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{{two other uses|the modern Goidelic language|the form of English as it is spoken in Ireland|Hiberno-English|the cant based partly on English and partly on Irish|Shelta}}
{{Infobox Language
|name=Irish
|nativename=''{{lang|ga|Gaeilge}}''
|pronunciation=/ˈɡeːlʲɟə/
|speakers= 355,000 fluent or native speakers <small>(1983)</small><ref>Ethnologue, [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=gle Gaelic, Irish: a language of Ireland]</ref><br />538,283 everyday speakers <small>(2006)</small><br/>1,860,000 with some knowledge <small>(2006)</small>
|rank=193
|states=Ireland (Republic of) (538,283)<br/>United Kingdom (95,000)<br/>USA (25,000)<br/>EU (Official EU language)
|region=[[Gaeltachtaí]], but also spoken throughout Ireland
|script=[[Latin alphabet|Latin]] ([[Irish orthography|Irish variant]])
|familycolor=Indo-European
|fam2=[[Celtic languages|Celtic]]
|fam3=[[Insular Celtic languages|Insular Celtic]]
|fam4=[[Goidelic languages|Goidelic]]
|nation=Ireland<br/>Northern Ireland<small> (UK)</small><br/> European Union<br/>[[Permanent North American Gaeltacht]]
|agency=[[Foras na Gaeilge]]
|iso1=ga
|iso2=gle
|iso3=gle
}}
'''Irish''' ({{lang|ga|''Gaeilge''}}) is a [[Goidelic languages|Goidelic language]] of the [[Indo-European]] language family, originating in [[Ireland]] and historically spoken by the [[Irish people]]. Irish is now spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population – mostly in ''[[Gaeltacht]]'' areas – but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state, and is used across the country in a variety of media, personal contexts and social situations. It enjoys [[Constitution of Ireland|constitutional]] status as the national and first official language of the [[Republic of Ireland]] and it is an official [[Languages of the European Union|language of the European Union]]. Irish is also an officially recognised minority language in [[Northern Ireland]].

Irish is the main community and household language of 3% of the Republic's population<ref>Government of Ireland, {{PDFlink|[http://www.pobail.ie/en/IrishLanguage/StatementontheIrishLanguage2006/file,7802,en.pdf Statement on the Irish Language 2006]|919 KB}}. Retrieved on 21 January 2008</ref> (which was estimated at 4,422,100 in 2008).<ref>[http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/population/current/popmig.pdf CSO Ireland - April 2008 Population Estimates]</ref> Estimates of fully native speakers range from 40,000 up to 80,000 people.<ref>[http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2004/11/24/story517225942.asp]</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Linguistic Minorities in Multilingual Settings: Implications for Language Policies |last=Christina Bratt Paulston |publisher=J. Benjamins Pub. Co |page=81}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century |last=Pierce |first=David |year=2000 |publisher=Cork University Press |page=1140}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Ó hÉallaithe |first=Donncha |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1999 |month= |title= |journal=Cuisle |volume= |issue= |pages= |id= |url= |accessdate= |quote= }}</ref> The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs estimated in 2007 that about 17,000 people lived in strongly Irish-speaking communities, about 10,000 people lived in areas where there was substantial use of the language, and 17,000 people lived in "weak" Gaeltacht communities; Irish was no longer the main community language in the remaining parts of the official Gaeltacht.<ref>[http://www.oceanfm.ie/onair/donegalnews.php?articleid=000002629 Welcome to Ocean fm<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, since Irish is an obligatory subject in schools, many more are reasonably fluent second-language speakers. Furthermore, a much larger number regard themselves as competent in the language to some degree: 1,656,790 (41.9% of the total population aged three years and over) regard themselves as competent Irish speakers.<ref name="census2006">{{cite web |title=Census 2006 – Principal Demographic Results |url=http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf |publisher=Central Statistics Office |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref> Of these, 538,283 (32.5%) speak Irish on a daily basis (taking into account both native speakers and those inside the education system), 97,089 (5.9%) weekly, 581,574 (35.1%) less often, and 412,846 (24.9%) never. 26,998 (1.6%) respondents did not state how often they spoke Irish. Complete or functional monolingualism is now restricted to a handful of elderly within Gaeltacht regions as well as mother-tongue speakers of Irish under school age.

14% of the population of the Republic of Ireland listen to Irish radio programming daily, 16% listen 2-5 times a week, while 24% listen to Irish programming once a week.

The number of inhabitants of the official-designated Gaeltacht regions of Ireland is 91,862, as of the 2006 census. Of these, 70.8% aged three and over speak Irish and approximately 60% speak Irish on a daily basis.<ref name=census2006/>

The 2001 census in Northern Ireland showed that 167,487 (10.4%) people "had some knowledge of Irish" (see [[Irish language in Northern Ireland]]). Combined, this means that at least one in three people (~1.8 million) on the island of Ireland can understand Irish to some extent.

On 13 June 2005, EU foreign ministers unanimously decided to make Irish an official [[Languages of the European Union|language of the European Union]]. The new arrangements came into effect on 1 January 2007, and Irish was first used at a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers, by Minister [[Noel Treacy]], T.D., on 22 January 2007.

== Names of the language ==
=== In English ===
The language is usually referred to in English as ''Irish''. The term ''Irish Gaelic'' is often used when English speakers discuss the relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, [[Scottish Gaelic]], and [[Manx language|Manx]]) or when discussion of Irish is confused to mean [[Hiberno-English]], the form of English as spoken in Ireland. Scottish Gaelic is often referred to in English as simply ''Gaelic''. Outside Ireland, the term ''Gaelic'' is still sometimes used for the language.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/world/europe/28iht-irish.html Ireland speaks up loudly for Gaelic, New York Times, 29.3.05]</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2009}} The archaic term ''[[wikt:Erse|Erse]]'' (from ''Erische''), originally a [[Scots language|Scots]] form of the word ''Irish'' applied in Scotland (by Lowlanders) to all of the Goidelic languages, is no longer used for any Goidelic language, and in most current contexts is considered [[derogatory]].<ref>Door Raymond Hickey, 2002, A Source Book for Irish English, John Benjamins Publishing Company: Netherlands</ref><ref>Door Christopher Whyte, 2004, Modern Scottish Poetry, Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh</ref>

=== In Irish ===
In the {{lang|ga|''Caighdeán Oifigiúil''}} (the official written standard) the name of the language is {{lang|ga|''Gaeilge''}} ({{IPA-ga|ˈɡeːlʲɟə}}), which reflects the southern [[Connacht Irish|Connacht]] pronunciation.

Before the spelling reform of 1948, this form was spelled {{lang|ga|''Gaedhilge''}}; originally this was the [[genitive case|genitive]] of {{lang|ga|''Gaedhealg''}}, the form used in [[Early Modern Irish language|classical Modern Irish]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Dinneen |first=Patrick S. |authorlink=Patrick S. Dinneen |title=Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla |edition=2d ed. |year=1927 |location=Dublin |publisher=Irish Texts Society |pages=p.&nbsp;507 s.v. ''Gaedhealg'' |id=ISBN 1870166000}}</ref> Older spellings of this include {{lang|mga|''Gaoidhealg''}} in [[Middle Irish language|Middle Irish]] and {{lang|sga|''Goídelc''}} in [[Old Irish language|Old Irish]]. The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ''dh'' in the middle of ''Gaedhilge''.

Other forms of the name found in the various modern Irish dialects, in addition to south Connacht {{lang|ga|''Gaeilge''}} mentioned above, include {{lang|ga|''Gaedhilic/Gaeilic/Gaeilig''}} ({{IPA|[ˈɡeːlʲɪc]}}) or {{lang|ga|''Gaedhlag''}} ({{IPA|[ˈɡeːl̪ˠəɡ]}}) in [[Ulster Irish]] and northern Connacht Irish and {{lang|ga|''Gaedhealaing/Gaoluinn/Gaelainn''}} ({{IPA|[ˈɡˠeːl̪ˠɪŋ/ˈɡˠeːl̪ˠɪn]}})<ref>{{cite book |title= An Ghaeilge, Podręcznik Języka Irlandzkiego |first= Aidan |last=Doyle |coauthors=Edmund Gussmann |year=2005 |id=ISBN 8373632751 |pages=p.&nbsp;423}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Teach Yourself Irish |first=Myles |last=Dillon |coauthors=Donncha Ó Cróinín |year=1961 |id=ISBN 0340278412 |pages=p.&nbsp;227}}</ref> in [[Munster Irish]].

