Irish
PrintPrimary tabs
A language of Ireland
138,000 in Ireland (European Commission 2012). L2 users: 1,000,000 in Ireland (European Commission 2012). Total users in all countries: 1,167,940 (as L1: 167,940; as L2: 1,000,000).
Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, part of Mayo, Meath, and Waterford counties. Western isles northwest and southwest coasts.
3 (Wider communication). Statutory language of national identity (1937, Constitution, Article 8(1)). Widely used as L2 in all parts of the country (Salminen 2007).
Munster-Leinster (Southern Irish), Connacht (Western Irish), Donegal (Northern Irish, Ulster).
VSO; prepositions; noun head initial; gender (masculine/feminine); definite article; case-marking (3 cases); verb affixes mark person, number; tense and aspect; comparatives; 32 consonants, 11 vowels, 4 diphthongs; non-tonal; stress on first syllable; initial consonant mutation.
A number of children learn the language but the number is decreasing (Salminen 2007). Also use English [eng] (Salminen 2007).
Taught as an official language in schools and encouraged by the government.