Irish Language
The Irish language is spoken in the Gaeltacht areas of Counties Mayo and Galway, the largest being in the west of County Galway. The Galway Gaeltacht is the largest Irish speaking region in Ireland covering Cois Fharraige, parts of Connemara, Conamara Theas, Aran Islands and Dúithche Sheoigeach. Irish speaking areas in County Mayo can be found in Iorras and Acaill. According to the 2011 census Irish is spoken outside of the education system on a daily basis by 14,600 people.
There are between 40,000-55,000 Irish speakers in the province, 30,978 in the Galway Gaeltacht and 6,667 Mayo Gaeltacht. There is also the 4,265 attending the 18 Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and 3 Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) outside the Gaeltacht across the province. See also:
- Connacht Irish
- History of the Irish language
Read more about this topic: Connacht
Famous quotes containing the words irish and/or language:
“The next forenoon we went to Oldtown.... The Indian is said to cultivate the vices rather than the virtues of the white man. Yet this village was cleaner than I expected, far cleaner than such Irish villages as I have seen.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A president, however, must stand somewhat apart, as all great presidents have known instinctively. Then the language which has the power to survive its own utterance is the most likely to move those to whom it is immediately spoken.”
—J.R. Pole (b. 1922)