== Official status ==
=== In the Republic of Ireland ===
[[File:Cainteoirí Gaeilge - Irish Speakers.svg|right|thumb|300px|Percentage of Irish speakers by [[Counties of Ireland|county]] of the Republic; the six counties of [[Northern Ireland]] have been considered as one.]]
Irish is given recognition by the [[Constitution of Ireland]] as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland (with [[English language|English]] being a second official language). Since the foundation of the [[Irish Free State]] in 1922 (see also ''[[History of the Republic of Ireland]]''), the [[Irish Government]] required a degree of proficiency in Irish for all those who became newly appointed to [[Civil service of the Republic of Ireland|civil service]] positions (including postal workers, tax officials, agricultural inspectors, etc.).<ref>{{cite book |last=Ó Murchú |first=Máirtín |chapter=Aspects of the societal status of Modern Irish |pages=471–90 |editor=Martin J. Ball and James Fife (eds.) |title=The Celtic Languages |location=London |publisher=Routledge |id=ISBN 0-415-01035-7 |year=1993}}</ref> Proficiency in just one official language for entrance to the public service was introduced in 1974, in part through the actions of protest organizations like the [[Language Freedom Movement]].

While the First Official Language requirement was also dropped for wider public service jobs, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools within the Republic which receive public money (see also ''[[Education in the Republic of Ireland]]''). Those wishing to teach in primary schools in the State must also pass a compulsory examination called "Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge". The need for a pass in [[Leaving Certificate]] Irish or English for entry to the [[Garda Síochána|Gardaí]] (police) was introduced in September 2005, although applicants are given lessons in the language during the two years of training. All official documents of the Irish Government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (this is according to the official languages act 2003, which is enforced by "an comisinéir teanga", the language ombudsman).

The [[National University of Ireland]] requires all students wishing to embark on a degree course in the NUI federal system must pass the subject Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE/GCSE Examinations. Exemption are made from this requirement for students born outside of the Republic and students diagnosed with having [[dyslexia]].<ref>[http://www.nui.ie/entry/ NUI Entry Requirements - Ollscoil na hÉireann - National University of Ireland<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In 1938, the founder of [[Conradh na Gaeilge]] (The Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde, was inaugurated as the first [[President of Ireland]]. The record of his delivering his auguration ''Declaration of Office'' in [[County Roscommon|Roscommon Irish]] remains almost the only surviving remnant of anyone speaking in that dialect.

The [[National University of Ireland, Galway]] is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they meet all other respects of the vacancy they are appointed to. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3).<ref>Irish Statue Book, [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA35Y1929S3.html University College Galway Act, 1929]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref> It is expected that the requirement may be repealed in due course.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?maincat=10861&pcategory=10861&ecategory=10876&sectionpage=13637&language=EN&link=link001&page=1&doc=29800
|title=Minister Hanafin publishes University College Galway (Amendment) Bill 2005
|date=12 December 2005
|publisher=Department of education and Science
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

Even though modern parliamentary legislation is supposed to be issued in both Irish and English, in practice it is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in the other official language—if not already passed in both official languages.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/html%20files/Constitution%20of%20Ireland%20(Eng).htm
|title=Constitution of Ireland
|date=1 July 1937
|publisher=Government of Ireland
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

=== In Northern Ireland ===
[[File:Multilingual sign Department Culture Leisure Arts Northern Ireland.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A sign for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, in [[English language|English]], '''Irish''', and [[Ulster Scots language|Ulster Scots]].]]
Prior to the establishment of the Northern Ireland state in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had a measure of devolved government. During those years the political party holding power in the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland|Stormont Parliament]], the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP), was hostile to the language. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the Northern Ireland state.<ref>http://www.gppac.net/documents/pbp_f/part1/7_changi.htm Changing History - Peace Building in Northern Ireland

By Mari Fitzduff</ref> The language received a degree of [[Irish language in Northern Ireland|formal recognition in Northern Ireland]] from the United Kingdom, under the 1998 [[Belfast Agreement|Good Friday Agreement]],<ref name="belfast">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/peace/docs/agreement.htm#rights Belfast Agreement - Full text - Section 6 (Equality) - "Economic, Social and Cultural issues"]</ref> and then, in 2001, by the Government's ratification in respect of the language of the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]]. The British government promised to create legislation encouraging the language as part of the 2006 [[St Andrews Agreement]].<ref name=bbc13dec2006>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6177321.stm
|title=Irish language future is raised
|date=13 December 2006
|publisher=BBC News
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

=== In the European Union ===
Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007 meaning that MEP's with Irish can now speak the language in the EU Parliament in Europe and at committees although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a translator to ensure that what they say can be translated into other languages. While an official [[Languages of the European Union|language of the European Union]], only co-decision regulations must be available in Irish for the moment, due to a renewable five-year derogation on what has to be translated, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. Any expansion in the range of documents to be translated will depend on the results of the first five-year review and on whether the Irish authorities decide to seek an extension. The Irish government has committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs.<ref>EU Directorate-General for Translation, [http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/spotlight/irish_en.htm Irish becomes the 21st official language of the EU]. Retrieved 11 September 2008.</ref>

Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU had been made available in Irish.

== Gaeltacht ==
{{Main|Gaeltacht}}
[[File:Gaeltacht.svg|thumb|Official [[Gaeltacht]] areas]]
There are parts of Ireland where Irish is still spoken as a traditional, [[native language]] used daily. These regions are known collectively as [[Gaeltacht]]s, or in the plural Irish ''Gaeltachtaí''. While the Gaeltacht's fluent Irish speakers, whose numbers have been estimated by scholar Donncha Ó hÉallaithe at twenty or thirty thousand, <ref>{{cite news|title=Only 25% of Gaeltachnt households fluent in Irish - survey|last=Siggins|first=Lorna|date=6 January 2003|work=The Irish Times|pages=5|language=English|accessdate=2008-12-01}}</ref> are a minority of total Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it is only in Gaeltacht areas (in especial the more strongly Irish-speaking ones) that Irish continues to be a natural vernacular of the general population.

There are Gaeltacht regions in:
* [[County Galway]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae na Gaillimhe''}}), including [[Connemara]] ({{lang|ga|''Conamara''}}), the [[Aran Islands]] ({{lang|ga|''Oileáin Árann''}}), [[Carraroe]] ({{lang|ga|''An Cheathrú Rua''}}) and [[Spiddal]] ({{lang|ga|''An Spidéal''}});
* on the west coast of [[County Donegal]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Dhún na nGall''}}); in the part which is known as [[Tír Conaill|Tyrconnell]] ({{lang|ga|''Tír Chonaill''}});
* [[Dingle Peninsula]] ({{lang|ga|''Corca Dhuibhne''}}) in [[County Kerry]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Chiarraí''}}).

Smaller ones also exist in:
* [[County Mayo|Mayo]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Mhaigh Eo''}});
* [[County Meath|Meath]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae na Mí''}});
* [[County Waterford|Waterford]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Phort Láirge''}});
* and [[County Cork|Cork]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Chorcaí''}}).

To summarise the extent of the survival: (See Hindley, 'The Death of the Irish Language'){{Page number|date=July 2008}}
Irish remains as a natural vernacular in the following areas: south Connemara, from a point west of Spiddal, covering Inverin, Carraroe, Rosmuck, and the islands; the Aran Islands; northwest Donegal in the area around Gweedore, including Rannafast, Gortahork, the surrounding townlands and Tory Island; in the townland of Rathcarn, Co. Meath.

[[Gweedore]] ({{lang|ga|''Gaoth Dobhair''}}),County Donegal is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland.

The numerically and socially strongest Gaeltacht areas are those of South Connemara, the west of the Dingle Peninsula and northwest Donegal, in which the majority of residents use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as the {{lang|ga|''Fíor-Ghaeltacht''}} ("true Gaeltacht") and collectively have a population just under 20,000.

[[File:Aire-leanai.jpg|130px|thumb|left|"Caution Children"]]
Irish summer colleges are attended by tens of thousands of Irish teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to ''[[céilidh|céilithe]]'' and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged.

According to data compiled by the Irish Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, only one quarter of households in officially Gaeltacht areas possess a fluency in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the [[Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology]], described the Irish language policy followed by Irish governments a "complete and absolute disaster". ''[[The Irish Times]]'', referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper ''[[Foinse]]'', quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but the number now is between 20,000 and 30,000."<ref>{{cite news|title=Only 25% of Gaeltacht households fluent in Irish - survey|last=Siggins|first=Lorna|date=6 January 2003|work=The Irish Times|pages=5|language=English|accessdate=2008-12-01}}</ref>

== Dialects ==
There are a number of distinct [[dialect]]s of Irish. Roughly speaking, the three major dialect areas coincide with the provinces of [[Munster]] ({{lang|ga|''Cúige Mumhan''}}), [[Connacht]] ({{lang|ga|''Cúige Chonnacht''}}) and [[Ulster]] ({{lang|ga|''Cúige Uladh''}}). Records of some dialects of [[Leinster]] were made by the [[Irish Folklore Commission]] among other bodies prior to their extinction. [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], in eastern Canada, is also seen to have a minor dialect of Irish, closely resembling the Munster Irish spoken during the 16th to 17th centuries (see [[Newfoundland Irish]]).

