Ruairí Aldrich

Ruairí began his Irish language journey learning with Barbara McCarthy, the noted children’s book author.  Dr. Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew, a professor of Irish at the University of Pennsylvania and textbook author as well as being a pioneer in online learning, was his next teacher and he continues to attend her online classes. He regularly attends immersion programs with Daltaí na Gaeilge.

Ruairí was instrumental in forming an Irish conversation group at Celtic Hall with (current Branch Treasurer) Seán Conway approximately 10 years ago and once again served as a leader when the group decided to officially organize as a Branch of Conradh na Gaeilge.  He was elected as Chair of the Branch and has served in that position since its inception.  He began teaching the Beginner class and, as the need for more levels demanded, the Beginner 2 class.  Ruairí is involved in most Branch committees and is integral to all Branch operations. However, his favorite duty is leading the cheers in Irish at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Albany.  He was awarded the Fáinne Airgid in 2018 for his dedication to and progress in the Irish language. 

Donegal is Ruairí’s favorite place to visit in Ireland to attend Irish immersion programs and enjoy the beautiful natural landscape. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to practice Irish with his host family of native speakers in Na Doirí Beaga in Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal. As part of a team called Volunteers In Mission, Ruairí visited Northern Ireland eleven times to support organizations who work for peace between sectarian communities.

Gaelic Sports have a special place in Ruairí’s heart and he is an active member of the Albany Rebels Gaelic Football team.  He practices with a local hurling club, and teaches workshops in hurling at Irish cultural events.

In addition to his Branch duties, Ruairí continues to work part time in an environmental engineering consulting firm. He has two daughters and five grandchildren. 

Rich (Risteárd) Angehr

Risteárd is a 3rd generation Irish-American whose interest in learning Irish was inspired by his attraction to Irish traditional music and a desire to know what they were singing about! He was introduced to the Irish language over 20 years ago in a class offered through Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Irish traditional music organization. He subsequently studied on his own until classes were formed at Celtic Hall and he was a charter member of the Branch.

In 2011, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Ireland after appearing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He returned to Ireland in 2014, visiting Dublin and Galway. While in Dublin he won first prize in the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl before heading to Galway to visit friends and touring Connemara and Inis Mór in the Aran Islands. In 2018, he won the Scoláireacht de hÍde (Hyde Scholarship) to attend Tionól Gaeilge UCD (University College of Dublin) for one week, awarded in commemoration of the Bliain na Gaeilge. In 2019, he won scholarships through our Branch as well as Foras na Gaeilge, which he used to enroll in Gael Linn’s Gaeltacht program in Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal. He has also participated in several Irish immersion weekends offered by Daltaí na Gaeilge in Esopus, NY. He attends the Ardrang (Advanced level) at the Branch. He started teaching Beginner Irish at Conradh na Gaeilge in 2020 after retiring from a long career as a Psychiatric Social Worker. Risteárd was awarded the Fáinne Airgead in 2021 for his dedication to and progress in the Irish Language.

His other interests include studying Spanish and German, acting in community theater, performing stand-up comedy, playing the autoharp and singing in Irish and English. He was recently a background extra in the upcoming HBO series The Gilded Age, parts of which were filmed in Troy, NY.

Aodán de Barra

Aodán de Barra is from Massachusetts and currently lives in the city of Boston. He started learning Irish as an undergraduate at university where his teachers encouraged him to apply for the Fulbright Gaeltacht Summer scholarship program. He won this scholarship for the first time in 2019, and he has since done three immersion programs in Ireland with this scholarship, attending multiple different courses with Oideas Gael i nGaeltacht Thír Chonaill.

In 2023 Aodán travelled extensively in Gaoth Dobhair, attending the course Saibhreas na Gaeilge on Toraigh Island. He has great interest in the dialects of Ulster, including Rathlin Island and the Inishowen peninsula.

He was able to earn his Fáinne Óir, which indicates fluency in Irish, online during the pandemic lockdown. In the Fall of 2022, he was elected to be the Marketing and Outreach coordinator for the branch's leadership board.

Aodán works in the finance industry and has a master's degree in alternative investments.

Pádraig Ó Dubhghaill

Pádraig Ó Dubhghaill is originally from Loch Garman (Wexford) and is a proud supporter and player of Gaelic games, including football and hurling. He togs out for the Albany Rebels Gaelic Football team when needed and enjoys watching GAA matches and cheering on his favorite team—Loch Garman (Wexford)! He is also deeply interested in Irish culture and history.

An engineering graduate of Coláiste Ollscoil Bhaile Átha Cliath (UCD), Pádraig learned the Irish language in national school, including spending sixth class at scoil na leanaí at Coláiste na Rinne in Pórt Láirge (Waterford), and in St. Peter’s College, Summerhill. After a career that has involved working in 15 countries (and visiting another 60), Pádraig has come back to the language here in the US A with renewed interest and enthusiasm.

He has taken classes with our branch as well as Coláiste na Rinne in Port Láirge (Waterford). He frequently attends immersion programs with Daltaí na Gaeilge and helps run workshops on hurling and football. He frequently travels home to Loch Garman, and recently returned home with his son to explore Gaeltacht areas in Donegal and Kerry.

