History of the Irish Language

The Irish language holds great cultural and historical significance. Irish is not only one of the oldest languages in Europe but across the world. Irish belongs to the Celtic language group, alongside Welsh, Manx, Gàidhlig and Breton. It is estimated that the language has been in Ireland for around 2500 years. The written language is preserved in Ogham stones from the 5th Century onwards, with evidence of the language being written in the Roman alphabet in the wake of the 7th Century.
English emerged as the language of the administration and ruling of Ireland due to British control from the 13th Century onwards - however Irish remained the spoken language of the majority between 1200 and 1600. Unfortunately, throughout the 16th and 17th Centuries the language was heavily impacted by the plantations, the Williamite War and the enactment of the Penal Laws, which was worsened by the Great Famine and its aftermath.

The Irish Language Revival

A directed effort to revive the Irish language began from the 19th Century onwards. Among other developments, the Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language was founded in 1876, which worked to gain recognition for the Irish language within the education system. Conradh na Gaeilge (the Gaelic League) emerged in 1893, from which a mass movement in support of the spoken language grew. Much has been achieved in the language movement since.
Irish is now the first official language of the State and is recognised by the European Union. According to the 2022 Census 1.87 million people in the 26 counties speak Irish and around 72,000 use the language daily. The Irish language is going from strength to strength in the 6 counties, with over 40,000 using the language daily and almost 70,000 using the language at least weekly, according to the 2021 Census. The Irish language plays a significant role in our national identity and we aim to inspire the love that we have for the language in those who have moved to Ireland.

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Our classes and workshops

Our classes

The classes will be fun, interactive, relaxed, and an opportunity to socialize with others from the local community.

We are pleased to note that there will be no charge associated with the classes as the initiative is funded by the government's Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.

Our workshops

We also provide interactive workshops for our groups which explore Irish song, dance, placenames and much more!

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