=== Munster dialects ===
{{main|Munster Irish}}
Munster Irish is mainly spoken in the Gaeltacht areas of Kerry ({{lang|ga|''Contae Chiarraí''}}), [[Ring, County Waterford|Ring]] ({{lang|ga|''An Rinn''}}) near [[Dungarvan]] ({{lang|ga|''Dún Garbháin''}}) in [[County Waterford]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Phort Láirge''}}) and Muskerry ({{lang|ga|''Múscraí''}}) and [[Cape Clear Island]] ({{lang|ga|''Oileán Chléire''}}) in the western part of [[County Cork]] ({{lang|ga|''Contae Chorcaí''}}). The most important subdivision in Munster is that between Decies Irish (''Na Déise'') (spoken in Waterford) and the rest of Munster Irish.

Some typical features of Munster Irish are:
# The use of personal endings instead of pronouns with verbs (know as ''an fhoirm tháite''), thus "I must" is in Munster {{lang|ga|''caithfead''}}, while other dialects prefer {{lang|ga|''caithfidh mé''}} ({{lang|ga|''mé''}} means "I"). "I was and you were" is {{lang|ga|''Bhíos agus bhís''}} in Munster but {{lang|ga|''Bhí mé agus bhí tú''}} in other dialects. Note that this is not an absolute. ''Bhí mé'' and ''bhí tú'' are also used in the South, while ''bhíos'' and ''bhís'' in the West and North, particularly when the words are last in the clause.
# Use of [[Dependent and independent verb forms|independent/dependent forms of verbs]] that are not included in the Standard. For example, "I see" in Munster is {{lang|ga|''chím''}} (this is the independent form – note that Northern Irish also uses a similar form, ''tchím''), whereas "I do not see" is {{lang|ga|''ní fheicim''}} (this is the dependent form, after particles such as ''ní''). ''Chím'' is replaced by ''feicim'' in the Standard. Similarly, the traditional form preserved in Munster {{lang|ga|''bheirim''}} I give/{{lang|ga|''ní thugaim''}} has become {{lang|ga|''tugaim''}}/{{lang|ga|''ní thugaim''}} in the Standard; {{lang|ga|''gheibhim''}} I get/{{lang|ga|''ní bhfaighim''}} has become {{lang|ga|''faighim''}}/{{lang|ga|''ní bhfaighim''}}; and {{lang|ga|''deirim''}} I say/{{lang|ga|''ní abraim''}} has become {{lang|ga|''deirim''}}/{{lang|ga|''ní deirim''}}.
# In front of nasals and ''ll'' some short vowels are lengthened while others are [[diphthong]]ised.
# A [[copula]]r construction involving {{lang|ga|''is ea''}} is frequently used. Thus ''is Éireannach mé'' may be replaced by ''Éireannach is ea mé'' in Munster.
# Both masculine and feminine words are subject to lenition in the dative after ''insan'' (''sa''/''san'') 'in the', ''den'' 'of the' and ''don'' 'to/for the' : ''sa tsiopa'', "in the shop", compared to the Standard ''sa siopa'' (the Standard lenites only feminine nouns in the dative in these cases).
# Eclipsis of f after ''sa'': ''sa bhfeirm'', "in the farm", instead of ''san fheirm''.
# [[Stress (linguistics)|Stress]] is often on the second syllable of a word, e.g. {{lang|ga|''bio-RÁN''}} ("pin"), as opposed to {{lang|ga|''BIO-rán''}} in Connacht and Ulster.

=== Connacht dialects ===
{{main|Connacht Irish}}
The strongest dialect of Connacht Irish is to be found in [[Connemara]] and the [[Aran Islands]]. Much closer to the larger Connacht Gaeltacht is the dialect spoken in the smaller region on the border between Galway ({{lang|ga|''Gaillimh''}}) and Mayo ({{lang|ga|''Maigh Eo''}}). The northern Mayo dialect of Erris ({{lang|ga|''Iorras''}}) and [[Achill]] ({{lang|ga|''Acaill''}}) is in grammar and [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] essentially a Connacht dialect, but shows some similarities to Ulster Irish due to large-scale immigration of dispossessed people following the [[Plantation of Ulster]].

There are features in Connemara Irish outside the official standard—notably the preference for verbal nouns ending in {{lang|ga|''-achan''}}, e.g. {{lang|ga|''lagachan''}} instead of {{lang|ga|''lagú''}}, "weakening". The non-standard pronunciation with lengthened vowels and heavily reduced endings give Connemara Irish its distinct sound. Distinguishing features of this dialect include the pronunciation of broad ''bh'' as {{IPA|[w]}}, rather than as {{IPA|[vˠ]}} in Munster. For example {{lang|ga|''mo bhád''}} ("my boat") is pronounced {{IPA|[mˠə wɑːd̪ˠ]}} in Connacht and Ulster as opposed to {{IPA|[mˠə vˠɑːd̪ˠ]}} in the south. In addition Connacht and Ulster speakers tend to include the "we" pronoun rather than use the standard compound form used in Munster e.g. {{lang|ga|''bhí muid''}} is used for "we were" instead of {{lang|ga|''bhíomar''}} elsewhere.

The present-day Irish of Meath (in Leinster) is a special case. It belongs mainly to the Connemara dialect. The Irish-speaking community in Meath is mostly a group of Connemara speakers who moved there in the 1930s after a land reform campaign spearheaded by [[Máirtín Ó Cadhain]] (who subsequently became one of the greatest modernist writers in the language).

Irish President [[Douglas Hyde]] was one of the last of speakers of the [[Roscommon]] dialect of Irish.

=== Ulster dialects ===
{{main|Ulster Irish}}
Linguistically the most important of the [[Ulster]] dialects today is that of [[the Rosses]] ({{lang|ga|''na Rossa''}}), which has been used extensively in literature by such authors as the brothers [[Séamus Ó Grianna]] and [[Seosamh Mac Grianna]], locally known as Jimí Fheilimí and Joe Fheilimí. This dialect is essentially the same as that in [[Gweedore]] ({{lang|ga|''Gaoth Dobhair''}} = Inlet of Streaming Water), and used by native singers [[Enya]] ({{lang|ga|''Eithne''}}) and [[Máire Brennan]] and their siblings in [[Clannad]] ({{lang|ga|''Clann as Dobhar''}} = Family from the Dobhar[a section of Gweedore]) [[Na Casaidigh]], and [[Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh]] from another local band [[Altan]].

Ulster Irish sounds very different and shares several unusual features with [[Scottish Gaelic]], as well as having lots of characteristic words and shades of meanings. However, since the demise of those Irish dialects spoken natively in what is today Northern Ireland, it is probably an exaggeration to see Ulster Irish as an intermediary form between Scottish Gaelic and the southern and western dialects of Irish. For instance, Scottish Gaelic has many non-Ulster features in common with Munster Irish.

One noticeable trait of Ulster Irish is the use of the negative particle {{lang|ga|''cha(n)''}} in place of the Munster and Connacht version {{lang|ga|''ní''}}. Even in Ulster, {{lang|ga|''cha(n)''}}—most typical of Scottish Gaelic—has largely ousted the more common {{lang|ga|''ní''}} (except in {{lang|ga|''níl''}} "is not") in northernmost dialects (e.g. [[Rosguill]] and [[Tory Island]]).<ref>{{cite book| title=A Phonetic Study of the Irish of Tory Island, County Donegal| last=Hamilton |first=John Noel |publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast |year=1974}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Grammar of Ros Goill Irish, County Donegal |first=Leslie W. |last=Lucas |publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast |year=1979}}</ref>

=== An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ===
''An Caighdeán Oifigiúil'' ("The Official Standard"), often shortened to ''An Caighdeán'', is the [[standard language]], which is taught in most schools in Ireland. What has been called "Dublin Irish" and "[[Gaelscoil]] Irish" is also spoken in the capital and amongst the students of Irish-speaking schools throughout the country. This is, arguably, simply the national standard of Irish, or ''An Caighdeán Oifigiúil''.

=== Comparisons ===
The differences between dialects are considerable, and have led to recurrent difficulties in defining standard Irish. A good example is the greeting "How are you?". Just as this greeting varies from region to region, and between social classes, among English speakers, this greeting varies among Irish speakers:

* Ulster: {{lang|ga|''Cad é mar atá tú?''}} ("What is it as you are?" Note: {{lang|ga|''caidé''}} or {{lang|ga|''goidé''}} and sometimes {{lang|ga|''dé''}} are alternative renderings of {{lang|ga|''cad é''}})
* Connacht: {{lang|ga|''Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?''}} ("What way [is it] that you are?")
* Munster: {{lang|ga|''Conas taoi?''}} or {{lang|ga|''Conas tánn tú?''}} ("How are you?")
* "Standard" Irish: {{lang|ga|''Conas atá tú?''}} ("How are you?")

In recent decades contacts between speakers of different dialects have become frequent and mixed dialects have originated.

