History of the Irish Language
Bethany Miller
1The Irish language, or Irish Gaelic, is one of the Celtic languages. Though some refer to Irish Gaelic as simply “Gaelic,” this is actually incorrect. Gaelic is the language spoken in Scotland; it is also known as Scottish Gaelic. The Irish form of the language should always be referred to in English as "Irish Gaelic," or even simply, "Irish."
2At one time, Irish Gaelic was the only language spoken in Ireland. It is one of the oldest written languages in existence, and it was spoken in Ireland when others in Europe were still speaking and writing in Latin. Various invaders of Ireland, beginning with the Vikings in the eighth century, began to insert other words into spoken Irish. The language soon began to evolve and change. After the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1169, the language had progressed through three stages, from what is known as "Old Irish" into "Middle Irish," and finally, to "Modern Irish," the language still spoken today. Unfortunately, the language began to experience a downfall after this time, affecting the unique culture of Ireland.
3In the late seventeenth century, Ireland began to communicate with the British Empire for trade purposes, and the language started to collapse. Because English was the language of business and potential wealth, it became much more important to learn English than to speak the more traditional Irish Gaelic. Soon, the upper class in Ireland was speaking only English, and Irish Gaelic was only used by the poorer classes. When the Irish Potato Famine struck in the mid-nineteenth century, it was necessary to speak English in order to live, to find work, and to earn money. It was predicted that the language would be completely wiped out by the end of the nineteenth century.
4Finally, in the 1890s, a group known as the Gaelic League was formed to prevent the language from dying out. When the Irish Free State was formed in 1920, the government joined in the efforts to save the language; the Constitution of Ireland in 1937 made Irish Gaelic the official language of the country. Today, all road signs and governmental information are printed in both English and Irish, and all students in school receive instruction in Irish for the complete twelve years. Advertisements are frequently printed in Irish, and many books and magazines written in Irish Gaelic are readily available as well.
5In addition to these efforts, at least one radio station in Ireland broadcasts entirely in Irish, and in one area of the country, only Irish is spoken. Adults are free to take classes in Irish as well, and instruction is offered all over the country. Slowly, the language is coming back. Today, it is estimated that more than one million people can be considered fluent in Irish. Through these efforts and many others, the people of Ireland have held onto their unique culture and history, and they have managed to reinstate their language into more common, everyday use.