It is believed that all languages spoken
by the tribes inhabiting the lands from Iceland to India were related to
Indo-European, a language spoken by the people of the Caucuses some
12,000 to 15,000 thousand years ago. Over time various subgroups of
languages evolved from the Indo-European language including Latin,
Germanic, Slavic, Celtic and Indic. Within the Celtic subgroup two
variations emerged: Goidelic and Brythonic. Goidelic gave birth to the
Gaelic languages spoken in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Scotland.
Brythonic gave birth to Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.
There is no evidence that Gaeilge, the language spoken in Ireland,
appeared in written form until Christianity arrived in Ireland. However,
some examples of inscriptions carved in stone in the very ancient Ogham
have been unearthed at various places in Ireland. Some of the ancient
manuscripts bear notes in Gaeilge. Gaeilge evolved into an enormously
rich language that gave us the classical tales of Fionn and the Fianna,
of the Tain, and the children of Lir. These legends brought to life the
scary púcas and magical heroes and kept alive by generations of bards
and fili (historians and genealogists) long before Steven King and
special effects.
The Ard Rithe (High Kings) of ancient Ireland were kept up to date as
Gaeilge (through Gaeilge) by the Brehons (lawyers and judges) who,
through memorization, were responsible for administering the Brehon
Laws, a uniquely Irish judicial system that was in effect in Ireland
since 1500 BC.
Gaeilge was always an obstacle to Britain’s colonial ambitions in
Ireland to the extent that they promulgated the Statutes of Kilkenny in
1342 to eradicate the language and other Gaelic customs. That became the
cornerstone of Poynings Law, and marked the beginning of a sectarian
fueled assault on all things Irish, especially the language, with the
results that many of the native Irish were forced to relegate their native
language to secondary status in order to survive This policy took a turn
for the worse and reached epic proportions after the Great Starvation of
1844-1851, when the English rulers seized on the ongoing genocide and
used it as just another opportunity to blame the victims insinuating
that their plight was brought on by those spoke Gaeilge and did not
accept English customs.
So effective was this propaganda tool that Gaeilge was scorned and
became known as the language of peasants, fishermen, small farmers and
everything associated with the horrors of the that Holocaust. That
onslaught reduced the spoken Gaeilge to scattered areas in the counties
Galway, Kerry, and Donegal and to a lesser extent in areas of Co Cork,
Waterford and Mayo. Thankfully, these areas became the wellspring of the
old Gaelic culture that survived the most devastating century in Irish
history under English rule. It was in these marginalized areas that the
founders of Connradh Na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) under the direction
of Professor Eoin Mc Neill from the Glens of Antrim organized the
rebirth and promotion of the native Gaeilge at the end of the 1800’s. Dr
Dúghlas de hÍde became the first president of Connradh na Gaeilge and
served until 1915 when after a vacancy in the Presidency for one year,
Eoin Mc Neill took over in 1915.
Gaeilge became the official language of the newly formed Irish Free
State. At times the methods adopted to teach the language resulted in
some individuals who were genuinely interested in learning Gaeilge ended
up hating Gaeilge. Those who lived in Gaeltachta (Irish speaking areas)
became marginalized in their own areas resulting in the loss of that
great natural treasure.
However, there were enough of dedicated people willing to fight hard for
programs to keep the language alive. In 1972 Radio Na Gaeltachta began
broadcasting, Gaeilge. It became a Community language (second tier) of
the European Union (EU); the task remains to make Gaeilge an official
working or first tier language of the EU
In 1996, T.G.4 the first television service in Gaeilge came on the air.
Today in Ireland there are Irish schools with waiting lists established
all over the country, daily and weekly papers. Gaeilge is spoken in many
new areas and taught utilizing modern technology.
In the words of Nollaig O Gadhra, Uachtaran (President) Chonnradh Na
Gaeilge on a recent visit to The U.S. “it is our challenge to apply this
new technology toward teaching and spreading the use of Irish. Our
language. Our unique stamp on world civilization. Our one and only
authentic stamp on the way that we were, are, and hope to be into the
third millennium and beyond