== Linguistic structure ==
The features most unfamiliar to English speakers of the language are the [[Irish orthography|orthography]], the [[Irish initial mutations|initial consonant mutation]]s, the [[Verb Subject Object]] word order, and the use of two different forms for "to be". None of these features are peculiar to Irish, however. All of them occur in other Celtic languages as well as in non-Celtic languages: morphosyntactically triggered initial [[consonant mutation]]s are found in [[Fula language|Fula]], VSO word order is found in [[Classical Arabic]] and [[Biblical Hebrew]], and both [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] have two different forms for "to be".

=== Syntax ===
{{main|Irish syntax}}
Word order in Irish is of the form VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) so that, for example, "He hit me" is {{lang|ga|''Bhuail''}} [hit-past tense] {{lang|ga|''sé''}} [he] {{lang|ga|''mé''}} [me].

One aspect of Irish syntax that is unfamiliar to speakers of other languages is the use of the [[copula]] (known in Irish as {{lang|ga|''an chopail''}}). The copula is used to describe what or who someone is, as opposed to how and where. It is used to say that a noun is another noun, rather than an adjective. This has been likened to the difference between the verbs {{lang|es|''ser''}} and {{lang|es|''estar''}} in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (see [[Romance copula]]), although this is only a rough approximation.

=== Morphology ===
{{main|Irish morphology|Irish nominals|Irish verbs}}

Another feature of Irish grammar that is shared with other Celtic languages is the use of prepositional pronouns ({{lang|ga|''forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha''}}), which are essentially conjugated prepositions. For example, the word for "at" is {{lang|ga|''ag''}}, which in the first person singular becomes {{lang|ga|''agam''}} "at me". When used with the verb {{lang|ga|''bí''}} ("to be") {{lang|ga|''ag''}} indicates possession; this is the equivalent of the English verb "to have".

{|cellspacing="7"
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' agam.}}||"I have a book."||(Literally, "there is a book at me.")
|-
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' agat.}}||"You have a book."
|-
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' aige.}}||"He has a book."
|-
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' aici.}}||"She has a book."
|-
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' againn.}}||"We have a book."
|-
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' agaibh.}}||"You (plural) have a book."
|-
|{{lang|ga|''Tá leabhar'' acu.}}||"They have a book."
|}

=== Orthography and pronunciation ===
[[File:Gaelic-font-Gaelach.png|thumb|"Gaelach" in the [[Gaelic script]].]]
{{main|Irish orthography|Irish phonology}}

The written language looks rather daunting to those unfamiliar with it. Once understood, the orthography is relatively straightforward. The [[acute accent]], or {{lang|ga|''síneadh fada''}} (´), serves to lengthen the sound of the vowels and in some cases also changes their quality. For example, in Munster Irish (Kerry), ''a'' is {{IPA|/a/}} or {{IPA|/ɑ/}} and ''á'' is {{IPA|/ɑː/}} in "law" but in Ulster Irish (Donegal), ''á'' tends to be {{IPA|/æː/}}.

Around the time of World War II, Séamas Daltún, in charge of {{lang|ga|''Rannóg an Aistriúcháin''}} (the official translations department of the Irish government), issued his own guidelines about how to standardise Irish spelling and grammar. This de facto standard was subsequently approved of by the State and called the Official Standard or {{lang|ga|''Caighdeán Oifigiúil''}}. It simplified and standardised the orthography. Many words had silent letters removed and vowel combination brought closer to the spoken language. Where multiple versions existed in different dialects for the same word, one or more were selected.

Examples:
* {{lang|ga|''Gaedhealg / Gaedhilg(e) / Gaedhealaing / Gaeilic / Gaelainn / Gaoidhealg / Gaolainn''}} → {{lang|ga|''Gaeilge''}}, "Irish language" ({{lang|ga|''Gaoluinn''}} or {{lang|ga|''Gaolainn''}} is still used in books written in dialect by Munster authors, or as a facetious name for the Munster dialect)
* {{lang|ga|''Lughbhaidh''}} → {{lang|ga|''Lú''}}, "Louth"
* {{lang|ga|''biadh''}} → {{lang|ga|''bia''}}, "food"

The standard spelling does not always reflect every dialect's pronunciation. For example, in standard Irish, ''bia'', "food", has the genitive ''bia''. But in Munster Irish, the genitive is pronounced {{IPA|/bʲiːɟ/}}.<ref>{{cite book |title= An Ghaeilge, Podręcznik Języka Irlandzkiego|authorlink= Aidan Doyle|coauthors= Edmund Gussmann|year= 2005|isbn= 8373632751|pages= 412}}</ref> For this reason, the spelling {{lang|ga|''biadh''}} is still used by the speakers of some dialects, in particular those that show a meaningful and audible difference between {{lang|ga|''biadh''}} (nominative case) and {{lang|ga|''bídh''}} (genitive case) "of food, food's". In Munster, the latter spelling regularly produces the pronunciation {{IPA|/bʲiːɟ/}} because final ''-idh, -igh'' regularly delenites to ''-ig'' in Munster pronunciation. Another example would be the word ''crua'', meaning "hard". This pronounced {{IPA|/kruəɟ/}}<ref>{{cite book |title= An Ghaeilge, Podręcznik Języka Irlandzkiego|authorlink= Aidan Doyle|coauthors= Edmund Gussmann|year= 2005|isbn= 8373632751|pages= 417}}</ref> in Munster, in line with the pre-Caighdeán spelling, ''cruaidh''. In Munster, ''ao'' is pronounced {{IPA|/eː/}} and ''aoi'' pronounced {{IPA|/iː/}},<ref>{{cite book |title= Teach Yourself Irish|authorlink= Myles Dillon|coauthors= Donncha Ó Cróinín|year= 1961|isbn= 0340278412|pages= 6}}</ref> but the new spellings of ''saoghal'', "life, world", genitive: ''saoghail'', have become ''saol'', genitive ''saoil''. This produces irregularities in the matchup between the spelling and pronunciation in Munster, because the word is pronounced {{IPA|/sˠeːl̪ˠ/}}, genitive {{IPA|/sˠeːlʲ/}}.<ref>{{cite book |title= An Ghaeilge, Podręcznik Języka Irlandzkiego|authorlink= Aidan Doyle|coauthors= Edmund Gussmann|year= 2005|isbn= 8373632751|pages= 432}}</ref>

Modern Irish has only one [[diacritic]] sign, the acute (''á é í ó ú''), known in Irish as the {{lang|ga|''síneadh fada''}} "long mark", plural {{lang|ga|''sínte fada''}}. In English, this is frequently referred to as simply the {{lang|ga|''fada''}}, where the adjective is used as a noun. The [[dot (diacritic)|dot-above diacritic]], called a {{lang|ga|''ponc séimhithe''}} or {{lang|ga|''sí buailte''}} (often shortened to {{lang|ga|''buailte''}}), derives from the ''punctum delens'' used in medieval manuscripts to indicate deletion, similar to crossing out unwanted words in handwriting today. From this usage it was used to indicate the [[lenition]] of ''s'' (from {{IPA|/s/}} to {{IPA|/h/}}) and ''f'' (from {{IPA|/f/}} to [[null morpheme|zero]]) in [[Old Irish]] texts.

Lenition of ''c'', ''p'', and ''t'' was indicated by placing the letter ''h'' after the affected consonant; lenition of other sounds was left unmarked. Later both methods were extended to be indicators of lenition of any sound except ''l'' and ''n'', and two competing systems were used: lenition could be marked by a {{lang|ga|''buailte''}} or by a postposed ''h''. Eventually, use of the {{lang|ga|''buailte''}} predominated when texts were writing using Gaelic letters, while the ''h'' predominated when writing using Roman letters.

