The Irish Language: A History and Overview

The Irish language has a rich cultural history, and is as much an account of history as it is a language. However, the exact classifications of what qualifies the language are often misunderstood. The language of Irish itself is part of the larger Celtic family of languages, which is broken down into two branches: Gaelic and Welsh. Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx are part of the Gaelic branch, and Welsh, Breton, and Cornish make up the Welsh branch. Irish is called Gaeilge (Gaelic) by native speakers, but the English word Gaelic refers to the Scottish Gaelic branch (� S�, Sheils viii). Therefore, the language I am speaking of will either be referred to as Irish or Irish Gaelic, but not simply Gaelic, which is a different language altogether. All of these separate languages began as one, as the following history helps to illustrate.

The Irish language, along with Welsh and Breton, is one of the oldest languages in Europe, dating back in writing to the time when Latin was primarily written and spoken. The progression of the Irish language through history began in Central Europe in the 5th century B.C. when a tribe called the Celts came into Europe. Their original name was the Keltoi, meaning "secret people," the Greek name for the group. Eventually the Celts conquered a large section of the continent of Europe, and at one time their empire reached from the Iberian Peninsula to the Scottish highlands, the Black Sea, and all the way into central Italy (Liaugminas 1). With such a large empire to control, the one singular group of Celts eventually divided into two smaller groups, adapting separate names, culture, and language for themselves. The Celts near the Iberian Peninsula were called Celtiberi and the ones who lived by the Black Sea were called Galtae (1). Over time, Celts from Ireland, Scotland, or Gaul were no longer able to understand each other, and this is where the distinctly Irish language and culture began to develop, as illustrated by this passage from "Ireland's Eye: A History of the Irish Language: