Speaking Irish Gaelic
You might not need to learn it to order fish and chips, but knowing about the history of Ireland's indigenous language adds to the understanding of your new country's culture and history.
Irish Gaelic is a language steeped in history, and remains the constitutional first language of the Republic of Ireland. Having said that, the use of Irish has diminished considerably in recent years, and it is now only a minority language within its own country. Across the whole of the island, it is now estimated that only one third of the population can speak the Irish Gaelic language. This is despite the Government's commitment to promoting the language, and achieving a bi lingual society.
With the Republic of Ireland now firmly established as a member of the European Union, Irish has new hope of once again rising to prominence. In 2005, Irish was accepted as an official language of the European Union in a unanimous vote. Irish has now been used officially by European ministers. The commitment of the Irish parliament to promote the language, combined with its new status as an official European language, should mean greater awareness of the language within Ireland, and a reversal of the trend away from Irish speaking.
Irish Gaelic is officially the first language of the Republic of Ireland, even though it is only a minority language, and not spoken at all by large numbers of the population. There are very few people who speak nothing but Irish Gaelic, most of them older people living in communities known as Gaeltachtaí. Across the whole of the Republic of Ireland, less than half of the population considers itself competent in Irish Gaelic, a percentage which will surely increase in the coming decades with the teaching of Irish in schools.
Northern Ireland, traditionally allied to Great Britain, has far fewer Irish Gaelic speakers. Only around one in ten people in Northern Ireland have any knowledge of the language at all. In many ways, it is surprising that the number is even that high, although the receding of Ireland's troubles has led to greater mobility between provinces. Irish Gaelic is not taught in Northern Ireland's schools as a compulsory subject, although it is officially recognised as a minority language.
The future for Irish Gaelic looks considerably brighter than in the past. With the language established as a compulsory subject in Republican schools, it is certain that the next generation of Irish people will have at least a rudimentary knowledge of it. The Republic of Ireland's status as an independent member of the European Union, and the language's new official status within the community, should encourage these new Irish speakers to want to continue their learning. The Irish Government's aim of a bi lingual society looks highly achievable.