90-600: Lough Gill ( Irish : Loch Gile , meaning 'bright or white lake') is a freshwater lough ( lake ) mainly situated in County Sligo , but partly in County Leitrim , in Ireland . Lough Gill provides the setting for William Butler Yeats ' poem " The Lake Isle of Innisfree ". Lough Gill is about 8 km or 5 miles long and 2 km or 1 mile wide. The Lough Gill system consists of the river Bonet that flows into
180-547: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
270-717: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
360-575: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
450-532: A contingent of the Newtown garrison to accompany Hamilton on a dawn raid on Sligo town. Hamilton boasted that 300 rebels were put to the sword and the town burned during the raid. Parke was taken to Manorhamilton where Hamilton kept him prisoner for 18 months in his castle, ignoring a number of directives from the government to release the MP. When a year-long truce was declared, Parke was eventually released while Hamilton
540-478: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
630-553: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
720-467: A farmyard and stables by local residents right up until the early 20th century. The site was restored between 1980 and 1988, and the site has been open to the public as a visitor centre, on a seasonal basis, since 1990. The Annals of Lough Cé first mention O'Rourke's tower house at Baile Nua (New Town or Newtown) in 1546, when "great treachery was practiced by the sons of Alexander MacCabe against O'Ruairc in his own Town i.e. Baile Nua, his castle in
810-425: A frenzy for the girl. As flowed the tears in sore grief for the maiden, the mighty spring rose over her, till it was a vast and stormy lake. Loch Gile is named from that encounter after Gile, daughter of Romra: there Omra got his death from stout and lusty Romra. Romra died outright of his sorrow on the fair hill-side: from him is lordly Carn Romra called, and Carn Omra from Omra, the shame-faced Loch Gile here
900-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
990-459: A number of occasions in his own castle. Observing that Parke seemed to be under no threat and indeed was possibly collaborating with the Irish, Hamilton burned the village at Newtown in the spring of 1642. "A week or so after Easter, Sir Fredrick, with a party of horse and foot, burned some villages and killed a number of rebels two miles from Sligo town. He returned home via Newtown Castle and village, which he noticed had not been attacked at all by
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#17327943325201080-585: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
1170-575: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
1260-625: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
1350-508: A saying amongst the people that went " Connacht is the Grianán of Ireland, Cairbre is the Grianán of Connacht, Calry is the Grianán of Cairbre and the Hill is the Grianán of Calgaich". Gríanán is a word meaning literally "sunny place" and implies a place of great natural beauty. The hill of Grianán is at the eastern shore of Lough Gill. In the early historic era (5th-8th centuries), the area
1440-490: A unique microclimate and is noted for its high number of rare or scarce animal and plant species. It is part of the Lough Gill SAC (Special Area of Conservation) for habitats listed on Annex I and II of the E.U. Habitats Directive, including two with priority status: alluvial forest, orchid-rich calcareous grassland. The vegetation of the area was dominated by mixed woodland from 4,600 BC to at least 1400 AD. Scots pine
1530-545: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
1620-544: Is a 17th century semi-fortified manor house. It is situated on the shores of Lough Gill , in County Leitrim , Ireland . The castle is built on the site of an earlier, 16th century O'Rourke ( Uí Ruairc ) tower house . The castle and bawn had been purchased by Captain Robert Parke in the 1630s. He had been granted some of the former O'Rourke lands as part of the Plantations . After Robert Parke died in 1671,
1710-523: Is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as a result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish
1800-562: Is a small evergreen tree of the family Ericaceae , which in Ireland can grow to be a forest tree, reaching heights of up to 15 metres. Its Irish name is caithne . The lake shore and surroundings support several rare plant species, including yellow bird's-nest ( Monotropa hypopitys ), lady's mantle ( Alchemilla glaucescens ), ivy broomrape ( Orobanche hederae ), black bryony ( Tamus communis ), intermediate wintergreen ( Pyrola media ) and bird's-nest orchid ( Neottia nidus-avis ). It
1890-452: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
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#17327943325201980-408: Is also home to the following rare or protected species: sea lamprey , river lamprey , brook lamprey , white-clawed crayfish , Atlantic salmon and otter . The Lough Gill water system gets a very early run of spring salmon. A small colony of common terns breed on the lake's islands (20 pairs in 1993). Kingfishers are also found on the lake. The lake contains about 20 small islands, including
2070-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
