Galway Bay, Ireland


Irish Gaelic
 

 


Irish Gaelic, or simply Irish, 
is a beautiful, complex, and musical language, 
as intricate and interconnected as any Celtic knotwork pattern. 
 

 



One word 
for Irish Gaelic, in Irish, is 
Gaeilge. 
There are many variations, including 
Gaolainn, 
which is used in the Munster dialect, and 
Gaeidhlic, 
which can be heard in the North.
 

 


 Irish is still spoken in Ireland, though it is an endangered language. 
At this point in time, there are three main dialects:   Connacht, Munster, and Ulster,
which represent the larger Irish speaking regions, known as the "Gealtacht".

There are also people throughout the Irish diaspora, and beyond,
who speak, or are learning to speak, Irish.
 




Celtic languages
make up their
very own
branch
of the
Indo-European Language
family tree. 

Irish is an Insular  Celtic language.

 The word insular
is related to the word isle. 
An Irish word for isle is inis.
 

Unlike the
Continental
Celtic languages,
the Insular 
Celtic languages 
emerged from
the isles of 
Ireland and Britain. 
 

The 6 Insular Celtic languages:
 

IRELAND 
(Gaelic/Goidelic/Q-Celtic languages)  

  • Irish Gaelic 
  • Scottish Gaelic  (evolved from Irish)
  • Manx Gaelic  (evolved from Irish) 

 

BRITAIN 
(Brittonic/P-Celtic languages)

  • Breton 
  • Welsh 
  • Cornish

to be continued....

Further Information:

 

foclóir.ie
New English-Irish Dictionary
created by
Foras na Gaeilge  

  • Audio Clips for Pronunciation
  • Links to: 
    • Irish-English Dictionary 
    • Grammar 
    • More 
  • Free!