A pocket history of Gaelic culture (O'Brien Press Ltd., 2000)

In this book, pages 71 and 72 he produces two histograms (I'm recalling this from memory, and looking through notes I made).

I wonder, are they accurate? They are interesting, none the less from the point of view that successive governments have told us that Irish should be spoken at home (the final phase of loss) while the diachronic perspective would tell us that Irish lost prestige further upstream and it is there that it should receive assistance.


Anglicization of Social Class

Native Aristocracy	1650
Professions	1700
Urban Middle Class	1720-40
UrbanWorking Class	1780
Strong Farmers	1800
Rural Poor (East & Midlands)	1820-40
Rural Poor (South and West)	1845-90

Writing is anglicized

Native Government	1610
Higher Education, law, medicine	1650
Religious Education	1690
Discursive Prose	1700
Imaginative Prose	1780
Poetry	1820-40
Local verse, folklore, private purposes	1845-90

Side by Side

Native Government	1610	Native Aristocracy	1650
Higher Education, law, medicine	1650	Professions	1700
Religious Education	1690	Urban Middle Class	1720-40
Discursive Prose	1700	UrbanWorking Class	1780
Imaginative Prose	1780	Strong Farmers	1800
Poetry	1820-40	Rural Poor (East & Midlands)	1820-40
Local verse, folklore, private purposes	1845-90	Rural Poor (South and West)	1845-90

Notice that once government, social influence, education, civil service and all other such mechanisms changed, people follow suit. What I love about is all is that people claim to have 'free will' yet we see here their ancestors changed and changed quite rapidly when they were told to do it by those in charge.

Cén nuacht atá ansan?

Cén nuacht? Mmmm Chuir mé é suas le díospóireacht a dhéanamh

I have that book myself and found it very enjoyable.
I don't think the native aristocracy were anglicised, certainly not all of them fully anglicised anyway by 1650.

I think it does demonstrate a fact though - that social change comes from the top down. It's not a fashionable view at the present time of equality, democracy, grass-roots influence etc but it's a simple truth.

The only way Irish will be restored to this country is if it once again becomes associated with wealth, power and high culture (which is why I feel the likes of TG4 attempting to make it 'cool' 'trendy' etc will ultimately be unsuccessful). A huge mistake which was made at the time of the Gaelic revival was associating Irish solely with a simple, rural, often impoverished lifestyle.

Caint na nUasal seachas caint na ndaoine atá de dhíth. Ach tá drochbhlas ar scothaicmeachas ar na saolta seo. Cá bhfios nach mbeidh tionchar airithe ag leithéidí Des Bishop agus celebs (cailúiláin?) eile ar an gceist.