Irish Gaelic

First official language of the Irish Republic, but much less widely used than the second official language, English. See Gaelic language.

English has often been accused of ‘killing’ Irish Gaelic for political and social reasons. As a consequence of the large numbers of English and Scottish settlements from the 16th century onwards, and famine and large-scale emigration in the 19th century, the prestige and use of English in the previously predominantly Gaelic-speaking community increased dramatically. Most loan-words in English relate to Irish culture.