Pádraig joined the Board in 2021 and has contributed to organizing educational events as well as marketing and promotions. He runs the conversation group for intermediates and the reading group for lower intermediate/advanced beginners.

In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Antaine Mac Con Rí

Antaine Mac Con Rí is originally from The Bronx, New York and currently lives in New York State's Hudson Valley. He became interested in the Irish language while researching family history and began learning Irish on his own at first using various resources, then worked with a tutor before joining the branch when it started offering on-line classes in early 2020 during the Covid pandemic. He currently serves as an “at-large” member of the Board of Directors and led the effort to incorporate the branch and obtain 501c3 status. In 2021 he began to assist teachers at the Total and Continuing Beginner levels and currently leads the Beginner’s Conversation group.

In addition to the Two River Gaelic League’s Ardrang, Antaine has been attending on-line courses with Gaelchultur and Oideas Gael, and as well as immersion events at Daltaí na Gaeilge. In 2023 he attended a weeklong immersion course at Oideas Gael and was a recipient of a Gael-Linn Gaeltacht Study Scholarship. Antaine is particularly interested in the dialect and cultural traditions of Connemara.

Antaine has a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked in the electric power industry for 40 years before retiring in 2020. He started learning Welsh last summer and has recently completed the Entry Level (A1) course through Cardiff University. His other interests include music, reading, and hiking.

Seoirsín Ní Mheachair

Seoirsín has had the honor of learning Irish from many excellent teachers over the years, both in the U.S. and in Ireland. She has attended courses in Ireland with Oideas Gael, GaelTuras, Gael Linn, and Scoil Éigse (Comhaltas).  She was awarded the Daltaí na Gaeilge Scholarship for study in Ireland in 2010 and the Firefighter John Tierney Memorial Teachers’ Scholarship in 2016.  In 2014 she earned the Fáinne Óir for fluency in Irish and in 2021 was honored by the Irish Echo as a “Rebuilder” of Irish culture and community following the pandemic.

Seoirsín has taught Irish language classes for a variety of organizations, including Dutchess GAA, ICCHV, Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, Let’s Learn Irish, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Gaelchultúr, Elms College, and Daltaí na Gaeilge.  She is an Instructor in Irish Language at Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, NY. 

In 2015 she began teaching classes at Celtic Hall and was instrumental in spearheading the move to organize as a Branch of Conradh na Gaeilge.  She was elected President of the Branch, a position she holds to this day.  She is actively involved in many aspects of Branch operations, and heads the Educational committee.  Seoirsín is particularly interested in Irish Language teaching methods, and regularly attends the Teachers’ Workshops with Daltaí na Gaeilge, as well as running workshops for teachers at the Branch.  Since 2020, she has been engaged in postgraduate programs with Maynooth University. In 2021, she earned the Teastas i Múineadh na Gaeilge do Dhaoine Fásta (Certificate in Teaching of Irish Language to Adult Learners), and in 2022 completed a certificate with first honors in Cruinneas na Gaeilge. She has earned a full scholarship to attend Maynooth’s Master’s Degree Program in Aistriúchán agus Eagarthóireacht (Translation and Editing) and completed the Post-Graduate Diploma in 2024. She has worked as a professional Irish Language translator since 2023.

Seoirsín is also the President of Daltaí na Gaeilge, which organizes and runs immersion programs 5 times per year. She is a passionate supporter of the Irish of the Gaeltacht.  She enjoys traveling to Gaoth Dobhair each summer to attend courses, visit friends, and practice Irish. 

Bríd Munafo 

Bríd Munafo has been learning Irish since 2017, when she started attending lessons with the Branch, having been inspired by Irish traditional music and the Irish language community online. A committed student, she progressed quickly and began attending Adrang (Advanced Level) within two years.

In 2019 Bríd began co-teaching the Intermediate level with Calia Heroth. Bríd was elected to the position of Vice Chair of the Two River Gaelic League in the same year, and is the chair of the Events Committee, along with sitting on several other committees. She often co-teaches the Advanced Beginner level with Calia Heroth and currently teaches one section of the Intermediate Level.  She leads the Guided Reading Group for Advanced Beginners and Intermediates, which assists intermediate students in translating technical knowledge of the language into confidence reading and speaking in it.  Her infectious enthusiasm for the Irish language has made her Guided Reading group our most popular program.

After winning the first scholarship offered by the Two Rivers Gaelic League, she was able to attend an immersion program in Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal, and since then has actively participated in immersion courses with Daltaí na Gaeilge and in Ireland. She is an ardent supporter of Irish of the Gaeltacht, and is committed to bringing native speakers and performers from the Gaeltacht of Tír Chonaill to the U.S.

Bríd has degrees in Art History, Graphic Design, and Illustration. Her artwork is inspired by her love of Irish language and mythology.  Bríd has been instrumental in designing artwork and merchandise for the Branch.  She has a deep interest in Irish literature and book design, particularly graphic novels and illustrated stories.

When not studying Irish, Bríd does art, plays games, and has begun studying Welsh.