History of English Language in Ireland

     “The history of English involvement in Gaelic-speaking Ireland dates from the twelfth century, with the invasion of the country by Anglo-Norman knights, and the subsequent rule of King Henry II. English law was introduced almost immediately. The new settlers, however, were to adopt Irish ways of living, and despite attempt to halt this trend, the area of English control (known as ´the Pale’) was still relatively small by the end of the sixteenth century.

     During the sixteenth century there were renewed efforts made by the Tudor monarchs to establish English control throughout the country. Plantation schemes were set up to encourage English settlers in the south, and support was given to promote the spirit of the Reformation. The Irish chiefs were defeated in a series of wars during the reign of Elisabeth I, and this was followed by a renewed influx of Protestant settlers, mainly from the Scottish Lowlands.

     James I made available large tracts of land in the north of Ireland, and over 100,000 came to develop plantations there. Further campaigns to quell Irish rebellion took place in the seventeenth century, notably the one led by Oliver Cromwell in 1649-1650. Then in 1803 the Act of Union made Ireland part of the United Kingdom, a situation which remained until the 1920s, where there was partition between north (referred to as Ulster) and south.

     The linguistic consequence of these events was a steady development in the use of English, and a corresponding decline in the use of Gaelic, except among the poorer sections of the population. Today, English is used everywhere, with Gaelic found only in certain rural parts of the west (although it is an official language in the Irish Republic along with English). Since the nineteenth century, there have been several attempts to encourage the spread of Gaelic, but these have not affected the dominance of English. Even in the north, where the conflict was originally identified with the two languages, nowadays both sides use English. Still in all, there are differences reflected in the styles of pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary between the Protestant and the Catholic communities because of their linguistic backgrounds (Ulster, Scots and Gaelic).”

 Crystal, David. The English Language. A guided tour of the language. London. Penguin. 2002.

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