by Lauren Nemec
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! Saint Patrick’s Day blessing upon you! The recent Irish holiday, which fell on Saturday, March 17th, has inspired me to write a profile on the Irish language. Also an inspiration for this entry is a recent business trip I made to Ireland. As Irish is a language that Translatus has not yet had the opportunity to work with, I am not too familiar with it and was excited to learn more about it!
A Cork cab driver was happy to answer my many questions about the language on our journey to the airport for my trip back to Prague, though first I had to convince him I am not Irish. He exclaimed, “You’re foxy-haired! When you came to the cab I thought you were Irish!” before jumping into a lively conversation about his native tongue. Also contributing to my Irish education is Folklorist and Curator of the Church of St. Anne Shandon- Declan Kelly (who requested my rendition of "Deep in the Heart of Texas" before allowing me to ring the Bells of Shandon).
Irish (also known as Irish Gaelic or sometimes just Gaelic) is the first official language of Ireland and one of the 23 official languages of the European Union, though only a small percentage of Irish citizens are native or fluent speakers. Out of a population of about 4 million people in the Republic of Ireland, there are only an estimated 380,000 fluent speakers of Irish.
My taxi driver explained that children in Ireland learn Irish throughout their education, and are often taught their basic courses, such as mathematics, science, literature, etc., entirely in Irish. Compulsory study of the Irish language ends once students reach university level. Recent discussions have called to abolish the requirement of Irish study in primary and secondary schools, though many Irish people oppose the idea.
For the most part, Irish is not spoken in cities and families do not speak Irish together in their homes, though Irish colloquial phrases are used frequently in every day life by speakers of all proficiency levels. The only places in Ireland where Irish is actively spoken would be in the “Gaeltacht” (literally "Irish-speaking regions"). These regions are few and far between, with a total population of about 85,000.
Despite the prevalence of the English language, Ireland’s second official language, Irish-speakers are able to watch television in Irish, listen to the radio in Irish, and read newspapers and magazines in Irish. Road signs in Ireland are written in both English and Irish. Signs in any Tesco can guide you to Cúram Gruaige (hair care products). And for those who actually read that kind of thing, legislation and other important documents of Ireland and the EU are translated into the Irish language.
Most signs I saw in Cork were written in English and Irish, like this sign at the airport.
As we neared the airport, the taxi driver expressed his great regret (a feeling which I believe many Irish share) that the language is disappearing. The Irish government has made efforts to preserve the Irish language, though most see them as half-hearted and ineffective attempts that work only until the funding runs out. What keeps the language alive today are those few speakers in the Gaeltacht areas. I certainly hope that the Irish will preserve their native tongue for generations to come. After all, it is such a beautiful language.
Slán agus beannacht leat!
Goodbye and blessings on you!
For more information about Translatus, please contact:
Lauren Nemec
Marketing Manager
Email: lnemec@translatus.com
Tel: +420 222 517 153
www.translatus.comLabels: Culture, Ireland, Language Profiles, Lauren Nemec
