Irish America

Irish Language

News Roundup June 18, 2022

By Emily Moriarty
IA Newsletter, June 18, 2022

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A New Northern Ireland Protocol Bill On Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, introduced a bill that the EU says is in violation of the Good Friday Agreement. The new plan proposes that goods being sent to Northern Ireland by trusted vendors from the U.K. are in the “Green Lane” and … [Read more...] about News Roundup June 18, 2022

An Irish Slant on the English Language

By Dan Casey

January 2000

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Terence P. Dolan's Dictionary of Hiberno-English is not like any other dictionary or, for that matter, like any other reference volume. It's the first general dictionary of the Irish dialect of English ever published and, in spite of its heady title, a good read for Irish and Irish-American word-hoarders and word-mongers -- from the burly longshoremen on Pier 54 to the … [Read more...] about An Irish Slant on the English Language

Motherfoclóir: A New Kind of Irish Language Revival

By Sharon Ní Chonchúir, Contributor
February / March 2018

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Darach Ó Séaghdha has been putting the fun back into the Irish language by translating words into English in a humorous, thought-provoking way, and deftly using Twitter to expand his audience. He now continues the exercise in a new book, Motherfoclóir, in which he also reflects on the role the Irish language played in his own life.  ℘℘℘ The people of Ireland have a strange … [Read more...] about Motherfoclóir: A New Kind of Irish Language Revival

Census Reports on Love and Language

By Olivia O’Mahony, Editorial Assistant
June / July 2017

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The results of the Republic of Ireland’s most recent census, conducted April 24, 2016, were released April 6. The census, which occurs every five years, requires everyone on Irish soil to submit a thorough account of their personal information for the production of updated national statistics. First produced in 1821, the census tracks the changes in Ireland’s population … [Read more...] about Census Reports on Love and Language

Mother Teanga

By Colin Lacey, Contributor
June / July 2017

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The Irish language has roots stretching back at least 5,000 years, and shares words with Sanskrit, the ancient classical language of India.  ℘℘℘ Almost all of us can speak a little Irish, and often do. Words like “galore” and “brogue,” for example, or “smithereens” have all passed directly from Irish into English, often with little change to their original pronunciation. So … [Read more...] about Mother Teanga