Irish Translation Forum

I wasn't even talking about Ireland directly, English was the language of the wealthy in America and Britain. So, what exactly is your point?

-jp

They had a stick tied to their neck and every time they spoke Irish, the parents (or teacher, whoever caught them) would hit them and put a mark on the stick so the other knew to hit them aswell.

This sounds extremely similar to what happened in Wales with Cymraeg (Welsh).

The Welsh Not or Welsh Note was a piece of wood, inscribed with the letters WN, that was hung round the necks of children who spoke Welsh in some schools in the 19th century. The "not" was given to any boy overheard speaking Welsh, and he would pass it to a different boy whom he overheard speaking Welsh. By the end of the week, the wearer of the not would be given a lashing. The idea of the not was to discourage pupils from speaking Welsh, at a time when English was considered the only suitable medium of instruction.