Today the [[Gaelic script]] and the {{lang|ga|''buailte''}} are rarely used except where a "traditional" style is required, e.g. the motto on the [[University College Dublin]] coat of arms or the symbol of the Irish Defence Forces, The [[Irish Defence Forces cap badge]] {{lang|ga|''(Óglaiġ na h-Éireann)''}}. Letters with the {{lang|ga|''buailte''}} are available in [[Unicode]] and [[ISO 8859-14|Latin-8]] [[character set]]s (see Latin Extended Additional chart).<ref>Unicode 5.0, {{PDFlink|[http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E00.pdf Latin Extended Additional]|163&nbsp;KB}}. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref>

=== Mutations ===
{{main|Irish initial mutations}}

In Irish, there are two classes of initial [[consonant mutation]]s:

* [[Lenition]] (in Irish, {{lang|ga|''séimhiú''}} "softening") describes the change of stops into fricatives. Indicated in old orthography by a {{lang|ga|''buailte''}} written above the changed consonant, this is now shown in writing by adding an -''h'':
** {{lang|ga|''caith!''}} "throw!" — {{lang|ga|''chaith mé''}} "I threw" (this is an example of the lenition as a past-tense marker, which is caused by the use of {{lang|ga|''do''}}, although it is now usually omitted)
** {{lang|ga|''margadh''}} "market", "market-place", "bargain" — {{lang|ga|''Tadhg an mhargaidh''}} "the man of the street" (word for word "Tadhg of the market-place"; here we see the lenition marking the genitive case of a masculine noun)
** {{lang|ga|''Seán''}} "Seán, John" — {{lang|ga|''a Sheáin!''}} "O John!" (here we see lenition as part of what is called the vocative case — in fact, the vocative lenition is triggered by the {{lang|ga|''a''}} or vocative marker before {{lang|ga|''Sheáin''}})
* Eclipsis (in Irish, {{lang|ga|''urú''}}) covers the voicing of voiceless stops, as well as the [[nasalisation]] of voiced stops.
** {{lang|ga|''athair''}} "father" — {{lang|ga|''ár nAthair''}} "our Father"
** {{lang|ga|''tús''}} "start", {{lang|ga|''ar dtús''}} "at the start"
** {{lang|ga|''Gaillimh''}} "Galway" — {{lang|ga|''i nGaillimh''}} "in Galway"

== History ==
{{main|History of the Irish language}}
Written Irish is first attested in [[Ogham]] inscriptions from the fourth century AD; this stage of the language is known as [[Primitive Irish]]. [[Old Irish]], dating from the sixth century, used the [[Latin alphabet]] and is attested primarily in [[marginalia]] to Latin manuscripts. [[Middle Irish]], dating from the tenth century, is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the famous [[Ulster Cycle]]. Early Modern Irish, dating from the thirteenth century, was the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland, and is attested by such writers as [[Geoffrey Keating]].

From the eighteenth century the language went into a decline, rapidly losing ground to English due in part to restrictions dictated by British rule - a conspicuous example of the process known by linguists as [[language shift]]. In the mid-nineteenth century it lost a large portion of its speakers to death and emigration resulting from poverty, particularly in the wake of the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] (1845–1849).

At the end of the nineteenth century, members of the [[Gaelic Revival]] movement made efforts to encourage the learning and use of Irish in Ireland.

== Current status ==
=== Republic of Ireland ===
[[File:Dublin airport - Irish language.jpg|thumb|200px|Bilingual sign in English and Irish at [[Dublin Airport]]]]
The number of native Irish-speakers in the Republic of Ireland today is a smaller fraction of the population than it was at independence. Many Irish speaking families encouraged their children to speak English as it was the language of education and employment; the Irish-speaking areas today were always relatively poor and remote, and this remoteness caused the survival of the language as a vernacular. The [[Official Languages Act 2003|Official Languages Act]] of 2003 gave people the right to interact with state bodies in Irish. It is too early to assess how well this is working in practice. Other factors were outward migration of Irish speakers from the Gaeltacht (see related issues at [[Irish diaspora]]) and inward migration of English-speakers. The Planning and Development Act (2000) attempted to address the latter issue, with varied levels of success. Planning controls now require new housing in Gaeltacht areas to be allocated to English-speakers and Irish-speakers in the same ratio as the existing population of the area. This will prevent new houses allocated to Irish-speakers being immediately sold on to English-speakers. However, the restriction only lasts for a few years. Also, people are not required to reach native speaker standards of fluency to qualify as Irish-speakers.

On 19 December 2006 the government announced a 20-year strategy to help Ireland become a fully [[bilingual]] country. This involved a 13 point plan and encouraging the use of language in all aspects of life.<ref> RTÉ News, 19 December 2006, [http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1219/language.html?rss Govt announces 20-year bilingual strategy]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref><ref>Government of Ireland, {{PDFlink|[http://www.pobail.ie/en/IrishLanguage/StatementontheIrishLanguage2006/file,7802,en.pdf Statement on the Irish Language 2006]|919&nbsp;KB}}. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref>

=== Daily life ===
Several computer software products have the option of an Irish-language interface. Prominent examples include [[KDE]],<ref name=kdetrans>{{cite web
|url=http://www.kde.ie/ga.php
|title=KDE Irish Gaelic translation
|publisher=kde.ie
|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
[[Mozilla Firefox]],<ref name=mozdev>{{cite web
|url=http://gaeilge.mozdev.org/
|title=Firefox in Irish
|publisher=mozdev.org
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>
[[Mozilla Thunderbird]],<ref name=mozdev/>
[[OpenOffice.org]],<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://ga.openoffice.org/
|title=Bogearra den scoth, chomh maith agus a bhí sé ariamh, anois as Gaeilge
|language=Irish
|publisher=openoffice.org
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>
and Microsoft [[Windows XP]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0db2e8f9-79c4-4625-a07a-0cc1b341be7c&displaylang=ga
|title=Windows XP Pacáiste Comhéadan Gaeilge
|language=Irish
|publisher=Microsoft
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}.</ref>

Many English-speaking Irish people use small and simple phrases (known as ''[[cúpla focal]]'', "a few words") in their everyday speech, e.g. {{lang|ga|''Slán''}} ("goodbye"), {{lang|ga|''Slán abhaile''}} ("get home safely"), {{lang|ga|''Sláinte''}} ("good health"; used when drinking like "bottoms up" or "cheers"), {{lang|ga|''Go raibh maith agat''}} ("thank you"), {{lang|ga|''[[Céad míle fáilte]]''}} ("a hundred thousand welcomes", a tourist board saying, also used by [[Patrick Hillery|President Hillery]] to welcome [[Pope John Paul II]] to Ireland in 1979) and {{lang|ga|''Conas atá tú?''}} ("How are you?"). There are many more small sayings that have crept into [[Hiberno-English]]. The term ''[[Crack (craic)|craic]]'' has been popularised outside Ireland in this Gaelicized spelling: "How's the ''craic?''" or "What's the craic'?" ("how's the fun?"/"how is it going?"), though the word is not Irish in origin, and the expression "How's the crack?" was widely used in Ireland since at least the 1960s before the Irish-language spelling "craic" became the common journalistic style.

[[File:Tescogaeilge.jpg|thumb|200px|Bilingual sign in English and Irish in [[Tesco Ireland|Tesco]] store, [[Ballyfermot]], Dublin.]] Many public bodies have Irish language or bilingual names, but some have downgraded the language. [[An Post]], the Republic's postal service, displays Irish place names in both Irish and English with equal prominence outside its offices and continues to have [[place names in Irish]] on its postmarks as well as recognising addresses (as does the [[Royal Mail]] in Northern Ireland). Traditionally, the private sector has been less supportive, although support for the language has come from some private companies. For example, Irish supermarket chain [[Superquinn]] introduced bilingual signs in its stores in the 1980s, a move which was followed more recently by the British chain [[Tesco]] for its stores in the Republic. Woodies DIY now also have bilingual signs in their chain of stores. In contrast, the "100% Irish" [[SuperValu (Ireland)|SuperValu]] has few if any Irish signs, and the German retailers [[Aldi]] and [[Lidl]] have none at all.

In an effort to increase the use of the Irish language by the State, the [[Official Languages Act 2003|Official Languages Act]] was passed in 2003. This act ensures that most publications made by a governmental body must be published in both official languages, Irish and English. In addition, the office of Language Commissioner has been set up to act as an [[ombudsman]] with regard to equal treatment for both languages.

A major factor in the decline of natively-spoken Irish has been the movement of English speakers into the Gaeltacht (predominantly Irish speaking areas) and the return of native Irish-speakers who have returned with English-speaking partners. This has been stimulated by government grants and infrastructure projects:<ref>''The state has anglicised the Gaeltacht by encouraging the immigration of English-speakers'', http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.a.mccartney/baile_nua/migration.html</ref> "only about half Gaeltacht children learn Irish in the home... this is related to the high level of in-migration and return migration which has accompanied the economic restructuring of the Gaeltacht in recent decades".<ref>''The Irish Language in a Changing Society: Shaping The Future'', p. xxvi.</ref> In a last-ditch effort to stop the demise of Irish-speaking in Connemara in Galway, planning controls have been introduced on the building of new homes in Irish speaking areas.

Thanks in large part to Gael-Taca and Gaillimh Le Gaeilge and two local groups a significant number of new residential developments are named in Irish today in most of the Republic of Ireland. In several counties there are a large number being named in Irish.<ref>[http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article529440.ece Sunday Times article on Gael-Taca]</ref>

===== Media =====
[[File:Guinnessirishad.jpg|thumb|Advertisement for [[Guinness]] in [[Kilkenny]]. The text reads, {{lang|ga|"Failte [''sic''] go dtí Ceol agus Comhrá"}} (Welcome to music and conversation). The first word is correctly spelt {{lang|ga|''Fáilte''}} with an [[acute accent]] on the ''a''.]]

