Blog na Gaeilge

The light in which the Irish language is viewed by the Ireland’s population as a whole seems to be tipping in the right direction. It is being “normalised” for sure thanks especially to media such as TG4, with personalities including Hector, Des Mac an Easpaig, na Seoigí and Dáithí Ó Sé.

However, hostility towards the Irish language persists in Ireland. This view, probably alive for several hundred years in the majority of the population, continues to depress the language’s normalisation in everyday life.

This week “mikemac” asked on Boards.ie whether other people drop Irish words into English conversation like he does.

As we know too well on this site, forums can easily drop into name-calling and heated debates

But the 11-page conversation unfortunately shows just how easily the language can be attacked.

“My name is URL” said:

Admitting that it’s a dead language is admitting that evolution exists

I admire the Darwinism, but I don’t accept that it’s dead! Thousands of people choose to speak it every day.

The same passive-hatred was expressed “elyod”, who offered economics as to why the language “is dead”.

The Irish language is dead and serves no functional propose. Get over it.

If our primary language wasn’t English, we’d probably be 20 years behind where we are now as a country.

There’s also an unfortunate one-to-one connection drawn between the language and Irish republicanism.

from my experience the only people that are big into the irish language are provo types i.e shinners

This type of expression shows that the language still isn’t “normal” yet for many people. Let the language be. Don’t talk it into a hole, as it does indeed need every bit of help it can get.