An Ghaeilge

Gaeilge or Irish, is a Celtic language with a storied history. The language has been spoken for at least the last 2500 years in various forms.

The Celtic languages are Indo-European languages. This means that they share a common ancestor with many other European and Indian subcontinental languages. Celtic languages are usually divided into two groups: Continental and Insular.

Continental Celtic languages are now unfortunately extinct, whilst Insular Celtic languages such as Irish, appear to have migrated from the European continent to Britain and to Ireland at an unknown time. At the bottom of this page you will find a map of the Celtic languages, as a related link.

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The Insular Celtic Languages

There are two Insular Celtic branches:

1. Goidelic Languages - Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx
2. Brythonic Languages - Welsh, Breton, and Cornish

There are some similarities between languages belonging to these two branches. A speaker of modern Irish and a speaker of modern Welsh, however, would not be readily able to understand each other. However, a speaker of Scottish Gaelic and a speaker of Irish would have a better chance of understanding each other.

Irish is the first official language in the Republic of Ireland. It is a regional language in Northern Ireland. It is also an official language of the European Union. In the Republic of Ireland’s most recent census, 1.7 million people, out of a population of 4.5 million reported that they were able to speak Irish.

Certain communities in Ireland, which are predominantly located along the Western seaboard, are designated as Gaeltachtaí, or Irish-language speaking communities. In these areas, Irish is the primary spoken or community language.

Irish is taught as a mandatory school subject in all state schools. There has been a significant rise in the past few decades of Gaelscoileanna, which translates as Irish-language schools. These are schools in which Irish is the language of communication and instruction. Gaelscoileanna are found in both urban and rural areas, and have led to the rise of a new generation of urban Irish-language speakers.

With this is mind, we wonder, what is your experience of the Irish language? Have you ever tried to learn it before? What about another Celtic language?

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