2160-623: Is named from Gile, Romra's daughter." Carn Romra and Carn Omra are the names of the two large neolithic cairns on Cairns hill overlooking the lake. Sliabh Dhá Éan is also associated with myth. The lake is home to the Lough Gill 10 km Swim for the North West Hospice in Sligo. This annual fundraiser began in 2011 raising over €34,000 to date for the hospice also winning the coveted Irish Long Distance Swimming Association swim of
2250-587: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
2340-533: Is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022 was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within the education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on
2430-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
2520-666: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
2610-574: The Barony of Drumahaire ". A roughly circular rock-cut ditch with an opening to the east is probably the oldest feature of the site, and may predate the tower house by some time. The material excavated from the moat provided limestone to build a pentagonal bawn wall within the enclosure. More building materials for both Duroy Castle and Newtown Castle would have been quarried in Cartron Glen close by. The tower house probably dates from 1450 to 1500, and
2700-600: The Beara Peninsula in the winter of 1602. O'Sullivan arrived with only thirty followers; nearly 1,000 of his kingdom's men, women and children had died on the journey. Little is known of any activities at Newtown Castle during this period. The plantation of Leitrim took place in the 1620, with half the county used to pay soldiers for the service during the Nine Years' War, when many large grants were made to favourite courtiers of King James I. The land at Newtown
2790-631: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
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2880-634: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
2970-412: The 17th century. The walls of the original bawn were a spacious pentagonal defensive area, with the O'Rourke tower house placed in the centre of the courtyard. The stones of O’Rourke's tower were used to build the three-storey manor on the eastern side, eventually adorned with mullioned windows and diamond-shaped chimneys. One of two round flankers guarding the north side of the bawn forms one end of
3060-789: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
3150-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
3240-571: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
3330-471: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
3420-549: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
3510-521: The Isle of Innisfree, made famous by William Butler Yeats 's poem titled ' The Lake Isle of Innisfree '. There are other islands on the lake such as Church Island , which is home to the ruins of a 6th century abbey founded by Saint Lommán of Trim . Another notable island is Cottage island or Beezie's Island, which was inhabited until 1949. In 1836 Thomas O'Connor of the Ordnance Survey noted
3600-406: The O'Rourke castle at Dromahair around the same time. Robert Parke demolished the remains of O'Rourke's tower house at Newtown, recycling the stones to build the gate tower around 1630 followed by the manor house, which appears to have been completed by 1635. The earlier ditch surrounding the site was filled in with rubble, and Parke had a pair of defensive towers constructed on the north corners of
3690-629: The OPW, and is open to the public on a seasonal basis. The castle is open from late March to November in 2021. An admission fee is charged to visit, and guided tours are available. Five hundred meters south-east of Parke's Castle lie the remains of Castle Duroy (from the Irish Dubhshraith ), another former stronghold of the Ó Ruairc clan. The ruins of Castle Duroy sit on a small peninsula which juts out into Lough Gill. Very little of this castle now remains above ground. The site of Castle Duroy
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3780-620: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
3870-594: The Two Birds). 1346 - A war broke out between O'Rourke, i.e. Ualgarg, and Rory, the son of Cathal O'Conor; and an engagement took place between them in Calry-Lough-Gill, in which O'Rourke was routed, and all his gallowglasses slain, i.e. Mac Buirrce, and Mac Neill Cam with their people. O'Rourke was afterwards pursued by Rory O'Conor and the Clann-Donough, and was killed by Mulrony Mac Donough. This
3960-432: The autumn of 1641, when he attempted to remain neutral and carry on as normal, hoping the uprising would soon be over. Sir Fredrick Hamilton , a Scottish soldier and planter who had built his castle at Manorhamilton ( Irish : Cluainín Uí Ruairc ) in 1635, was outraged by Parke's behaviour and lack of vigour in suppressing the rebellion. Hamilton, who was keen to crush the remnants of the O'Rourke's, had been besieged on
4050-434: The autumn of 1671. His wife Ann is not mentioned anywhere else in the historical record after his death, so it is unclear how she spent the remainder of her life. Their eldest daughter, also called Ann, was the only surviving child of Robert and Ann Parke. She married Sir Francis Gore and went to live with him in County Sligo . The castle fell into disrepair in the years after Ann and Francis left Newtowne. The manor house
