Visitors to Dublin are often surprised to find that the Irish people have a native language, and that language is not English. The Irish Republic's first official language is Gaelic, colloquially known as Irish.

Walking around any town in Ireland, you will see two languages on any street sign. The Irish name is on top and the English name is set below. When you make your first purchase, you will notice that the currency denominations are also in Irish. It doesn't take long, however, to discover that there is no real common basis for the Irish and English languages.

This should not be a source of anxiety for visitors, since English is spoken as a first language by the overwhelming majority (96 percent) of the population. But as an Irish person, I would have to concede that anyone with knowledge of the Irish language will probably have a better insight into the hearts and minds of Irish people.

The Irish language has some excellent peculiarities. One of my favorite idiosyncrasies is that there is no exact word in the Irish language for "yes" or "no." If you want to refuse or accept something whilst speaking Irish, you must be indirect.

Historically, Irish is a Celtic language that has been spoken for around 2,500 years. Celtic languages, like most languages spoken in Europe today, are part of the Indo-European family of languages. Irish was the spoken language throughout Ireland until the 1700s. With the primacy of English rule began the dominance of the English language over Irish. The 18th century saw English become the sole language of the upper classes, of government and of public administration. Irish was not permitted by law to be taught in schools until 1900. In these two centuries the Irish language declined to the brink of extinction.

6After Ireland gained independence in the 1920s, the Irish language was declared the official language of the state. For several decades this was more lip service to our culture than a serious attempt to revive the Irish language. Today it is not possible to become a teacher, policeman or member of the Irish Parliament without attaining a set level of proficiency in spoken Irish. However, a more accurate picture emerges when you realize that finding anyone speaking Irish in a large town or city is quite difficult.

Socially, generations of Irish children have viewed their native tongue as an arcane form of mental torture. Students between the ages of 5 to 18 are required by law to study the Irish language while they attend school. Up to the 1970s Irish was taught joylessly, with a heavy emphasis on recitation and repetition. My own school experience of being taught Irish was uninspiring. The teaching methods were dull, overly reliant on recitation and rote repetition.

However, through the time- honored custom of being "sent to the Gaeltacht," my attitude changed significantly. A "Gaeltacht" is a designated district in Ireland where only Irish is spoken. Less than 4 percent of the Irish population lives in such areas. They are generally located along the west coast, in some of the most beautiful areas of countryside.

9Being "sent to the Gaeltacht" involves children between the ages of 12 and 17 going to live within a particular Gaeltacht area in a villager's house for a period of one summer month, separate from their parents. The purpose is ostensibly to learn Irish at summer school together with 200 to 300 other children while staying in villagers' houses.

Being sent to the Gaeltacht has one simple rule: If any teacher, supervisor or villager hears any child speaking even one word of English, they can be sent home immediately in disgrace.

However, for most children the experience of being away from their parents for one month in the company of such a huge group of teenagers is their first taste of liberation and usually great fun. Irish lessons are held in the morning and the afternoons are full of singing and Irish dancing lessons. Once a week a large traditional Irish dance is held, called a ceile (kay-lee). The association of Irish and fun remains long after the month is over for most teenagers.

As Ireland approaches the year 2002, the Irish language is seeing a huge revival. Almost 35 percent of the population now claim to speak Irish. This could be partially due to the success of language courses run in the Gaeltacht and the strength of broadcast media in the language. We now have an Irish language television channel making programs in Irish. Children can watch their favorite cartoons or current pop and rock music videos in the Irish language.

The reinforcement of the Irish language with fun can only help to ensure that another language does not die out. If you are visiting Ireland, my recommendation for one word of essential Irish is Slainte. You may be surprised at how often you will be able to use it!

Shukan ST: Aug. 17, 2001
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