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Ireland Languages: Difference between revisions
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The native language of Ireland is Irish (also known as Gaelic). | The native language of Ireland is Irish (also known as Gaelic, a name shared with the Manx and Scottish versions). In the [[Republic of Ireland]], Irish has official status, but in [[Northern Ireland]] it has little or none, although it | ||
Most records used in Irish research were begun in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries and were written in English. The other language you may have to deal with is Latin. Government records were written in Latin until 1733, some Catholic Church records used Latin until the mid-nineteenth century, and older records written in English often latinized names and relationships. Some knowledge of Latin will help you read these records. | |||
== Irish language == | |||
Irish (Gaeilge, formerly written as Gaedhilge) is a member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages. It is closely related to [[Isle of Man Languages|Manx]] and [[Scotland Languages|Scottish Gaelic]], and more distantly to [[Wales Language and Languages|Welsh]], [[Cornwall Language and Languages|Cornish] and [[Brittany Language and Languages|Breton]]. | |||
Irish was spoken natively in Northern Ireland into the twentieth century, in areas such as Rathlin Island, and the Sperrin Mountains. The 1901 & 1911 Censuses reveal that it was spoken by both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant communities. | |||
In the Republic of Ireland, formerly the Irish Freestate, Irish has been an official language since independence in the 1920s. One can see both Irish and English used on official documents from the ROI. The republic has also set up Gaeltachts, which are areas in which Irish is supposedly used by much of the community (the definition and the reality are often at odds) - these are generally scattered along the west coast. | |||
== Ulster Scots == | |||
Ulster Scots (also known as Ullans or Ulster-Scotch), is a vernacular used by a few people in County Donegal in the Republic and parts of Northern Ireland, especially County Antrim. Although commonly portrayed as a "Protestant" language, it is in fact used by members of both the Roman Catholic and the Protestant communities. It has very limited official recognition. | |||
Genealogists may encounter an occasional word of Ulster Scots when looking at old documents, but the language is not distinct enough to cause major problems. | |||
== Latin == | |||
Latin was used for written records in Ireland over a thousand years ago, prior to the Anglo-Norman, and even the Norse invasions. It continued to be used long after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. | |||
== Online Databases == | == Online Databases == | ||