4140-425: The bawn wall. A pair of sentry turrets and a sally port, or water gate were added to the south wall. The height of the bawn walls were increased, and gun loops were added along the tops of the walls. Parke, having demolished the earlier tower house, had the interior of the bawn paved with cobbles, which removed any traces of the earlier Gaelic castle. Parke appears to have prospered at Newtown, acquiring more land by
4230-746: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
4320-605: The castle in Manorhamilton, effectively destroying its use as a fortification. Parke's Castle, occupied by Irish Royalists led by Donough O'Hart, was surrendered to Confederate forces led by Charles Coote on 3 June 1652; it seems certain that from this time on Parke was back resident in his castle at Newtown. Robert Parke was married to Ann Povey, who originally came from England and settled in Roscommon . They had three children; Ann, Robert and Maggie. Robert Parke died in
4410-535: The castle passed to the Gore family. The castle was then abandoned by the middle of the 18th century. Whilst there are no records as to when the Gore family had left the castle, it was depicted on a drawing by Sir Thomas Cocking from 1791. The illustration shows the castle as being in a ruinous state. It remained uninhabited for almost three centuries. The site was purchased by the Office of Public Works in 1935 and
4500-490: The eastern end of the lake and the River Garavogue which drains the lake to the west near Sligo Town . The picturesque lake is surrounded by woodlands, such as Slish Wood, Dooney Rock, and Hazelwood all of which contain popular nature trails and viewing points along the lake. The wooded hills of Slieve Killery and Slieve Daean dominate the south shore. It is a popular location for birdwatchers . Lough Gill has
4590-525: The end of the 1630s, and having enough resources to lend money to other settlers. He employed many Irish workers on his lands, and kept a harper, Dermond O'Farry in his residence. Robert Parke, who became MP for Roscommon in 1641, was considered to be a man of standing, importance and influence in the north Connaught region. However, he had a difficult time during the Rebellion which broke out in Ulster in
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#17327943325204680-474: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
4770-560: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
4860-479: The insurgents. He was then informed that the rebels' cows had been allowed to graze right up to the bawn walls of the castle, without any interference by Robert Parke and his sixty-strong garrison, even while Manorhamilton was blockaded. Moreover, the Irish apparently passed freely by Parke's castle, with provisions from Sligo town, on their way to their camp at Cornastauk. So Hamilton decided there and then to burn Newtown village, which 'so long had relieved and sheltered
4950-716: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
5040-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
5130-476: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
5220-450: The manor. The other end has the gate building with an arched entrance leading into the enclosure. Inside the courtyard are many stone work buildings and a covered well. There is also a postern gate and a sally port . Parke's Castle is located 7 kilometres (5 miles) north-west of Dromahair on the Sligo road ( R286 ) and 11 km (7 miles) from Sligo. The restored castle is managed by
5310-582: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
5400-804: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
5490-469: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
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#17327943325205580-655: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
5670-570: The number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to the 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
5760-503: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
5850-557: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
5940-436: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
6030-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
6120-452: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
6210-449: The rogues', and to put some of the inhabitants to the sword. As for Parke himself, he would be made to answer for his collusion with the rebels on another occasion." Hamilton returned to Parke's residence, arriving at midnight on 1 July 1642. When the reluctant Parke finally admitted Hamilton to the castle, he was ordered to assemble his garrison in the courtyard. Hamilton then arrested Parke in front of his own soldiers, and forced him and
6300-454: The spray by the clear sand-strewn spring. While the modest maiden was washing in the unruffled water of the pool, she sees on the plain tall Omra as it were an oak, lusty and rude. Seeing her lover draw near, the noble maid was stricken with shame: she plunged her head under the spring yonder: the nimble maid was drowned. Her nurse came and bent over her body and sat her down yonder in the spring: as she keened for Gile vehemently, she fell in
6390-536: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
6480-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
6570-502: The year in both 2011 and 2012. It is run by a committee made up of local swimmers and friends of the family of Neill McGarry, for whom the event trophy is dedicated. 57 swimmers completed the 2012 swim. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It
