the irish culture

Irish Culture
Irish Language / Gaeilge
Although English is the most used language in the country the Irish have a unique language of their own, Gaeilge or Irish.
Rooted in Celtic origins with threads tracing even further back in time to Sanskrit and the Indus Valley in northern India, the origins of this colourful, complex and characterful language have been lost in the mists of time. Once the primary language for all life on the island the English occupation of Ireland since the 1400s gradually forced the language into decline.
Gaeilge today
Today Gaeilge remains Ireland’s first official language but in practice only about 70,000 people speak it on a daily basis. And while recent statistics suggest that over a third of the population has workable Irish, the sad reality is far, far lower than that. The truth is that while most Irish people speak English only, they would die of shame if they were to admit that they couldn’t speak their own national language.
The Irish psyche and character
And yet Gaeilge continues to define the Irish psyche and character. Irish words are liberally sprinkled throughout most Irish people’s common English. Words like ‘Failte’ (welcome), ‘slán’ (good bye), ‘gasúr’ (boy), ‘amadán’ (a fool) and ‘flathúileach’ (generous) crop up regularly. The English language itself has been greatly influenced by Irish with words like ‘blather’, ‘yiz’, ‘banshee’, clannish’, ‘bat’ and ‘bog’ all originating from the Irish.
Belated revival?
Irish road signs are bilingual and all government documents are available in both Irish and English. There is a dedicated Irish language TV station, TG4 and a radio channel, RnaG both of which are state sponsored and have done much to sustain the language in recent years. Over 200 Gaelscoileanna (full Irish speaking primary level schools) have also opened across the country leading some commentators to believe that the language is suddenly encountering a belated revival.
The Gaeltacht regions
The Gaeltacht regions on the west of Ireland are arguably the country’s most interesting areas. In the Gaeltacts Irish is the number one language and almost every one speaks it. Signs are in Irish only and if the language is to have any hope of survival beyond this decade it is imperative that it holds on in these areas. On the very tips of the Gaeltacht areas and especially on the islands, Aran and Tory, for example, a rich and mellifluous Irish is spoken and traditional music and song continues to breath life into a beautiful and ancient language.
However, the signs are not good. Common use of Irish is currently so low that many academics believe that its days as a living language are numbered. There are 6000 language in use in the world today but half of them will be extinct within 2 decades. What about Irish? Will Irish be living or dead?