Synopsis
The history of any language is invariably bound up with the political history and fortunes of the people who speak it. The written story of the Irish language over the last 400 years is therefore one of colonisation and cultural dilution, laced with heroes and villains, repression and revolution and massive social, economic and political upheaval.
What is often overlooked is the change in ideology towards the language by the main players, not least the Irish speakers themselves, which did as much damage as modernism and emigration. What then does this tell us about its present situation and possible future?
The story of the Irish language up until the sixteenth century is one of vitality and resurgence. It was the primary literary and cultural language of the native Gaelic aristocracies and the Gaelicised Anglo-Normans lords. The defeat of the Ulster chiefs and the Flight of the Earls signalled the collapse of the Gaelic polity with the resultant blow to the status of their language.
The Cromwellian settlements, Williamite Campaign and the Penal Laws finally destroyed any vestige of an Irish speaking aristocracy or institutions dependant upon them. Irish remained outside the institutions of power and state and became increasingly associated with backwardness and poverty.
This ideology dominated 19th century Ireland, with famine and emigration hitting the Irish speaking population hardest. English was increasingly seen as the language of social and political advancement. This was supported in the main by the Catholic Church and by political leaders such as Daniel O’Connell and enshrined in the National School system.
Parents actively discouraged their children from speaking Irish, and this practice continued long after independence, as the stigma of speaking Irish remained very strong. By 1891, the language appeared on the verge of extinction.
The Gaelic League succeeded in reviving the language in academic and scholarly circles, while also making it an integral part of the Nationalist movement. Yet it failed to remove this popular ideology linking Irish with poverty and English with progress. As such, any subsequent attempts at reviving the language on a national basis for the next 100 years remained primarily academic.
The state exerted tremendous pressure on Irish-speakers to speak English while increasing attempts to promote Irish through the school system - a policy that was clumsily implemented and often counter productive. From the mid-1940s on, support for the language was progressively reduced.
The result of all of this has been the creation of a negative ideology towards the language that has consistently hampered any practical revival. English has become the global language, removing any multi-lingual culture, while the desire to actively speak the language has become ‘impractical’. It is a school subject, a charity, a language of the Gaeltacht and nationalist politicians.
One could blame English colonialism, economic depravity, poor teaching standards and/or modernity, but one of the main reasons for the failure of any future revival will be the inability of Irish people to look favourably on their own language.
But therein lies the positive message within the argument. It is not the juggernaut of modernity that is blocking a revival. The problem is something we can control. The success of any mini revivals over the years have come from a shift in ideology on the part of certain individuals, a shift that encourages the use of the language in everyday life.
Belfast now represents the fastest growing centre of Irish language usage on the island. It has become a statement of national identity. Yet in the West, young people continue to see it as the language of their parents and grand-parents, but not of their own children.
If this shift in ideology were to be reflected on a national basis, we could very well see the foundations of a successful revival. But where would this shift come from, what shape would such a revival take, who would be the main players and which sections of Irish society would spearhead such a ‘movement’?
[...] Killing Irish [...]