Dog with the luck of the Irish? Owner hopes Gaeilge speaking pooch brings good luck to Meath this Sunday

One Meath GAA fan is hoping her 'Irish-speaking' dog will be the county’s lucky charm ahead of this Sunday’s crucial championship clash.

Louise Carragher from Cortown has turned heads not just for her unwavering support of the Royals, but for the unique way she’s preparing for the big game — by speaking exclusively in Irish to her four-year-old Golden Retriever Setanta.

Irish language advocate and teacher Louise believes Setanta has brought a bit of magic to the Meath team’s recent run of form.

“I’ve always spoken Gaeilge at home, but Setanta understands it better than most people,” Louise laughs.

“I figured if dogs can learn commands in English, why not in Irish?” she added . “But I wanted to make it fun, so I started using the Meath GAA jersey, shorts and socks.

Setanta has since learned to identify each item by its Irish name evident in an Instagram reel that is getting a lot of traction.

When Louise says, “Taispeáin dom an geansaí,” the pooch trots over to the green and gold jersey and puts it in the sports bag. When she calls out “An bríste,” Setanta paws at the shorts. He;s even learned “stocaí”and “bróga peile.”

Videos of Setanta performing his Irish-language kit routine have gone viral receiving thousands of views. Irish speakers and GAA fans alike are praising Louise, a teacher in Gaelscoil Na Bóinne in Trim for her creativity and for promoting the Irish language in such an engaging way.

"It started when Skyrne GAA asked me and Setanta to help the kids learn the names of their kit as Gaelige," said Louise. "And from that somebody from Meath GAA and asked us to come to a pop up Gaeltacht at the Meath matches in Navan and Setanta was showing all of the kids his tricks in Irish," she added.

Setanta has become something of a local mascot, with fellow fans at Páirc Tailteann often stopping to greet him or snap a photo. He’s even got his own Instagram account — @an_madra__gaelach — which has gathered nearly 15,000 followers.

As Meath prepares to face a tough opponent this Sunday in the All-Ireland semi-finals, Louise is prepping Setanta for his latest trick, an influencer in inspired " get ready with me" before the game - one she hopes will bring an extra bit of luck to the lads in green this weekend.

“I know it’s down to the players and management at the end of the day,” she admits, “but if Setanta can add even a bit of luck — in Irish or English — I’ll take it.”

Whether it's superstition or just strong support, Meath fans will be hoping that this bilingual pooch can help lead the Royals one step closer to Croke Park glory.