Support for the language has been made through the media, notably with the launch of [[Raidió na Gaeltachta]] (Gaeltacht radio) and [[Teilifís na Gaeilge]] (Irish language television, initially abbreviated to 'TnaG', now renamed [[TG4]]) and Raidió na Life in Dublin, both have been relatively successful. TG4 has offered Irish-speaking young people a forum for youth culture ''as Gaeilge'' (in Irish) through rock and pop shows, travel shows, dating games, and even a controversial award-winning soap opera in Irish called ''[[Ros na Rún]]''. Most of TG4's viewership, however, tends to come from showing [[Gaelic football]], [[hurling]], soccer and [[rugby union]] matches and also films in English, and English pop music programmes, although some of its Irish language programmes attract large audiences. In 2007 TG4 reported that overall it "has a share of 3% of the national television market".<ref name=TG4>[http://tnag.ie/Bearla/Corp/corp.htm TG4 official website]</ref> This market share is up from about 1.5% in the late 1990s. TG4 delivers 16 hours a day of television from an annual budget of €30 million, which is widely judged to be relatively efficient. The budget has the full support of all political parties in parliament.<ref name=TG4/> TG4 is the most successful and high-profile government initiative for the Irish language for the past fifty years.

The Irish language daily newspaper ''[[Lá Nua]]'' published five days a week and had circulation of several thousand, until it ceased publication in December 2008.<ref>[http://www.nuacht.com/index.tvt]</ref> There is also a weekly paper, ''[[Foinse]]''. These require government sponsorship. The ''[[Irish News]]'' has two pages in Irish every day. The ''[[Irish Times]]'' had up until recently one article in Irish every week. Now it has several articles with some articles appended with short lists giving the meaning of some of the words used in English. Another paper, ''[[Saol]]'', and about 5 magazines are also published in the language, as well as internet-only publications such as "Beo!". The immigrants magazine ''[[Metro Éireann]]'' also has articles in Irish every issue, as do many local papers throughout the country including university publications. The [[BBC]] offers a website for beginners called ''Blas'' ("a taste").<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/irish/blas// Blas website URL]</ref>


There are community radio stations broadcast in Irish in Dublin and Belfast. Raidió na Life is based in Dublin and broadcast in Dublin and to parts of some surrounding counties and Raidió Fáilte is based and broadcast in Belfast. Raidió Fáilte has applied for a license to broadcast throughout Northern Ireland. Community radio stations in Ireland try to have at least one Irish language programme per week depending on their number of employees/volunteers who speak it. The community radio station for North-East Dublin Near90fm's "Ar Muin na Muice" programme is broadcast five days a week and occasionally one of their current affairs programmes "Between The Lines" is also broadcast in Irish.

Each year in March, an Irish language music CD is released in tandem with [[Seachtain na Gaeilge]]. Various Irish artists come together each year to work on this collaboration, which has seen many artists produce songs in Irish. The titles of the albums released are: [[Snag '05]], [[Ceol 06]], [[Ceol '07]] and [[Ceol '08]].

===== Placenames =====
The [[Placenames Order (Gaeltacht Districts)]]/{{lang|ga|''An tOrdú Logainmneacha (Ceanntair Gaeltachta)''}} (2004) requires the original Irish placenames to be used in the Gaeltacht on all official documents, maps and roadsigns. This has removed the legal status of those placenames in the Gaeltacht in English. Opposition to these measures comes from several quarters including some people within popular tourist destinations located within the Gaeltacht (namely in [[Dingle]]) who claim that tourists may not recognise the Irish forms of the placenames.

However following a campaign in the 1960s and early 1970s, most roadsigns in Gaeltacht regions have been in Irish only. Maps and government documents did not change, though. Previously Ordnance Survey (government) maps showed placenames bilingually in the Gaeltacht (and generally in English only elsewhere). Unfortunately, most other map companies wrote only the English placenames, leading to significant confusion in the Gaeltacht. The act therefore updates government documents and maps in line with what has been reality in the Gaeltacht for the past 30 years. Private map companies are expected to follow suit.
Beyond the Gaeltacht only English placenames were officially recognised (pre 2004). However, further placenames orders have been passed to enable both the English and the Irish placenames to be used. The village of [[Straffan]] is still marked variously as {{lang|ga|''An Srafáin'', ''An Cluainíní''}} and {{lang|ga|''Teach Strafáin''}}, even though Irish has not been the spoken widely there for two centuries. In the 1830s [[John O'Donovan (scholar)|John O'Donovan]] listed it as "Srufáin"<ref>Ordnance Survey Letters of County Kildare, co-authored by John O'Donovan.</ref> The nearby village of [[Kilteel]] was "Cill tSile" for centuries, meaning "The church of Saint Sheila", but since 2000 it is shown as "Cill Cheile" which does not carry the same meaning. There are numerous other examples, raising the question of how, by whom and why such new names are chosen.

[[Irish vehicle registration plates]] are bilingual: the county of registration is shown in Irish above the plate number as a kind of [[surtitle]], and is encoded from English within the plate number. For example, a Dublin plate is surtitled ''Baile Átha Cliath'' and the plate number includes "-D-".

===== Religious texts =====
[[The Bible]] has been available in Irish since the 17th century, and the four [[Gospels]] had been translated several times. In 1964 the Bible was translated at [[Maynooth]] for [[Roman Catholics]] for the first time under the supervision of Professor Pádraig Ó Fiannachta and was finally published in 1981.<ref>An Bíobla Naofa (Maynooth 1981)</ref> The [[Church of Ireland]] [[Book of Common Prayer]] of 2004 is published in both Irish and English.

===== Education =====
The Irish language is a compulsory subject in government funded schools in the Republic of Ireland and has been so since the early days of the state. It is taught as a second language (L2) at second level, to native (L1) speakers and learners (L2) alike.<ref name="autogenerated1">http://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/Publications/Languagesdiscussionpaper.pdf Language in the Post-Primary Curriculum, November 2003.</ref> English is offered as a first (L1) language only, even to those who speak it as a second language. The curriculum was reorganized in the 1930s by Father Timothy Corcoran SJ of [[University College Dublin|UCD]], who could not speak the language himself.<ref>Professor R. Comerford, ''Ireland'' (Hodder Books, London 2003) p145.</ref> The Irish Government has endeavoured to address the unpopularity of the language by revamping the curriculum at primary school level to focus on spoken Irish. However, at secondary school level, students must analyse literature and poetry, and write lengthy essays, debates and stories in Irish for the (L2) [[Leaving Certificate]] examination. The exemption from learning Irish on the grounds of time spent abroad, or learning disability, is subject to Circular 12/96 (primary education) and Circular M10/94 (secondary education) issued by the [[Department of Education and Science (Ireland)|Department of Education and Science]].

In March 2007, the Minister for Education, [[Mary Hanafin]], announced that more focus would be devoted to the spoken language, and that from 2012, the percentage of marks available in the Leaving Certificate Irish exam would increase from 25% to 40% for the oral component.<ref>Department of Education & Science, 11 March 2007, [http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?maincat=10861&pcategory=10861&ecategory=10876&sectionpage=13637&language=EN&link=link001&page=1&doc=34715 Minister Hanafin announces increase in marks for Oral Irish to 40% in exams]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref> This increased emphasis on the oral component of the Irish examinations is likely to change the way Irish is examined.<ref>''Independent'', 12 July 2007. [http://www.independent.ie/national-news/pupils-lap-up-hitech-learning-of-irish-997015.html Pupils lap up hi-tech learning of Irish]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref><ref>Learnosity, [http://www.learnosity.com/go/client-ncca-ireland National Council for Curriculum and Assessment: Ireland]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref>

Recently the abolition of compulsory Irish has been discussed. In 2005 [[Enda Kenny]], leader of Ireland's main opposition party, [[Fine Gael]], called for the language to be made an optional subject in the last two years of secondary school. Mr Kenny, despite being a fluent speaker himself (and a teacher), stated that he believed that compulsory Irish has done the language more harm than good.

