The Death of the Irish Language

Using a blend of statistical analysis with field survery among native Irish speakers, Reg Hindley explores the reasons for the decline of the Irish language and investigates the relationships between geographical environment and language retention. He puts Irish into a broader European context as a European minority language, and assesses its present position and prospects.

Preface Part 1. Background 1. Irish before 1800 2. Irish in the nineteenth century: from collapse to the dawn Of revival 3. The twentieth century: survival, revival, and metamorphosis Part 2. Locating the living language 4. The uses and snares of official language statistics 5. Gaeltachtai of Ulster 6. Gaeltachtai of Connacht (Connaught) 7. Gaeltachtai of Monster 8. Gaeltachtai of Leinster 9. Nua-Ghaeltachtai? New Gaeltachts? Irish in the GalltachtlEnglish-speaking Ireland Part 3. Can Irish survive? 10. Aids to survival 11. Causes of decline 12. Irish as a West European minority language: some comparisons 13. Conclusion

Reg Hindley, who has been researching into minority languages for many years, is Senior Lecturer in Geography in the Departments of European Studies and Environmental Science at the University of Bradford.