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To Do: Irish 101

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118 views5 pages

To Do: Irish 101

Article about Irish language

Uploaded by

HrytsaichukKateryna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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To do






Irish 101
Dublin City University
 To do
 Activity
 Progress

Your access to this course expires on 27 November. Upgrade for unlimited access.
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Oifig an Phoist - The Post Office

© James Shields/Flickr.com

An Ghaeilge/The Irish Language


Gaeilge/Irish is a Celtic language with a storied history.

The language has been spoken for the last 2500 years in various forms. The Celtic languages, in
turn, are Indo-European. This means that they share a common ancestor with many other
European and Indian subcontinental languages. Celtic languages are usually divided into two
groups: continental and insular.

Continental Celtic languages, such as Gallic, are now unfortunately extinct, whilst insular Celtic
languages, such as Irish, appear to have migrated from the European continent to Britain and to
Ireland at an unknown time. At the bottom of this step you will find a link to a map that shows
the regions of the insular Celtic languages. The modern-day Insular Celtic languages are:

© Wikimedia Commons

The Insular Celtic Languages


There are two Insular Celtic branches. We have provided the name of the languages in their
respective language and in English below:

1. Goidelic Languages

 Gaeilge na hÉireann - Irish


 Gàidhlig na h-Alba - Scots Gaelic
 Gaelg Vannin - Manx

2. Brythonic Languages

 Cymraeg - Welsh
 Brezhoneg - Breton
 Kernowek - Cornish

There are some similarities between languages belonging to these two branches. A speaker of
modern Irish and a speaker of modern Welsh, however, would not be readily able to understand
each other. However, a speaker of Scots Gaelic and a speaker of Irish would have a better chance
of understanding each other.

An Ghaeilge/The Irish Language

Irish is the first official language in the Republic of Ireland. It is a regional language in Northern
Ireland. It is also an official language of the European Union. In the Republic of Ireland’s most
recent census, 1.7 million people, out of a population of 4.5 million, reported that they were able
to speak Irish.

Certain communities in Ireland, which are predominantly located along the Western seaboard,
are designated as Gaeltachtaí, or Irish-language speaking communities. In these areas, Irish is
the primary-spoken, or community, language. There are seven official Gaeltachtaí, located in
counties Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Meath. There are three main
dialects of Irish: Gaeilge Uladh/Ulster Irish, Gaeilge Chonnacht/Connacht Irish, and Gaeilge
na Mumhan/Munster Irish.

Irish is taught as a mandatory school subject in all state schools in the Republic of Ireland. There
has been a significant rise in the past few decades of Gaelscoileanna, which translates as Irish-
language schools. These are schools in which Irish is the language of communication and
instruction. Gaelscoileanna are found in both urban and rural areas, and have led to the rise of a
new generation of urban Irish-language speakers.

With this in mind, we wonder, what is your experience of the Irish language?
Have you ever tried to learn it before? How about another Celtic
language?

We have created a Padlet, accessible here, in which you can copy and paste text, images and
video. You will also find attached at the bottom of the page a short document on how to use
Padlet.

© DCU
View 241 comments
Cé tusa?/Who are you? discussion Ag tosú/Getting started video

Downloads

How to use Padlet pdf

See also

Map of the Celtic languages

A map showing the countries associated with the Insular Celtic languages.

Gaeltachtaí

Gaelscoileanna

Padlet

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