Irish Language Revival
Table of Contents
TogglePre-Independence
The latter part of the 19th century saw the so-called Gaelic revival, which included the revival of Gaelic sports and the establishment of the Gaelic League. This was part of the overall political nationalist movement towards Home Rule and, later, independence.
The revolutionary government of Sinn Féin from 1919 to 1922 sought to prioritise Irish. The proceedings of the first Dáil in January 1919 were conducted in Irish to a significant extent. A Ministry for the National Language was established with responsibility for education in the Irish-speaking districts.
The 1922 Provisional Government was proclaimed in Irish, and the various ministries retained their Irish names. A translation service was established within the Oireachtas to translate legislative material and other official documentation.
Free State
The 1922 Constitution recognised Irish as the national language, with equal recognition given to English as an official language. The Constitution contemplated that special provision be made by Parliament for districts or areas in which only one language was in general use.
Under the Irish Free State Constitution, Irish was recognised as the national language, along with English.
The Intermediate Education Act 1924 abolished the “payments by results” system. It provided that any school seeking state funding must offer approved courses in two languages, one of which was either English or Irish. Grants incentivised the teaching of Irish, with the highest ranking going to schools teaching several subjects through Irish. In 1925, a pass in Irish at intermediate level was made compulsory for overall passing, with additional marks allotted to answers written in Irish.
Law and Government
Solicitors were required to take a written examination in Irish. The Legal Practitioners Qualification Act 1929 required that a person could not be admitted as a barrister unless the Chief Justice was satisfied that he was competent in Irish. The relevant test was left to the Bar, and in practice, it was informal. Very few cases have actually been argued and heard through the medium of Irish.
Some knowledge of Irish was made compulsory for civil service positions, as well as for membership in the Gardaà and Army. Two-ninths of the marks were assigned to oral Irish in civil service examinations.
Primary Education
Before the establishment of the Irish Free State, the Commissioners for National Education had already begun making provisions for the teaching of Irish in Irish-speaking and bilingual areas. However, the primary purpose was to provide a basic education rather than to preserve the language.
In 1922, the Provisional Government ordered that the Irish language should be taught or used as a medium of instruction for no less than one hour a day in all national schools where there was a teacher competent to teach it.
The National Programme Conference was formed in 1922 with representatives from the education sector, government, and revivalist groups. Its programme was influential. It recommended that Irish should be taught as an obligatory subject unless the majority of parents objected.
Subject to this, it recommended that Irish be taught to all schoolchildren for at least an hour a day, and that certain subjects be taught only through Irish, including singing, history, and geography from third class upwards. Certain subjects had to be removed from the primary school curriculum, particularly drawing, elementary science, and nature study. The two grades of infant classes were to be taught through Irish, even if the child’s home language was English.
Teachers were assured by the Department of Education that they would not be penalised if they could not immediately implement the requirements of the programme. It would be phased in as teachers became able to implement it effectively. School inspectors and officials pressed for the programme’s implementation.
A second National Programme Conference was convened under political pressure in 1926. It backed away slightly from the first conference’s recommendations. It recommended that Irish be taught for only an hour a day in infant classes where the teacher was not fully competent.
However, it was contemplated that Irish would be introduced gradually as teachers became competent, so that all infant classes would eventually be taught in Irish. For parents who wished to have their children learn English, the language was to be taught in special classes outside regular hours.
At higher levels, Irish was to remain the language of instruction as a basic principle, where the teacher was competent. Two courses were prescribed, with a preference for the high Irish, low English option.
Fianna Fail Government
Following the change of government in 1932, further steps were taken to support language revival at the primary level. In return for greater emphasis on Irish, standards in other subjects were lowered.
Rural science disappeared as a subject, and the English language course in all national schools was reduced to the low English, high Irish level. Mathematics instruction was also reduced.
The Primary School Certificate, introduced in 1928, became compulsory in 1943. It emphasised the Irish language, with only Irish, English, and arithmetic being tested. There was favourable treatment for Irish-speaking children.
A grant of £2 per year was paid to parents of each child in an Irish-speaking district whose home language was Irish and who attended national schools.
The 1934 revised primary instruction programme remained in place until 1971. It sought to strengthen the existing policy on Irish by easing pressure on other parts of the curriculum.
The Department of Education established several boarding schools at secondary level as preparatory colleges for Irish-speaking individuals who wished to become primary school teachers. By 1931, a bilingual certificate was required to receive a training college diploma. Teachers in service were pressured to acquire competence in Irish. By 1935, all teachers under the age of 30 as of July 1922 were required to obtain an ordinary certificate of competence to teach Irish or face unfavourable salary increments.
Irish became a compulsory subject for the Intermediate Certificate in 1925 and for the Leaving Certificate in 1934. The scoring system encouraged Irish over English by awarding more points for Irish and offering bonus points for non-linguistic subjects answered in Irish.
Second & Third Level
All secondary school subjects receiving state funding from 1927 were required to teach Irish. In 1932, all pupils were obliged to take the subject in order for the school to receive grants from the Department of Education. Financial bonuses were offered to schools that taught courses wholly or entirely through Irish. The government provided grants for summer courses and visits to Gaeltacht areas.
Preparatory colleges were second-level institutions that prepared candidates for civil service, GardaÃ, and professional entrance exams through the medium of Irish. This included the Church of Ireland preparatory college, Coláiste MobhÃ. Due to an earlier movement within the Church of Ireland, there were adequate numbers to staff the Church of Ireland training college at Kildare Place.
