Language Ethnicity and the State Minority Languages in

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Language, Ethnicity, and the State: Minority Languages in the EU Ch 5: Irish Language,

Language, Ethnicity, and the State: Minority Languages in the EU Ch 5: Irish Language, Irish Identity By Camille C. O’Reilly

Introduction • Irish was sole language until 1169 Anglo-Norman invasion • Irish was dominant

Introduction • Irish was sole language until 1169 Anglo-Norman invasion • Irish was dominant language until 1601 defeat Battle of Kinsale -- after that English was enforced and Irish went into decline, Irish speakers economically & socially marginalized • Late 18 th-19 th c Celtic revival focused mainly on history -did not promote language use • 1845 -49 famine and emigration disproportionately affected Irish speakers • Irish language justified identification of Irish nation, but this relationship developed differently north vs. south

The Republic of Ireland (South) • Partition 1922 • Post-partition South: Irish is “national”

The Republic of Ireland (South) • Partition 1922 • Post-partition South: Irish is “national” language, English is an official language • 1920 s-30 s language strategy for the impoverished 16% of Ireland where Irish was still spoken: 1) economic development, 2) revival strategy for other 84%, 3) use Irish in public service, 4) modernize and standardize Irish

The Republic of Ireland, cont’d. • 1922 -1948 -- pursuit of 4 points (above)

The Republic of Ireland, cont’d. • 1922 -1948 -- pursuit of 4 points (above) to support nationalist ideology • 1948 -1970 -- stagnation and decline in public support for state policy • 1970 -present -- benign neglect, language maintenance only, not revival

The Republic of Ireland, cont’d. • Public opinion – Strong association between language and

The Republic of Ireland, cont’d. • Public opinion – Strong association between language and identity, but this does not correlate with use – Even most positive language users are pessimistic about its future – Antipathy toward language/nationalism due to violence in North • However, Irish-medium schools are growing

Northern Ireland: revival & opposition • N Ireland is part of UK, a primarily

Northern Ireland: revival & opposition • N Ireland is part of UK, a primarily Protestant state with an Irish Catholic minority (1/3) population • Learning/speaking Irish has political implications for Irish nationalism in opposition to British identity

Northern Ireland: revival & opposition, cont’d. • 1922 -1972 -- Anti-Irish state, where Irish

Northern Ireland: revival & opposition, cont’d. • 1922 -1972 -- Anti-Irish state, where Irish is a foreign language (treated like German, French in schools, and its teaching has been gradually restricted more and more), banned from BBC • 1970 s-present -- number of Irish-medium schools has been growing, language revival activity in Belfast: newspaper, theater, café, newspaper, development of employment opportunities for Irish speakers

Northern Ireland: revival & opposition, cont’d. • Irish people have very different political agendas,

Northern Ireland: revival & opposition, cont’d. • Irish people have very different political agendas, but agree on the importance of the Irish language • Irish language provides a non-violent venue for asserting Irish identity, which is becoming more accepted in N. Ireland

Irish language, Irish identity • Notions of Irish identity and its link to language

Irish language, Irish identity • Notions of Irish identity and its link to language have changed over time and are different in North and South • Both North and South have a variety of discourses (ideological directions) – North: decolonizing vs. cultural discourse vs. rights discourse – South: national language discourse, cultural discourse, minority language discourse, dead language discourse

Irish language, Irish identity, cont’d. • Northern discourses: – decolonizing -- focuses on political

Irish language, Irish identity, cont’d. • Northern discourses: – decolonizing -- focuses on political (and cultural) independence, Sinn Fein, aggressive nationalism – cultural -- the language has inherent value for its beauty and uniqueness, interest in history, songs, literature – rights discourse -- language is part of human rights, Irish language is “multipoliticized”

Irish language, Irish identity, cont’d. • Southern discourses: – national language -- emphasis on

Irish language, Irish identity, cont’d. • Southern discourses: – national language -- emphasis on pride for one’s own language, overcoming insecurity about Irish identity – cultural discourse (similar to North) – minority language (similar to rights) -- Irish language seeks parity of esteem with other regional languages of Europe, gov’t has responsibility to support minority language – dead language -- Irish cannot be fully revived, is not as useful in the EU, and represents extreme nationalism

Irish language, Irish identity, cont’d. • North -- language is part of a political

Irish language, Irish identity, cont’d. • North -- language is part of a political identity that sets Irish apart from British in the face of British economic and cultural hegemony • South -- Irish suffer from an inferiority complex which they would like to overcome

Irish identity, Irish language & EU • Republic of Ireland -- gov’t officials would

Irish identity, Irish language & EU • Republic of Ireland -- gov’t officials would rather pass responsibility on to EU, but this is unlikely to provide significant change, and public fears EU will contribute to loss of Irish -- desire to revive Irish so that it can be one of the languages of the EU, part of that pluralism > Europeanism • Northern Ireland -- EU membership has helped Irish, despite British reluctance to sign Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (signed 2000), increased association of language with Irish identity > nationalism