Amanda: Language revival

When flying to Ireland, Irish Gaelic was first spoken to me as I, along with the other passengers, were welcomed aboard. Some people may not realize that Irish Gaelic is indeed the official language of Ireland and has been since its independence in 1922. It recently became an official language of the European Union as well. Although it may not be widely known and has declined as less than half the population presently speaks it, Gaelic still serves as a large part of the country’s culture.

About 40 percent or 1.6 million people age three and older in Ireland were able to speak Gaelic, according to the 2006 census. Only 3.2 percent of the population speak Gaelic on a daily basis outside of the school system. In the predominately speaking Gaelic region of Gaeltacht, which covers parts of Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Meath, and Waterford counties, Gaelic speakers account for 70.8 percent while 57 percent speak Gaelic on a daily basis.

Still, Gaelic is found throughout the Gaeltacht region as well as the rest of the country. With government titles and parties in addition to town and street names still found in Gaelic, everyone in the country comes in contact with the Celtic language everyday.

Gaelic is impossible to avoid. Not that I try to, but I cannot help but to try to learn what each sign says as I walk or ride by it. Even if I have only been in Ireland for a few weeks, I have made progress just by learning that in Gaelic garda is police and Taoiseach is Prime Minister among other words. Therefore, I will depart this country with a small Gaelic vocabulary even if I will not necessarily be able to pronounce all of the words correctly.










(l-r): RTE, Department of the Taoiseach, GAA Museum (all in gaelic)