If you haven’t seen or heard about House of Guinness, where have you been!
This hit Netflix show has been the talk of the town for many reasons. It charts the story of the Guinness family following the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness and how his four children navigate the family empire.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the version Netflix tells is only partly based on historical accuracy.
But it is also very notable for another reason: it was the first time that Netflix used Gaeilge (Irish/Irish Gaelic subtitles) on one of its own produced shows.
Why were Irish subtitles used in House of Guinness?
Given that the series was made possible by Irish actors and the brewery in Dublin is a huge part of Irish history, it made sense to use Irish subtitles.
“The Irish language is such a vital part of the country’s culture and identity, and making the series accessible in this way allows us to celebrate that heritage and reach those viewers who prefer to watch as gaeilge.”
– Steven Knight, creator of House of Guinness, told BBC News NI
Have Irish subtitles been used before elsewhere?
Yes, but not often. The 2007 film Cré na Cille on DVD is listed as having six subtitle language options, including Gaeilge.
As for TV shows, it’s not common outside of TG4, the Irish TV broadcaster.
Viewers on TG4 watching the Irish soap Ros na Rún can opt for Irish subtitles. And they can be turned on for some kid’s content like Saol faoi Shráid and Garfield. Other choices for Irish subtitles appear limited.
As far as our research suggests, they aren’t used much elsewhere either.
The potential of Irish subtitles
By simply opting for multilingual subtitles, streaming providers and broadcasters can target an audience that is backed up by plenty of speakers.
Here of some of the key statistics surrounding Irish language speakers, according to the Census of Population 2022.
- Nearly 1.9 million people (aged three years and older) said they could speak Irish – that is a 6% increase since Census 2016.
- One in ten speakers of Irish could speak it ‘very well’
- 32% said they could speak it ‘well’
- More than half (55%) of Irish speakers couldn’t speak it well
- Almost 72,000 people spoke Irish every day
- More than 115,000 people spoke Irish weekly
“We can appreciate that broadcasters may not want to add Irish subtitles for every film and show and would want to assess the return on investment,” said Sophie Muller, Head of VoiceBox.
“However, now they’ve seen the success of House of Guinness, which flew to the top of the charts in Ireland and the UK, they may consider Irish subtitles for other Irish-related shows.
“There are also not far off two million Irish speakers and nearly 800,000 can at least speak it well. There is a huge audience there ready and waiting, if the broadcasters want to make the most of it.
“Even though there is a significant percentage of Irish speakers that can’t speak it well, Irish subtitles could be used for language learning purposes. There is plenty of research to show that subtitles help with word identification and comprehension, as well as recognising, reading and understanding more words.
“What I would advise is that if you attract an Irish audience through Irish actors, an Irish setting or a show or film involving Irish history, it is only right to provide that audience with the choice of watching it in their language.”
It is worth noting that Irish critics haven’t all been fans of the show.
Rory Carroll, the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent, wrote: “Irish critics hate it. They hate the depiction of Ireland’s history, hate the dialogue, hate the costumes, hate the lighting. Netflix announced that it was the first show to have Irish subtitles and still Irish critics hate it.”
Obviously, the show hasn’t been a complete hit there. But the issues aren’t down to the subtitles themselves, which are just there to capture the dialogue.
Benefits of Irish captions
Ultimately, with Irish captions, your Irish-speaking and understanding audience can fully immerse themselves in the show or film and be best placed to make their assessments.
And, of course, if that audience feels valued and looked after, they are more likely to come back and that builds brand loyalty with your company.
As a result, the reputation of your company within the region that speaks the language, like Ireland, could be bolstered too.
Conclusion
While House of Guinness is an Irish subtitling first on Netflix, it is not in the TV and film world.
That being said, it certainly isn’t often you see Irish subtitles.
Let’s hope the popularity of House of Guinness can kickstart some more discussions around the potential of Irish subtitles and how companies could reap some of the many benefits.
Contact us today or read more about our subtitling services.