Hello I'm new to the forum. My name should be Fleastar not Fleisdear. I chose the Scots Gaelic spelling by mistake.

Does anyone know when the last native speakers of Irish died in each of the Midland counties Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and Laois. How much do we know of the dialects of Irish spoken in the midlands?

From what I know, it seems that the English language seems to have become established earlier in Leinster than the other provinces with archaic English dialects being spoken in Wexford and Dublin. Did Irish die out in much of Leinster around the same time as Scots Gaelic in Galloway (in 1600s/1700s).

Does anyone know what Midland Irish would have sounded like? They pronouce gosoon as gos-on in parts of the Midlands.

Tá fáilte romhat, Fleisdear.

There's a book Éigse Lar Na hÉireann 1500-1750, by Háinle, Cathal Ó (ed.) Má Nuad (Maynooth).
ISBN: 066649 1727
Edition: 1975

.... dealing with various Irish language authors, and their work, from the midlands between 1500-1750. The book looks at such authors as Micheal O Cleirigh and Froinsias O Maolmhuaidh, as well as dealing with such topics as the history of the Bible...

You may find some information there. Otherwise try the Linguistic Atlas of Ireland prepared by [?? Heinrich Wagner??]

Let us know how you get on. There were native speakers in Oldcastle, Co Meath until three or four generations ago. I know someone who speaks Irish well, although not a native speaker, and goes to Corca Dhuibhne every year to perfect his knowledge of the language his grandmother began to teach him when he was an infant. She came from Oldcastle.

I am sure there are others reading this forum who could identify other areas.

From memory I think there was someone called Lloyd who studied this topic and another Donn Piatt [??]