Can the Irish language survive the 21st Century? With the increased globalisation of Irish society and unprecedented levels of immigration, it is sure to come under increasing pressure from outside influences in the coming decades. The fact that Ireland is located between two of the most powerful English speaking nations in the world puts even more pressure on our indigenous language.

But Irish is our first official language and one of the oldest surviving languages in Europe, with the oldest written literature of all of the Celtic languages. It was the language of the vast majority of the native Irish population, until the early 19th century when the effects of colonialism started taking their toll. There followed a steady decline in the use of Irish with the greatest concentrations of speakers located in small pockets along the west coast of the country. Following independence in the 1920s the Irish language made major gains, largely due to a combination of government and publicly supported efforts. This has more or less continued over the last 80 years with varying degrees of success along the way.
However, many would argue that the language is now stronger than ever and there appears to be a renewed sense of optimism about its future.
“Irish is a language that has survived an awful lot of abuse,” says Hothouse Flowers’ Liam O Maonlai, one of the country’s best-known Irish speakers. “It’s been severely challenged over the years and it continues to be. There was a concerted effort to write both the people and language out of history. But that effort has failed and the language has proven to be resilient, against all the odds.”
The fact is the Irish language is currently going through a major renaissance with more people 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. Since it began in 1996, the Irish language television station, TG4 has gone from strength to strength broadcasting news, documentaries, children’s shows and even soap operas such as the acclaimed Ros na Run as Ghaeilge. Irish is also represented in cyberspace with websites, mail lists, chat rooms, and even courses like Gaeltalk.net, available to Irish speakers, students and enthusiasts online.
Although the decline of the Gaeltacht remains an ongoing concern, it has been slowed down considerably and steps are being taken to increase the levels of Irish spoken in Gaeltacht areas. Last year Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs announced a linguistic study on the usage of Irish in the Gaeltacht. He said that the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht community was clearly “under pressure” from one of the most widely used languages in the world. “It is important to find ways in which the native population of the Gaeltacht will be prepared to and confident about delivering the language from generation to generation.”
But if the language is under threat in the rural Gaeltacht, the increasing popularity of Irish in non-Gaeltacht, mainly urban areas is more encouraging. The growing popularity of gaelscoileanna is another sure sign that Irish is thriving at grassroots level. At the last count there were 149 gaelscoileanna at primary level and 33 at post-primary level (in the 32 counties, outside of the Gaeltacht) – with approximately 30,000 pupils in total attending these schools.
There are other initiatives, which will undoubtedly help to bolster the status of Irish into the future. The Official Languages Act 2003, which was signed into law last July, is the first piece of legislation to provide a statutory framework for the delivery of public services through the Irish Language. The primary objective of the Act is to ensure “better availability and a higher standard of public services through Irish, which will be achieved by placing a statutory obligation on Government Departments.”
That isn’t the only concrete step taken at official level to support the development of the language in practical terms.
In the Good Friday Agreement it was stated that a North/South Implementation Body would be set up to promote both the Irish language and the Ulster Scots language.
Against that background, Foras na Gaeilge has been designated as the new body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland. According to Breandan MacCraith PRO of Foras na Gailge most of the activity of Irish language organisations throughout the 32 counties is now funded through the cross-border body.
“As well as the day-to-day activities of these organisations, we would tend to fund one or two major capital projects,” he explains.
It’s a huge step forward that should, in the long run, yield dividends. Irish is a wonderful, and a beautiful language. But it must be used and spoken if it’s to thrive, and that is at the heart of Foras na Gaeilge’s approach.
There is every reason to be optimistic because while the will and the appetite were always there, the structures are more effective than ever.
This is a movement whose time has come.