WHY ISN’T IRISH SPOKEN IN IRELAND?

Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná béarla cliste

The names of the streets, and the destinations on the buses, are all written in Irish, but one never hears anyone say they are going to An Lar.

 

Irish is the first language of the country according to the Irish Constitution. It is also one of the official languages of the EU. 

However, only about 25,000 people speak Irish in their everyday communication. The majority of them live in what are known as Gaeltachts, little areas mostly along the Western coast, which are designated as Irish-speaking regions. 

Irish was spoken by almost everyone in Ireland until the end of the 16th century. By the 18th century the Irish-speaking aristocracy, learned class and their institutions had been replaced by a new English-speaking middle-class in the growing towns. Irish remained the language only of the poor labouring class. Anyone who wanted to rise on the social ladder had to speak English. 

More information: Omniglot

In 1831 the English Government introduced a system of national schools in Ireland where English was compulsory and children were punished for speaking Irish. Since Irish was associated with poverty and powerlessness, most parents wanted their children to learn English. By the time of the Famine, 1845, only twenty five per cent of the population were acquiring Irish as their first language, and after the Famine in which two million people died or emigrated, it had gone down to twelve per cent.

Interest in reviving Irish grew towards the end of the 19th century, with the rise in nationalism. When the Independent Free State was founded in 1922, one of their main policies was to make Irish the spoken language of the country again. 

The government felt the answer lay in the schools. All children learn Irish intensively from their first to their last day at school. Unfortunately, the methods of teaching don’t often make them love the language, and they usually have no motivation to speak it at home or with their friends.

Source: Why do the Irish? by Fiana Griffin
 

Is leor don dreoilín a nead / Home is where the heart is.

Irish Proverb