===== Gaelscoileanna =====
A relatively recent development is the proliferation of ''[[gaelscoil]]eanna'' (schools) in which Irish is the medium of education. By September 2005 there were 168 gaelscoileanna at primary level and 43 at secondary level in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland together (excluding the Gaeltacht, whose schools are not considered gaelscoileanna), which amounted to approximately 31,000 students. This has grown from a total of less than 20 in the early 1970s and there are 15 more being planned at present. With the opening of Gaelscoil Liatroma in [[County Leitrim]] in 2005 there is now at least one gaelscoil in each of the 32 traditional counties of Ireland. In Gaeltacht areas, the medium of education has been traditionally through Irish, ever since the foundation of the State. The majority of Gaeltacht students tend to be L1 Irish Gaelic speakers, but even in the Gaeltacht areas the language is taught as an L2 language whilst English is taught as an L1 language.
Professor David Little has commented:
''"..the needs of Irish as L1 at post-primary level have been totally ignored, as at present there is no recognition in terms of curriculum and syllabus of any linguistic difference between learners of Irish as L1 and L2."''<ref name="autogenerated1" />
The Irish Equality Authority recently questioned the official State practice of awarding 5-10% extra marks to students who take some of their examinations through Irish.<ref>{{cite press release
|url=http://www.equality.ie/index.asp?locID=135&docID=598
|title=Landmark Decision for Leaving Certificate Students with Dyslexia
|date=22 November 2006
|publisher=The Equality Authority
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

The [[Royal Irish Academy]]'s 2006 conference on "Language Policy and Language Planning in Ireland" found that the study of Irish and other languages is declining in Ireland. The number of schoolchildren studying "higher level" Irish for the [[Leaving Certificate]] dropped from 15,719 in 2001 to 14,358 in 2005. To reverse this decline, it was recommended that training and living for a time in a Gaeltacht area should be "compulsory" for teachers of Irish.<ref>[http://www.ria.ie/committees/pdfs/modlang/language_policy&planning.pdf 2006 RIA language conference report]</ref>

Although the Gaeltacht is defined as an entirely Irish-language speaking area, the Irish government also pays families living in the Gaeltacht areas with school-age children to speak Irish. These are inspected and graded according to ability. In the 2006-07 school year, 2,216 families received the full grant of €260 p.a., 937 families received a reduced grant and 225 families did not meet the criteria. This payment scheme is called ''Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge'', the first example in Europe where citizens are paid to speak their first official language.<ref>Irish Independent, 20 November 2007, page 11</ref>

===== Irish colleges =====
Supplementing the formal curriculum, and after the end of the primary (usually from 4th class onwards) and secondary school years, some pupils attend an "Irish college". These programmes are residential Irish language summer courses, and give students the opportunity to be immersed in the language, usually for periods of three weeks over the summer months. Some courses are college based while others are based with host families in [[Gaeltacht]] areas under the guidance of a ''[[bean an tí]]''. Students attend classes, participate in sports, art, drama, music, go to ''[[céilidh|céilithe]]'' and other [[summer camp]] activities through the medium of Irish. As with the conventional school set-up The Department of Education establishes the boundaries for class size and qualifications required by teachers.

=== Northern Ireland ===<!-- This section is linked from [[Ulster Scots language]] -->
{{main|Irish language in Northern Ireland}}
[[File:Irish language medium school sign Newry.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Sign at Irish-medium primary school in [[Newry]]]]
As in the Republic, the Irish language is a [[minority language]] in Northern Ireland, known in Irish as {{lang|ga|''Tuaisceart Éireann''}}.

Attitudes towards the language in Northern Ireland have traditionally reflected the political differences between its two divided communities. The language has been regarded with suspicion by [[Unionists (Ireland)|Unionists]], who have associated it with the Roman Catholic-majority Republic, and more recently, with the [[Irish republicanism|Republican]] movement in Northern Ireland itself. Erection of public street signs in Irish were effectively banned under laws by the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]], which stated that only English could be used. Many republicans in Northern Ireland, including [[Sinn Féin]] President [[Gerry Adams]], learned Irish while in prison, a development known as the ''jailtacht.''<ref>Allen Feldman. ''Formations of Violence: The Narrative of the Body and Political Terror in Northern Ireland.''U of Chicago P, 1991. Chapter 3.</ref> Although the language was taught in Catholic secondary schools (especially by the [[Congregation of Christian Brothers|Christian Brothers]]), it was not taught at all in the controlled sector, which is mostly attended by Protestant pupils. Irish-medium schools, however, known as ''[[gaelscoil]]eanna'', were founded in [[Belfast]] and [[Derry]], and an Irish-language newspaper called ''[[Lá Nua]]'' ("New Day") was established in Belfast. [[BBC Radio Ulster]] began broadcasting a nightly half-hour programme in Irish in the early 1980s called ''Blas'' ("taste, accent"), and [[BBC Northern Ireland]] also showed its first TV programme in the language in the early 1990s.

The ''[[Ultach Trust]]'' was established with a view to broadening the appeal of the language among Protestants, although [[Democratic Unionist Party|DUP]] politicians like [[Sammy Wilson]] ridiculed it as a "[[leprechaun]] language".<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2003/feb6_fear_of_irish__JCollins.php
|title=Unionist fear of Irish must be overcome
|publisher=newshound.com, quoting Irish News
|date=6 February 2003
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>
[[Ulster Scots language|Ulster-Scots]], promoted by many [[Ulster loyalism|loyalists]], was, in turn, ridiculed by nationalists (and even some [[Unionism (Ireland)|Unionists]]) as "a [[Do it yourself|DIY]] language for [[Orange Institution|Orangemen]]".<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2002/nov15_ulster_scots_rich_heritage.php
|title=The rich heritage of Ulster Scots culture
|publisher=newshound.com, quoting Irish News
|date=16 November 2002
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>
According to recent statistics, there is no significant difference between the number of Catholic and Protestant speakers of Ulster-Scots in Ulster, although those involved in promoting Ulster-Scots as a language are almost always unionist.{{Fact|date=January 2009}} Ulster-Scots is defined in legislation (The North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) Northern Ireland Order 1999) as: ''the variety of the Scots language which has traditionally been used in parts of Northern Ireland and in Donegal in Ireland.''<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050514210600/http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Local_and_regional_Democracy/Regional_or_Minority_languages/Documentation/1_Periodical_reports/2002_5e_MIN-LANG_PR_UK.asp
|title=Initial Periodical Report by the United Kingdom presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter
|date=1 July 2002
|publisher=Council of Europe, Legal Affairs Office
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}(internet archive copy as of 14 May 2005)</ref>

Irish received official recognition in Northern Ireland for the first time in 1998 under the [[Belfast Agreement|Good Friday Agreement]]. A cross-border body known as ''[[Foras na Gaeilge]]'' was established to promote the language in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, taking over the functions of the previous Republic-only {{lang|ga|''Bord na Gaeilge''}}.

[[File:Ascaill Naomh Pádraigcrop.jpeg|thumb|200px|right|Bilingual (Irish/English) street sign in Newry, [[Co. Down]].]]
In 2001, the British government ratified the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] in respect to Irish in Northern Ireland.

The Good Friday Agreement's provisions on "parity of esteem" have been used to give the language an official status there. In March 2005, the Irish-language TV service [[TG4]] began broadcasting from the Divis transmitter near Belfast, as a result of an agreement between the [[Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)|Department of Foreign Affairs]] and the [[Northern Ireland Office]], although so far this is the only transmitter to carry it.

[[Belfast City Council]] has designated the Falls Road area (from Milltown Cemetery to Divis Street) as the Gaeltacht Quarter of Belfast, one of the four cultural quarters of the city. There is a growing number of Irish-medium schools throughout Northern Ireland (see picture above).

Under the [[St Andrews Agreement]], the UK Government committed to introduce an Irish Language Act. Although a consultation document on the matter was published in 2007, the restoration of devolved government by the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] later that year meant that responsibility for language transferred from London to Belfast. In October 2007, the then [[Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure|Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure]], [[Edwin Poots|Edwin Poots MLA]] announced to the Assembly that he did not intend to bring forward an Irish language Bill.

=== Outside Ireland ===
[[File:Irish Gaelic USC2000 PHS.svg|thumb|200px|right|The language spread of Irish in the [[United States]] according to U. S. Census 2000 and other resources interpreted by research of U.S. English Foundation, percentage of home speakers.]]

An interest in the Irish language is maintained throughout the English-speaking world among the [[Irish diaspora]] and there are active Irish language groups in North American, British, and Australian cities. In Australia, a network of people have established special Irish schools around the country teaching the language and music.

