail maps Irish-speaking cafés across Ireland — places where you know you'll be welcomed ordering as Gaeilge. Places like Café Ceol in North Belfast, An Cultúrlann, the Raidió na Gaeltachta café, and spots deep in the Gaeltacht in Dún na nGall.

Before you go, you can brush up on the basics — ba mhaith liom, le do thoil, go raibh maith agat — and practice full ordering scenarios through the app's built-in learning module. Think Duolingo, but without the attitude, and focused entirely on the one conversation that gets you through the door and into the craic.

Every time you visit a Cupán Focail café and order in Irish, you earn a stamp. As your stamps build up, you unlock new features — follow friends, follow cafés, get notified about meetups and events. Community built right in.

For Baristas — Staff Training as Gaeilge

It's not just about the customer. Cupán Focail also offers free staff training to help baristas learn how to take and respond to orders in Irish — with audio guides, scenario walkthroughs, and the option to bring in a native speaker or múinteoir for proper in-person training. The aim is a network of cafés right across the island that are genuinely ready to welcome Irish speakers through the door.

Why It Matters

The Irish language doesn't belong only in classrooms or on exam papers. It lives in everyday moments — in the space between a customer and a barista, in a quick slán go fóill as you leave, in the quiet confidence of knowing you can walk into a café and order your coffee in your own language.

There are thousands of people across Ireland with a cúpla focal and a genuine desire to use them. There are coffee shops who would love to be part of something bigger than loyalty cards. Cupán Focail connects both.

It's very much a prototype right now — but the ideas are solid, the feedback has been brilliant, and we're keen to push it forward.

Get Involved

If you know any coffee shops, pubs, restaurants, or community spaces that would be interested in getting involved before we launch — please connect the dots. We'd love to hear from you.

Go raibh maith agaibh as léamh. 🍀

Cupán Focail is a project by Invisible Building agus Nicola Mallon. Have a watch of the video above for a full walkthrough of the app and the story behind it.