Loher, County Kerry, Ireland [Photo: https://www.facebook.com/ferdsphotos]
Name used by its speakers (Endonym): Gaeilge (“Gwail-ga” or “Gail-ga”) is the ‘standard Irish’ name, though several regional variations exist, including Gaeilg/Gaeilic in Ulster (the north) and Gaelainn in Munster (the southwest).
Native speakers (estimated): 40,000 to 80,000
Total speakers, including second-language (estimated): 1.9 million. In census reports since 2021, 1.87 million (40% of the population) in the Republic of Ireland claimed some ability to speak Irish, as did another 228,000 in Northern Ireland, though it is difficult to know exactly what “some” means.
Where it’s spoken: Irish is, alongside English, an official language in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, its route to legal recognition has been very different in both: In the Republic, its use and teaching have been strongly encouraged by the government since independence in 1922, when the new Constitution established that Irish was the “national language”, but that English was “equally recognised as an official language.” In Northern Ireland, Unionists have long viewed Gaeilge with suspicion, and the language was suppressed for official purposes until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998; it took another 24 years for Irish to be fully recognized by law. Bilingual street signs are universal in the Republic, while rare (and often still controversial) in the North. Practically speaking, the overwhelming majority of Irish (on either side of the border) are English speakers. Native speakers live primarily in Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas along rural parts of the island’s west coast. Though seldom used internationally, Irish also became an official working language of the EU in 2022.
Bilingual road signs, County Kerry, Ireland
Successive waves of emigration starting in the 17th century brought millions of Irish, and with them the Irish language, to Britain, North America, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. Though English has remained the dominant language throughout the worldwide diaspora—as it has in Ireland itself—support has remained for continuing to speak and teach Irish as a matter of cultural pride.
Playground sign, Glencolmcille, County Donegal
Language family: Celtic branch of the Indo-European family. Related languages include: The Celtic nations, including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany (France), share a common cultural identity and linguistic heritage. Scottish (or Scots) Gaelic and Manx are the closest relatives to Irish; these three belong to the Goidelic group (=the Old Irish term for Gaelic). In fact, some consider these to be part of a dialect continuum of a single Gaelic language, noting that speakers from Derry (Northern Ireland), Kerry (southwest Ireland), and Skye (Scotland) might sound equally distinct from one another. Welsh, which is Celtic but not Gaelic, has the second-most speakers among the six Celtic languages, while Breton is the only one to have no official status.
Translation: “Welcome to New York – The Empire State.” I wish I knew who put this up…and why..!
Lawn sign, Trinity College, Dublin
Directory, BioSciences Institute, University College Cork