Can someone tell me how prevalent the Irish language was/is in Belfast (Newtownards to be specific). I would like to know if all Irish people spoke the Irish language in the 1800s. Was it the main language? Did only the poor speak it and did they also speak English? Please tell me all you can about speaking Irish. I have just discovered there is an Irish language by reading a book by Agnes Rossi about a convent school where the students were required to speak only Irish.

Barbara,

I can't help you with your demographic information but I did want to say "Failte" to the Irish language! It's a fascinating (and frustrating) part of the Irish culture. Hope you'll be inspired to learn a bit.

le meas,

James

Dia dhuit,

Good for you for discovering the existance of the Irish language. You've just gotten farther than lots of Americans ever get. As to Bellfast I don't know specifics, but I know that there are indeed people there who speak it and some who use it as their at-home language with the kids etc. I don't know the place you mention within the city so someone with more cleverness than myself will have to help you.

As to people speaking it in the 19th century. That is the time when Irish unfortunately lost a lot of ground. The Potato Famine was a biggie in adding to the decline of the language because so many of the people who spoke it either died or had to emmigrate. Lots of people abandoned the language themselves because pressure was put on them by the ruling classes that Irish was a sign of backwardness and inability to "make it" in the world, as in move up to a higher social position. (I'm just repeating what was said and thought back then.) So people were intentionally only speaking English to their kids, not realizing that they were severely weakening their really important culture. It is important to remember though that some people of the upper classes were interested in the language, though these were not a large group. Some writers and artists went to learn the language because they knew it was worth preserving.

Many people in the 19th century could only speak Irish, this number dropping drastically by the end of the century. While the number who were Irish monoglot shrank to a really small amount by 1900 the number of English monoglots skyrocketed and this is to my deep sadness. I hope I answered all your questions. Hope you enjoy this forum and stick around, there's a lot to learn and find out around here.

Beir bua agus beannacht

A Bhairb,

I might be wrongh in detail but broad picture should be right. So, by the beginning of XIX century 1/2 of population (of the whole island) still spoke the tongue, but not more than that. Belfast as being one of the centres of Ulster plantation was not a home base for the language since a long time by then. In general urban population was never very Irish-speaking throughout the history. Of course, some Irish was undoubtely spoken in the country-side around Belfast - no doubt - but this is something completely different. So if you cast aside some temporary inhabitants (fairs, markets) and recent immigrants from countryside Belfast was not Irish speaking in XIX century. Or at least, English was prevailing langauge by a huge margin.

irish was spoken in several of the counties of ulster right upto this century. the last speaker in the glens of antrim was thought to have died in the 1970s. the last speaker of irish in co. tyrone died in the late 1950s for eg. armagh was an area where irish was spoken until relaitivaly recently as late as the early sixies. It is claimed by some that some native speakers may still be alive in the sperins!!!! As to county down it is known that a no. of songs have originated from co. down one in particular satirising their neighbours in louth. irish as the venacular died out ealier in this county than the surrounding counties as early as the middle of the 1800s. It should not be forgotten that the area of south east ulster was the patrimony of the o' neills of the fews and a great deal of written material exists from this area particularly related to the poet art mac cooey (sic). You mentioned Newtonards i thought this area was outside belfast city? Anyway if the surrounding areas had strong irish speaking communities i cannot see why they would not continue to speak irish when the came to stay and work in belfast. I often hear chinese dialects spoken in dublin why would the same phenomon not have occured in the melting pot of belfast in the 1800s.

As Belfast started to swell with newcomers from all over in the early 1800s to feed the textile industry, according to 'I mBéal Feirste cois cuain', which I don't have to hand, Irish speech also came in with them.

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Leabhar ar an ábhar: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/61/297.html
Hidden Ulster - Protestants and the Irish Language
Author: O Snodaigh, Padraig
Publisher: Lagan Press
Publication date: 1995
Book in: Library,Centre
Price: £4.95