Is irish...?

Question

is the irish language, gaeilge, completly useles, xcept for very small and few regions in ireland, and defunct or is that just me thinking?

Answer 1

Not useless...an excellent way to study heritage and history. Just think of some of the word origins that have come from the Gaelic, Celtic and Old English languages. It is a beautiful language.

Answer 2

Dia is muire duit! Is fuath liom gaeilge agus scoil!! Ta me ina chonai ar eire. Thats about all i knowyou see irish kids are taught irish from the day they start school to the day they finish school and yet about two thirds of them won't remember how to say hello as soon as they leave the school gates. I'm learning irish in school, well when i say learning i really mean listening to a man fluent in irish, speaking irish and not understanding a word of that he says! There are irish speaking counties there are also places called gaelteachts in those counties where you can learn irish but not many people bother. Irish is a beautiful language but the way it is taught is ridiculous. some people say the irish language is dead and as it is no longer the language of its own country most people agree but certain people will keep it alive to bore the next generation of irish kids. Irish is a beautiful language if only i understood it!!

Answer 3

I think you've answered your own question there mo chairde! If you live in an urban area in Ireland then as soon as you finish the leaving cert then all that Irish is then null and void. Having said that I've been to rural Ireland and I've over heard people talk in english and then meet someone else and start speaking as gaeilge like it was no bother to them. I felt jealous that I could'nt do it myself. This is where pride comes into it. Do you ever wish that you could speak it? If not, then the language is dead for you. After finishing my Irish oral exam, the examiner asked me about the next pupil due to come in to do the exam. She asked me as gaeilge obviously. Now bear in mind, the exam was over. I could have spoken to her in english. I replied "Cheapann me go bhfuil si tinn".(I think she is sick) The girl ahead of me was sick so she was absent that day. That was the last time I EVER used irish . Just after the exam. That was 16 years ago! Sin e.

Answer 4

Yes, completely useless. Irelands newly found prosperity has been due in large part to their usage of the English language, 'Irish' is a dead language which no one really speaks, a bit like Latin, which should be confined to the bin of history.

Answer 5

it's not as widely spoken as it used to be of course, but Ireland is officially a bilingual country so all the street signs and public information and stuff is in english and gaelic. i think it's now taught in schools but i'm not sure.

language can play a huge part in a country's culture so i don't think that any language is ever useless, just maybe not as widely spoken. us native english speakers sometimes forget that there's a whole world out there that doesn't use our language : )

Answer 6

I don't think learning it is useless, learning any language when you are young apparently increases your ability to learn other languages. Also it is a shame when languages die out, just because of the dominance of others. And I think Irish and Scottish Gaelic are mutually intelligible.

Answer 7

It isn't useless, if you are Irish. Some parts are still gaelic speaking only. It's the same here in Scotland and is still taught in many west coast schools.

Answer 8

Yes, not too many Irish speak Irish these days. I have an advice for you: Irish don't get mad, they get even. So, don't post this kind of question on Yahoo Answers.

Answer 9

Not many people speak it, even in Ireland, but it's very important to them, culturally, to teach the next generation how to speak it.

Answer 10

there are a lot of irish speaking communities in both northern and southern ireland