The Irish language emigrated to North America along with the Irish people. Although Irish is one of the smaller European languages spoken in North America, it has cultural importance in the northeast United States and in [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], and according to the 2000 Census, approximately 26,000 people in the U.S. speak Irish at home.<ref>MLA Language Map Data Center, [http://www.mla.org/map_data_states&mode=lang_tops&lang_id=635 Irish Gaelic]. Retrieved on 22 July 2007</ref>

The Irish language came to Newfoundland in the late 1600s and was commonly spoken among the [[Newfoundland Irish]] until the middle of the 20th century. Today it remains the only place outside of Europe that can claim a unique Irish name (''Talamh an Éisc'', ''meaning Land of the Fish''). In 2007 a number of Canadian speakers founded the first officially designated "Gaeltacht" outside of Ireland in an area near [[Kingston, Ontario]] (see main article [[Permanent North American Gaeltacht]]). Despite being called a Gaeltacht, the area has no permanent inhabitants. The site (named ''Gaeltacht Bhaile na hÉireann'') is located in [[Tamworth, Ontario]] and is to be a retreat centre for Irish-speaking Canadians and Americans.<ref>Gaelport, [http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=1750&viewby=date Irish at home in Canada], 17 February 2007</ref><ref>Gaelport, [http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=1661&viewby=date First Gaeltacht abroad planned for Canada], 23 January 2007</ref>

The Irish language reached Australia in 1788, along with English. In the early colonial period, Irish was seen as an opposition language used by convicts and repressed by the colonial authorities.<ref>Cumann Gaeilge na hAstráile. [http://www.gaeilgesanastrail.com/docs/history.php The Irish Language in Australia]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref> Although the Irish were a greater proportion of the European population than in any other British colony, the use of the language quickly declined. As legal barriers to the integration of the Irish and their descendants into Australian life were progressively removed, English became the language of social advancement. The 2001 census revealed that there are 828 speakers of the language in the country.<ref>[http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/WAPeople%5CSect1%5CTable%201p04%20Aust.pdf "Languages Spoken At Home"] from Australian Governament ''Office of Multicultural Interests'' website. Retrieved 27 December 2007</ref> The Department of Celtic Studies at the [[University of Sydney]] offers courses in both [[Modern Irish]] linguistics as well as [[Old Irish]]. <ref>http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/celticstudies/index.php?page=undergraduate_uos</ref>

In May 2007, the [[University of Cambridge]] in Great Britain started offering courses in Modern Irish in addition to [[Medieval Irish]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=308690&rss=rss2
|title=Irish becomes subject at Cambridge University
|date=5 January 2007
|publisher=BreakingNews.ie
|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

Many Australian [[slang]] words are Irish-derived and there are arguments that [[Australian English]] is more influenced by Irish than other varieties of English. There is a small movement to re-establish the language in contemporary Australia.<ref>Transcript of ''Lingua Franca'' of 26 September 1998, [http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/articles/irish.html Why Learn Irish?]. Retrieved on 13 October 2007.</ref> The [[Special Broadcasting Service]] transmits Irish language radio and television.

== Future ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2008}}
In 2008, the Irish government launched a national survey entitled ''[[Plean2028]]'' asking people for their suggestions on how best to advance the state of the Irish language in areas such as education, media, government, status etc.

Some suggestions made have been:
# The creation of a [[Gaeltacht Quarter]] in [[Dublin]]
# The introduction of an optional 6 month Gaeltacht work experience for [[Transition Year]] students in secondary school.
# The creation of a national young persons' radio station in the language.
# The introduction of statutory naming committees at council level to name new residential developments where the use of Irish names would be encouraged although not compulsory unless local councils voted to name all of their new residential developments in Irish as in Galway City Council and Shannon Town Council.

== See also ==
* [[Béarlachas]]
* [[Cumann Gaelach]]
* [[Gaelic Revival]]
* [[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]
* [[Differences between Scottish Gaelic and Irish]]
* [[Hiberno-Latin]], a variety of [[Medieval Latin]] used in Irish monasteries. It included Greek, Hebrew and Celtic neologisms.
* [[Irish name]]
* [[Irish words used in the English language]]
* [[Language Freedom Movement]]
* [[List of artists who have released Irish language songs]]
* [[List of Celtic language media]]
* [[List of English words of Irish origin]]
* [[List of Ireland-related topics]]
* [[List of Irish-Gaelic television channels]]
* [[List of Irish language media]]
* [[List of television channels in Celtic languages]]
* [[Place names in Irish]]
* [[Modern literature in Irish]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{InterWiki|code=ga}}
{{Wiktionary|Gaeilge}}
{{Wikibooks|Irish}}
{{Wikisourcelang|Gaeilge|Main Page:Gaeilge|Irish language}}
{{commonscat}}

=== General ===
* [http://www.bci.ie/documents/jan05e.pdf BCI: Irish language media stats]
* [http://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/default1.asp?lang=en Foras na Gaeilge - Official promotional body for the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland]
* [http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/english.html Gaeilge ar an ghréasán Irish online resources]
* [http://www.gael-taca.com 'Gael-Taca (Corcaigh)']
* {{ethnologue|code=gle|label=Irish Gaelic}}
* "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/irish/blas/learners/ Learning Irish?]," ''[[BBC]]''
* "[http://www.talkirish.com/ Social Network for learners, teachers and speakers],"

=== Grammar and pronunciation ===
* [[s:en:A dialect of Donegal|''A dialect of Donegal'']] (a phonological description of the dialect of [[Glenties]] by E.&nbsp;C. Quiggin, from 1906)
* [http://www.nagaeilmagazine.com/pronunciation/introduction.htm An Gael Magazine] - Irish Gaelic Arts, Culture, And History Alive Worldwide Today
* [http://www.miejipang-jpn2.net/untitled3.html A short Irish and Breton phrase list with Japanese translation(Renewal)] incl sound file
* [http://nualeargais.ie/gnag/gram.htm Braesicke's Gramadach na Gaeilge (Engl. translation)]
* {{de icon}} ''[[s:de:Die araner mundart|Die araner mundart]]'' (a phonological description of the dialect of the [[Aran Islands]] by F.&nbsp;N. Finck, from 1899)

=== Dictionaries ===
* [http://acmhainn.ie/ Acmhainn.ie - Dictionary and terminology resource]
* [http://www.irishdictionary.org/ Collaborative Irish dictionary]
* [http://www.focal.ie/Home.aspx ''Foclóir Téarmaíochta'', a large terminology database developed by FIONTAR, DCU]
* [http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/search.html General Gaelic Dictionaries]
* [http://www.englishirishdictionary.com/ Online English-Irish dictionary]
* [http://www.talkirish.com/dictionary Irish-English Audio/Image dictionary]

{{Irish linguistics|state=expanded}}
{{Official EU languages}}
{{Celtic languages}}
{{Celtic nations|state=autocollapse}}

[[Category:Irish language| ]]
[[Category:Goidelic languages]]
[[Category:Junior Certificate subjects]]
[[Category:Languages of Ireland]]
[[Category:Languages of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Endangered Indo-European languages]]

[[af:Iers-Gaelies]]
[[ang:Īrisc sprǣc]]
[[ar:لغة أيرلندية]]
[[an:Idioma irlandés]]
[[frp:Gaèlico irlandês]]
[[ast:Irlandés]]
[[az:İrland dili]]
[[bn:আইরিশ ভাষা]]
[[bs:Irski jezik]]
[[br:Iwerzhoneg]]
[[bg:Ирландски език]]
[[ca:Gaèlic irlandès]]
[[cs:Irština]]
[[cy:Gwyddeleg]]
[[da:Irsk (sprog)]]
[[de:Irische Sprache]]
[[et:Iiri keel]]
[[el:Ιρλανδική γλώσσα]]
[[es:Idioma irlandés]]
[[eo:Irlanda lingvo]]
[[eu:Gaelera]]
[[fa:زبان ایرلندی]]
[[fo:Írskt (mál)]]
[[fr:Irlandais]]
[[fur:Lenghe irlandese]]
[[ga:Gaeilge]]
[[gv:Yernish]]
[[gd:Gàidhlig na h-Èireann]]
[[gl:Lingua irlandesa]]
[[xal:Эйринмудн келн]]
[[ko:아일랜드어]]
[[hsb:Iršćina]]
[[hr:Irski jezik]]
[[io:Gaelana linguo]]
[[id:Bahasa Irlandia]]
[[os:Ирландиаг æвзаг]]
[[is:Írska]]
[[it:Lingua irlandese]]
[[he:אירית]]
[[kw:Iwerdhonek]]
[[ku:Îrî]]
[[la:Lingua Hibernica]]
[[lv:Īru valoda]]
[[lt:Airių kalba]]
[[lij:Lengua irlandeise]]
[[li:Iers]]
[[lmo:Irlandés]]
[[hu:Ír nyelv]]
[[mk:Ирски јазик]]
[[nl:Iers]]
[[nds-nl:Iers]]
[[ja:アイルランド語]]
[[no:Irsk]]
[[nn:Irsk språk]]
[[nrm:Irlandais]]
[[oc:Irlandés]]
[[pms:Lenga irlandèisa]]
[[tpi:Tok Aialan]]
[[pl:Język irlandzki]]
[[pt:Língua irlandesa]]
[[ro:Limba irlandeză]]
[[rm:Lingua irlandaisa]]
[[qu:Ilanda simi]]
[[ru:Ирландский язык]]
[[se:Iirragiella]]
[[sc:Gaelicu Irlandiesu]]
[[sco:Erse leid]]
[[sq:Gjuha irlandeze]]
[[simple:Irish language]]
[[sk:Írčina]]
[[sl:Irska gelščina]]
[[sr:Ирски језик]]
[[sh:Irski jezik]]
[[fi:Iiri]]
[[sv:Iriska]]
[[tl:Wikang Irlandes]]
[[kab:Tirlandit]]
[[tg:Забони ирландӣ]]
[[tr:İrlandaca]]
[[uk:Ірландська мова]]
[[ug:ئرېلاندىيە تىلى]]
[[vec:Łéngua irlandexe]]
[[yi:איריש]]
[[zh:愛爾蘭語]]

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