6660-470: Was a lamentable deed. The lake became part of the Hazelwood estate in the 17th century. The Metrical Dinnsenchus tells the following story of how the lake came to be and how it got its name. "Bright Gile, Romra's daughter, to whom every harbour was known, the broad lake bears her name to denote its outbreak of yore. The maiden went, on an errand of pride that has hushed the noble hosts, to bathe in
6750-531: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
6840-573: Was attacked in Breifne from three directions. He fled his territory, travelling first to Doe Castle in the north of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster , where he remained for a year. He then travelled to the Kingdom of Scotland , where he attempted to raise an army of gallowglass soldiers to help him reclaim his kingdom. Sir Brian O'Rourke was eventually arrested on the orders of King James VI , who refused to give him an audience. O'Rourke
6930-569: Was away in Derry . During the twenty-one months of the rebellion, at least 150 refugees were living at Parke's Castle (also known as Newtown Castle). Parke's Castle (or Newtown Castle) was held by Parliamentarian forces, who surrendered the building to The 1st Marquess of Clanrickard on 10 July 1649. It is not clear whether Robert Parke was resident in Newtown Castle at that time. In May 1652, Irish Royalist forces attacked, looted and burned
7020-444: Was dominant until 3,400 BC. In a scientific study, Arbutus unedo pollen was found at Slish Lake dating from as early as 100 AD, and so it is considered native to this area. The woods surrounding the lake are dominated by oak ( Quercus spp.), rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia ) and willows ( Salix spp.). The shores of the lake are home to the world's northernmost specimens of the rare Mediterranean strawberry tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It
7110-668: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
7200-541: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Parke%27s Castle Parke's Castle, also known as Newtowne Castle ,
7290-440: Was excavated between 1971 and 1975, revealing the foundations of a number of buildings within the bawn walls, the well and the enclosing rock-cut ditch. The castle had extensive and sensitive restoration carried out between 1980 and 1988, undertaken by the Office of Public Works . The window glazing was reinstated, and local artisans restored the spiral timber stair and the mortise and tenon oak roof, using carpentry techniques of
7380-672: Was extradited to London, where, after a period in the Tower of London , he was hung, drawn and quartered for high treason in London on 3 November 1591." His son and successor, Brian Og O'Rourke , inherited his title and continued his father's struggle against English invasion. O'Rourke harboured many Irish lords during the Nine Years' War and his castle in North Leitrim was the destination for O'Sullivan Beare's infamous march from
7470-558: Was home to a branch of the Cálraighe . Parke's Castle , a plantation fortified house on the northern shore, was built in the early 17th century by Captain Robert Parke on the site of a former tower house of the Uí Ruairc clann . The Uí Ruairc clan ruled the area from about the 7th century up to the time of Oliver Cromwell . In 1196 - Congalach, the son of Farrell O'Rourke, was slain by the men of Lúighne, on Slieve-da-én (Mountain of
7560-503: Was initially granted to Sir William Irving, a member of the Privy Council , who passed the property over to Sir John Spottiswood . Robert and William Parke, natives of Kent, were related to Roger Jones, a well-connected business man, and Jones brought his young nephews with him to Sligo in 1606. Robert Parke had acquired the site of O'Rourke's castle at Newtown and 1000 acres of land by November 1628. William came into possession of
7650-544: Was one of several residences belonging to the ruler of West Breifne , Sir Brian O'Rourke . During his rebellion against the Crown , O'Rourke damaged or "slighted" Newtown Castle in 1581 to make it unusable by the English. He also demolished his castles at Dromahair and Leitrim at this time. O'Rourke was knighted in 1585 but continued to defy the Crown, sheltering at least eighty Spanish sailors who had been shipwrecked at Streedagh in 1588 . Accused of high treason, O'Rourke
7740-474: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
7830-693: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
7920-408: Was then in state care. Archaeological excavations, directed by Claire Foley, were conducted between 1971 and 1975. The excavations revealed the foundations of the O'Rourke ( Ua Ruairc ) tower house and a number of other structures within the bawn. The excavations also yielded various objects from the 19th century, indicating reuse of the site. It was later revealed that the bawn had been used as
8010-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
8100-457: Was uninhabited for two centuries while the bawn was used as a farmyard and stables by local people. The site came into State ownership in 1935 and was used as a storage depot by the Office of Public Works. In 1971, while installing a toilet in the building, a ditch was dug through the courtyard which revealed the base of the original O'Rourke tower house beneath the courtyard cobbles . The site
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