In the lead up to the struggle for independence, we begin to see a revival of the language. With waves of emigration in the 1800s, especially during the famine, English became a useful language. The population became less resistant to loss of our native language. With increasing British influence, English became more economically beneficial to the people of Ireland. Gaelic also spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man, and similar forms still exist there today. It became more recognizable as the language we know today. This then developed into the Latin alphabet once Christianity came to the island. Ogham was an alphabet made up of a series of strokes and lines. The first records of it's use was around 400AD in Ogham inscriptions carved into standing stones. The use of the Irish language really only began go into decline in the 18 th century under British rule and discouraged its use.įor thousands of years before that, Irish was the only language spoken in Ireland. When you consider the length of time Ireland has been inhabited (some ten thousand years or so), the adoption of English is a relatively recent development. So below we've shared just a small sample of our favourites! The Irish Language We use many of these Irish terms of endearment on our handcrafted Handcrafted Irish Jewelry here at Claddagh Design. It offers many beautiful phrases and words to express love, compassion, and friendship. It's a unique and very romantic language. All state literature and ceremonies are conducted in both Irish and English, and the national anthem is in Irish too. If you travel anywhere in Ireland, you'll find road signs are written in Irish and English. There is also an Irish-language television channel and radio. While English is the primary and first language for the majority of the island, there are still some small areas that speak Irish exclusively. English and Irish, or Gaelic (and Gaeilge) as it is also known. People are often surprised to find that Ireland actually has two national languages.

How to you pronounce claddagh