The Irish Language “Gaeilge”

“A hundred thousand welcomes”

While English is the most common language spoken in Ireland, the Irish have their own language known as “Gaeilge” or Irish to English speakers. Irish is one of the most historic written languages in the world and is often said to have a poetic flow. One of the most interesting things about Irish is that it is not phonetic. The word Gaeltcht for example is pronounced “Gayle-taakt” with an emphasis on the “a” in tacht. And what does Gaeltcht mean you may wonder. Today there are areas in Ireland known as Gaeltcht where Irish is the primary language spoken. These areas were officially recognized by the government of the Republic of Ireland to protect and foster the Irish language in 1926, just a few years after Ireland became an independent free state. Before this the Irish language was on the verge of being lost forever.

English became the primary language of Ireland when the Catholic church built schools throughout Ireland and didn’t include Irish in the curriculum. Catholicism spread from the east coast of Ireland to the west, which is why you will find most of the Gaeltcht regions on the west coast. This combined with the Irish Potato Famine, which wiped out many of Ireland’s poorest citizens, who were coincidentally also those who still spoke Irish as their first language. 

Efforts were made after Ireland gained her independence to revitalize and protect the Irish language. It is now taught in schools across the country as part of the national curriculum and the Gaeltcht are becoming thriving locations of Irish culture and Arts. The best ways to experience the Irish language is to visit the Gaeltcht or tune into Raidió na Gaeltachta, the Irish radio station which can be heard all across Ireland and specializes in traditional Irish tunes and songs, or watch TG4, the Irish language television station.