Within five years, the proportion of teachers able to teach bilingually had risen from 10% to 50%. By 1932, three-quarters of national teachers were qualified to teach Irish, and more than 99% of schools were teaching Irish.
Irish had been made a compulsory subject for matriculation in the NUI Colleges in 1913. Funds were made available to the universities to encourage the Gaelicisation of certain activities.
Under 1929 legislation, UCD was given a special role in language promotion. The college was required to give preference to those who were competent to undertake their duties in Irish.
Gaeltacht
The Gaeltacht Irish-speaking areas were given certain educational advantages. In 1925, a commission was established on the Gaeltacht. A report was presented in 1926, proposing that areas with more than 80% Irish-speaking populations be deemed “FÃor-Ghaeltacht,” while areas with between 25% and 79% be deemed “Breac-Ghaeltacht.”
The Commission estimated that approximately 200,000 people resided in both types of Gaeltacht. It made recommendations under various headings, including the use of Irish in administration, economic policy, and educational facilities.
In 1927, a White Paper was published based on the commission’s report. Some of the more extreme proposals were dropped. The Congested Districts Board had been dissolved in 1923, and the report recommended some elements of a specialist department or body for the Gaeltacht regions. Land reclamation, drainage, and development were among the measures recommended to secure viability for smallholdings in Gaeltacht areas.
The Executive Council proposed establishing a Ministry for the Gaeltacht to ensure cooperation and coherence in policy between departments with Gaeltacht-related responsibilities.
The Land Commission took over the functions of the Congested Districts Board and undertook certain reclamation and drainage schemes. The Land Commission focused a high percentage of its funds for land improvement on the Gaeltacht counties along the western seaboard.
In the 1930s, the Gaeltacht Commission’s recommendations to relieve congestion in western counties by relocation and resettlement in eastern counties were promoted by the Land Commission. Several areas and estates of approximately 500 to 1,000 acres were acquired in County Meath and divided into 20-acre holdings. These were made available to migrants from the Gaeltacht who surrendered their properties within the Gaeltacht. A dwelling house, outhouses, and agricultural facilities were built, along with other incentives, including a school.
The first area was Rath Cairn in County Meath, followed by Gibstown and Kilbride. Families from Galway, Kerry, West Cork, Mayo, and Donegal resettled in these areas. The communities remained relatively intact and preserved their linguistic and cultural heritage.
Economic Development
The Department of Agriculture sponsored initiatives in Gaeltacht areas in line with the Gaeltacht Commission’s report and recommendations. It provided a number of schemes of assistance, including loans and grants for livestock and equipment, as well as enhanced agricultural advisory coverage.
The white paper recommended measures to support manufacturing and processing within Gaeltacht areas. The Congested Districts Board had promoted industry on the western seaboard, successfully developing textile and fishing-based industries.
When the Congested Districts Board was dissolved in 1923, its Rural Industries section was transferred to the Department of Fisheries rather than to Industry and Commerce. It focused on training workers to elementary levels in specific industries rather than creating enterprises.
Geltacht Industries
Údarás na Gaeltachta was founded in 1980, replacing the Gaeltacht Services Department, with a mandate to promote the economic, social, and cultural development of the Gaeltacht. Údarás was given authority to support enterprises, particularly those that could operate through Irish. It was empowered to provide grants and aid for business creation, aiming to retain residents in Gaeltacht areas and create opportunities in traditionally underdeveloped regions. Údarás also supported language-based tourism, arts initiatives, and cultural events, reinforcing the Gaeltacht as a place of linguistic and cultural heritage.
Since the late 20th century, there has been an emphasis on supporting local enterprises rather than solely seeking external investments. This includes facilitating local business initiatives and developing small-scale industries, particularly those that align with the linguistic and cultural priorities of the region. The role of Údarás in the Gaeltacht remains central to fostering a sustainable economic environment that is compatible with cultural preservation.
Gaeltacht policies continue to emphasise the preservation and promotion of the Irish language, including education initiatives and community support schemes to maintain Irish as a living language in Gaeltacht communities. Today, language planning efforts focus on creating environments where Irish can be naturally transmitted to younger generations, reflecting a refined approach that prioritises linguistic vitality over solely economic or educational goals.
Twenty-First Century
Irish remains a compulsory subject in primary and secondary education and is a requirement for most public sector employment. The National University of Ireland continues to require Irish for matriculation, with some exemptions available.
Government policy has generally supported Irish-medium schools, particularly in Gaeltacht areas, though their prevalence remains limited outside these regions. In recent years, interest in immersion education has grown, with Irish-medium schools (Gaelscoileanna) established in various parts of the country.
Despite these initiatives, challenges remain in revitalising Irish as a daily spoken language outside designated Gaeltacht areas. Urbanisation, emigration, and changing societal trends have impacted linguistic transmission in Gaeltacht regions. Modern policies are increasingly geared toward providing linguistic support within communities and families, recognising that educational institutions alone cannot sustain the language as a community vernacular.
Today, the Irish language is taught as part of the curriculum in all schools, with government support for initiatives promoting its use in both educational and community settings. Language planning initiatives now aim to support Irish in practical, everyday contexts, recognising that community and family transmission are crucial for its survival as a living language.
The evolution of language policy in Ireland reflects changing perspectives on the role of the Irish language in modern society. From its early status as a nationalist symbol to its current position as a valued cultural heritage, Irish has moved beyond political ideology to become a recognised element of national identity.
Efforts to sustain the language continue, now grounded in realistic assessments of linguistic vitality and community involvement. Irish remains integral to Ireland’s identity, with both government and local initiatives striving to secure its future for generations to come.