Comments on: Statistics on the Gaeltacht and the Irish Language http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/ travel & accommodation Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:45:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Russell http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-274 Russell Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:45:23 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-274 I'm very happy to have these statistics. I've been looking for them. Go raibh maith agat. I’m very happy to have these statistics. I’ve been looking for them. Go raibh maith agat.

]]> By: Saša http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-250 Saša Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:05:03 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-250 First, relax! Second, the person who wrote this is Slovene - me. The nation oppressed in one way or the other, in one part or all, by the Germans, Austrians, Hungarians, Italians, the Austro-Hungary and a nation voluntarily submitting to the melting pot of the ex-Yugoslavia and recently the EU and that's just in the living history. Yet we kept our language and everything that comes with it. It was from this perspective that I wrote that post and it is from this perspective, being a Slovenian, not English as you so sadly presuppose, that I perceive the Irish let the language slip through their hands. I will always believe that any history is complex as well as biased. It is an illusion to believe it is not. Simple example is one's own opinion of a certain country or peoples, but once you travel there or live there you see it's not all as it says in the books. If I am biased I am always Irish oriented. I would like to be impartial in this case, but I can't. However, at the same time as I'm feeling anger with the English for forcing their rule wherever they went I also feel angry for the Irish inability to sustain (whatever cause caused that inability - political strength, foreign rule, famine, you name it. I guess it's a vicious circle.) So lastly, I wish this blog could be in Irish and that I spoke more Irish than I do, maybe one day I will, but until then I hope this clears up your misinterpretation of my post. First, relax!
Second, the person who wrote this is Slovene – me. The nation oppressed in one way or the other, in one part or all, by the Germans, Austrians, Hungarians, Italians, the Austro-Hungary and a nation voluntarily submitting to the melting pot of the ex-Yugoslavia and recently the EU and that’s just in the living history. Yet we kept our language and everything that comes with it. It was from this perspective that I wrote that post and it is from this perspective, being a Slovenian, not English as you so sadly presuppose, that I perceive the Irish let the language slip through their hands.
I will always believe that any history is complex as well as biased. It is an illusion to believe it is not. Simple example is one’s own opinion of a certain country or peoples, but once you travel there or live there you see it’s not all as it says in the books.
If I am biased I am always Irish oriented. I would like to be impartial in this case, but I can’t. However, at the same time as I’m feeling anger with the English for forcing their rule wherever they went I also feel angry for the Irish inability to sustain (whatever cause caused that inability – political strength, foreign rule, famine, you name it. I guess it’s a vicious circle.)
So lastly, I wish this blog could be in Irish and that I spoke more Irish than I do, maybe one day I will, but until then I hope this clears up your misinterpretation of my post.

]]> By: Jeanette Faison http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-249 Jeanette Faison Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:20:25 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-249 Your facts are interesting up until you start talking about Irish Anglo history! You are obviously English. This is the only possible explanation for someone saying that the history between Ireland and England is "complex and biased". You WISH you could deny the murderous and brutal history of the ENglish in Ireland decimating the population by two thirds. We "let the Irish language slip through our hands"! Right! Go look up a history book and see how the Irish really lost their language. It was either speak English or die because they wanted to kill the Irish culture traditions and heritage. The Irish were a gentle people and when the Normans invaded as you said yourself they were on friendly terms with the natives. Pity you have to sully your whole webpage with this typical English "we did nothing" attitude. It's disgusting. Your facts are interesting up until you start talking about Irish Anglo history! You are obviously English. This is the only possible explanation for someone saying that the history between Ireland and England is “complex and biased”. You WISH you could deny the murderous and brutal history of the ENglish in Ireland decimating the population by two thirds. We “let the Irish language slip through our hands”! Right! Go look up a history book and see how the Irish really lost their language. It was either speak English or die because they wanted to kill the Irish culture traditions and heritage. The Irish were a gentle people and when the Normans invaded as you said yourself they were on friendly terms with the natives. Pity you have to sully your whole webpage with this typical English “we did nothing” attitude. It’s disgusting.

]]> By: Forcing students to learn Irish has failed, says Hayes - Page 42 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-225 Forcing students to learn Irish has failed, says Hayes - Page 42 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:43:16 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-225 [...] Statistics on the Gaeltacht and the Irish Language | Gaeltacht Travel in Ireland http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Dialog/Saveshow.asp Irish Examiner - 2007/10/05: One million (occasional) Irish speakers [...] [...] Statistics on the Gaeltacht and the Irish Language | Gaeltacht Travel in Ireland http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Dialog/Saveshow.asp Irish Examiner – 2007/10/05: One million (occasional) Irish speakers [...]

]]> By: Eogháin Ó'Dúiné http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-172 Eogháin Ó'Dúiné Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:40:57 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-172 I speak Irish on an almost fluent level and i am sad to see the dwindling amount of people who can actually be bothered to learn the language we should all be speaking... I know some people would disagree with me, but it is the mother tongue of our country and we must work together as a people to preserve it. I speak Irish on an almost fluent level and i am sad to see the dwindling amount of people who can actually be bothered to learn the language we should all be speaking… I know some people would disagree with me, but it is the mother tongue of our country and we must work together as a people to preserve it.

