The stark white charter bus pulled to a stop at another scenery outlook near the coast. Everyone piled out and scrambled to get their cameras from the depths of their purses or bags while searching for the picture perfect spot. I broke from the pack and quickly set out for an area that was more isolated. I ended up stumbling over sharp and uneven rocks and boulders onto what I can only describe as a miniature cliff that jutted out from the grassy hill.
I could hear my mom’s voice somewhere behind me, telling me I didn’t have the right shoes to climb out there and to be careful. Her voice was faint because of the wind in my ears. When I reached the end of the cliff, I stood there and stared at the landscape around me. I have a weird thing for pretty scenery, and Ireland was full of pretty scenes. I found something romantic about the ancient, brick fences that dotted the lush farmland; the stone castles that were crumbling along the road; and the deep blue lakes and ocean that met perfectly with the green hills.
My mind constantly drifts off and ignores the world I am living in by creating a new one. Every day I stayed in Ireland—taking tours and looking out the charter bus’s window—I wonder about the history behind every spot of land. I should also mention I love history, yet I knew little of Ireland’s. The unfamiliar language I saw painted on shop windows, etched on traffic signs, and written in menus at restaurants intrigued me the most.
The Irish language, sometimes called Gaelic, is one of the three Gaelic languages that are spoken by the Irish, Scottish, and Manx. The language was nearly forgotten, but due to a Gaelic renaissance, its life has been revived. In Ireland, Gaelic has not only played a part in Irish identity, but also in the unifying of the Irish people who are separated from others in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is a constituent of the United Kingdom and officially separated from the Republic of Ireland (or just Ireland) in the 1920s. While Ireland’s population is about 87% Irish and Roman Catholic (according to The World Factbook), Northern Ireland has a different make-up. Over time, Celts from central Europe, Vikings, Normans, and Anglo-Saxons settled within its borders. Soon after came Scottish Presbyterians and the English. Eventually, Northern Ireland became plagued with ethnic, religious, and political disputes that have resulted in violent conflicts. Even with the separation from the Republic of Ireland, there still reminds unsettled peace. Cue U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and it should paint a picture of some of the issues going on.
The Irish language binds both countries together, whether the English and Scottish in Northern Ireland like it or not. The political division in Northern Ireland is shown in part by the Irish language, but it is this same language that binds the indigenous people in Northern Ireland to their family in the south.
The English immigrants and Scottish Protestants (many of whom considered themselves Unionists because they are in favor of Northern Ireland’s current standing as part of the UK) look down on the Irish and their language. They do not recognize it and “distrust and dismiss” the native Irish people, believing the language plays a part in dividing the country politically. This negative view has not stopped the Gaelic speakers.
For any culture, language is a key element and often at the core of every society. It allows a person to express thoughts, opinions, and ideas to their neighbor. It allows traditions and stories to be passed down from generation to generation. A language is what keeps a culture’s identity alive. While English is almost universally spoken in the six counties that make up Northern Ireland, there is a small, but important, population that speaks Irish - a population that is growing.
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