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The Irish language Irish is a Celtic language. A parent language of Irish was probably spoken by people first referred to by Greek geographers more than 5 centuries before Christ. Irish, often called Gaelic or (Gaeilge) in Irish, has the oldest written literature of all the surviving Celtic languages. Irish is closely related to the other surviving Celtic languages such as: Scottish Gaelic, Manx, and to a lesser degree, Welsh, Breton and Cornish. Irish was the language of the vast majority of the population until the early 19th century when the devastating effects of English colonialism started taking their toll on the native tongue. Censuses taken in Ireland between 1851 and 1961 show the steady decline in the use of Irish with the greatest concentrations of speakers located in small pockets along the west coast of the country. The development of Ireland as a free country during the early 20th century brought with it a cultural revival which was, up to a degree, fuelled by a sense of national pride and nationalism. The Irish language has made major gains in the 20th century due largely to a combination of public, private and government efforts. The language is currently going through a major renaissance and more people are able to speak and write Irish today than have been able to for over 150 years. More books, newspapers and magazines have been published in Irish in the past century than in the entire history of the language. Although the decline of the Gaeltachts remains a great concern, it has been slowed down considerably. The great increase in learning Irish by children as well as adults in non-Gaeltacht areas and abroad, is also very encouraging. Inside the Gaeltachts, Údarás na Gaeltachta (= the "Gaeltacht Authority", a state organization) works to support the economic development of these remote areas. Its aim is to create employment and thus halt emigration and even to encourage people to take up permanent residence there. The state department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands administers grants for the building of new houses and the refurbishment of old houses. Foras na Gaeilge (the Irish Language Foundation, an all Ireland state organization), promotes the use of Irish through spoken language departments in universities and through the running of courses, as well as the publishing of resources in many different areas. Irish-language pre-schools, the “naíonraí" and all-Irish schools, the "Gaelscoileanna", have become plentiful as more and more parents whose Irish may be rusty or non-existent, desire that their children receive their education through the medium of Irish. All Irish medium primary and secondary schools are springing up across the land and an agreement on designating four Irish language universities is now in place. Finally, the Irish language has its own media, Raidió na Gaeltachta, which operates from stations in the Gaeltachts of Ireland and Raidió na Life, which operates out of Dublin. In 1996 the Irish language television station, Teilifís na Gaeilge, (TG4),started broadcasting news, documentaries, children’s shows and even soap operas as Ghaeilge. Irish is also rapidly gaining ground in the new computer age of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. There are now numerous websites, mail lists, chat rooms, and even courses like Gaeltalk.net, available to Irish speakers, students and enthusiasts online. Irish language books and tapes available online from: http://www.litriocht.com/ For a more detailed History of the Irish Language please click here. Back to top