]]> By: mike http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-164 mike Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:31:39 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-164 Why not try to teach Irish to young kids in a way that they will actually want to use the language? Try to mimic what kids and young adults are actually interested in (pop culture, Internet, world news from a kid's slant, the most popular music groups, etc.) and teach Irish through those media. The same would go for teaching it to adults for that matter - for the adults, perhaps teach a practical skill (such as science, economics, electronics, computer science) through Irish. And don't just always focus on traditional Irish culture as the subject matter for the language - Irish must become internationalized, and transcend national borders, and become a language of interest and perhaps even prestige for foreign people. If the language manages to attract a critical mass of international people interested in learning and using it, then this will cause Ireland's people to want to learn and use it too. In this world of globalization, use of Irish cannot be limited to Ireland's borders. Why not try to teach Irish to young kids in a way that they will actually want to use the language? Try to mimic what kids and young adults are actually interested in (pop culture, Internet, world news from a kid’s slant, the most popular music groups, etc.) and teach Irish through those media. The same would go for teaching it to adults for that matter – for the adults, perhaps teach a practical skill (such as science, economics, electronics, computer science) through Irish. And don’t just always focus on traditional Irish culture as the subject matter for the language – Irish must become internationalized, and transcend national borders, and become a language of interest and perhaps even prestige for foreign people. If the language manages to attract a critical mass of international people interested in learning and using it, then this will cause Ireland’s people to want to learn and use it too. In this world of globalization, use of Irish cannot be limited to Ireland’s borders.

]]> By: Bernie http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Bernie Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:20:46 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-163 Irish received official recognition in Northern Ireland for the first time in 1998 under the 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 Bord na Gaeilge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language_in_Northern_Ireland Irish received official recognition in Northern Ireland for the first time in 1998 under the 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 Bord na Gaeilge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language_in_Northern_Ireland

]]> By: Saise http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Saise Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:47:49 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-159 "According to census figures from 2002, released by Central Statistics Office of Ireland (CSO, cso.ie), on the night of Sunday, 28 April 2002, there was 1,570,894 Irish speakers in the country as opposed to 2,180,101 Non-Irish speakers." Is the answers as to the source of data. "An Irish speaker is defined as a person who claims that they can speak Irish, but who do not necessarily use it in their daily life." Is the definition of the Irish speakers from the same source. “According to census figures from 2002, released by Central Statistics Office of Ireland (CSO, cso.ie), on the night of Sunday, 28 April 2002, there was 1,570,894 Irish speakers in the country as opposed to 2,180,101 Non-Irish speakers.”
Is the answers as to the source of data.

“An Irish speaker is defined as a person who claims that they can speak Irish, but who do not necessarily use it in their daily life.”
Is the definition of the Irish speakers from the same source.

]]> By: Colman Stephenson http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-158 Colman Stephenson Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:11:34 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-158 One data point is highly suspect. According to the bar chart, the 'Percentage of Irish Speakers in Ireland (State) increased by one-third: from 30% to 40% (10 percentage points) in a five-year period between 1991 and 1996. That is truly hard to believe and suggests that the definition of 'Irish Speaker' changed between the surveys. What is the source of the data. The Census? One data point is highly suspect.

According to the bar chart, the ‘Percentage of Irish Speakers in Ireland (State) increased by one-third: from 30% to 40% (10 percentage points) in a five-year period between 1991 and 1996.

That is truly hard to believe and suggests that the definition of ‘Irish Speaker’ changed between the surveys.

What is the source of the data. The Census?

]]> By: Michilín http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/gaeltacht-regions/statistics-on-the-gaeltacht-and-the-irish-language/comment-page-1/#comment-126 Michilín Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:20:41 +0000 http://www.gaeltachttravel.com/?p=100#comment-126 I am currently researching the importance of Gaeilge in today's society as I am a degree student in Irish and i am appalled to read such a comment about the Irish language being about "loyalty," the Irish language is a recognised language of the EU and as such the official langauge of Ireland, therefore one does have the legal right to request an civil or public service in Irish at any time. I personally do not live in a Gaelteacht area but I am fluent. Maybe those persons who are claiming that your websites statistics are incorrect should research further before commenting as a major part of the problem with individuals accepting Irish as a language and not a political weapon is lack of knowledge. This website is fantastic and has really helped with my research. Go raibh cead míle maith agaibh. I am currently researching the importance of Gaeilge in today’s society as I am a degree student in Irish and i am appalled to read such a comment about the Irish language being about “loyalty,” the Irish language is a recognised language of the EU and as such the official langauge of Ireland, therefore one does have the legal right to request an civil or public service in Irish at any time. I personally do not live in a Gaelteacht area but I am fluent. Maybe those persons who are claiming that your websites statistics are incorrect should research further before commenting as a major part of the problem with individuals accepting Irish as a language and not a political weapon is lack of knowledge.

This website is fantastic and has really helped with my research.

Go raibh cead míle maith agaibh.

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