Language and the Irish

Section 11.2.

The Irish language in the Irish Free State (1922) (1)

Hence, the Irish language, or Gaelic, was accorded major status in the Free State Constitution (1922), and the Cosgrave government moved swiftly to establish an Irish language test as a condition of entry into, and promotion within, the civil service. (…)

The task of reviving the language was to be entrusted to the teachers (and children) within the national school system. Under the Cosgrave government Irish was to be made compulsory in the primary schools, and subjects such as drawing and nature studies were to be elbowed off the curriculum in order to make way for it. The task of language revival, or substitution, was entrusted to the primary schools because it was believed that the “English only” national schools in the nineteenth century had effectively destroyed Irish, and that, therefore, these same schools should now be the prime agency in undoing the damage. (…) However, the results were profoundly disappointing; the English language maintained its relentless advance, colonising more and more Gaeltacht (=Irish-speaking) areas.

The Irish language in the Irish Free State (1922) (2)

Before berating the teachers or their pupils for their failure to achieve the sacred national goal entrusted to them, we might consider the efforts of their political masters in this respect. True, many of the founding fathers had been involved in the Gaelic League; but very few Dáil debates were conducted through Irish, and Cabinet meetings were always held in English. (…)

What is astonishing, however, is that this clear lack of success was never seen as a reason to direct energies, or to refocus on the problem of replacing English with Irish. Instead, even stricter regulations were prescribed for the primary schools, and the nation´s teachers were subjected to ever shriller exhortation in this area. (…) But a Gaelic Ireland, like an end to partition or to emigration, remained resolutely unachievable.

(Bartlett, 2011, pp. 426-428)

1. Why did the Irish politicians make such a big effort to promote Irish from the 1922? Why was Irish perceived to be so important for the Irish nation?

2. What instruments did the Irish estate use to bring about an Irish language revival?

3. Although Irish politicians named their parties using Irish expressions (Cumann na nGaedheal, Fianna Fáil), they conducted their debates and meetings mostly in English. What does this reveal?

4. Was this Irish language revival successful? Why? Do you find this surprising?

General Discussion:1. Is it necessary for a nation to have its own nationally recognised language or languages? Is it vital for a nation’s “sense of identity”? What other elements are part of this sense of identity? Are they more important than language? Give reasons.2. Do you think that it is important for all of a nation’s citizens to be able to speak a shared national language?3. Do you think that one national language should be the exclusive medium of teaching and learning in a nation’s education system? Give reasons.Use the following examples and case studies as evidence in your answers:-Language and the Irish (11.2.)-The symbolic value of Welsh (11.3.)-Indian identity according to resident and non-resident Indians (10.3.)-Monocultural Japan (7.2.)-The linguistic landscape of the UK (8.3.)-Minority languages in school environments (8.4.)-Tanzania (11.4.)-English as the official language of the USA (Online, Activity 11.6.)https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=552970&section=1.5-Language policy in Quebec (Activity 11.12.)-Pidgins and creoles-English as a lingua franca (12.5.)-Globish