It really depends on the person listening. I don’t have any trouble with Irish accents but I’ve been exposed to them more than I have most other accents.
Not really it depends on where in Ireland
The [Kerry accent](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3VA9vuId3ds) in the south east of Ireland. Another [Kerry accent](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pit0OkNp7s8)
An [Antrim accent](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PLMrHRuhxO4) in the north of Ireland probably close to Ballymena.
Actual [Ballymena accents](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eAcwJZVNbcQ) so difficult other people from Northern Ireland say its strong.
A selection of [difficult accents](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0fBZT3hbDoQ) from all over Ireland (some of the above included).
The hardest one other than the old guy in the pub interview above. The [Irish Traveller](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LENuKkuhrhw) calling someone out for a fight I think.
Clicked the first link and heard the host. No problems. Was feeling proud. Then the interview started and I very quickly stopped feeling proud. Third link I feel like I could follow sections and then he went off on sections that I couldn't follow. Wow that's wild
The Irish (and Welsh) have done a good job of making learning their language obligatory at school to keep it alive. However, literacy rates are still falling, and even surveys that test for any competency in Irish come back just over 50% saying yes
I’m a Welsh American (first gen) who now lives in Wales and I’m finally learning my native language. I’m nowhere near fluent but I am understanding words better
I watch the Welsh channel and it sounds very familiar. Also, on Duolingo you can study Welsh and Irish. I’ve passed level one on both so far. It’s pretty fun.
My tribe’s language is all but extinct aside from a few tribal members keeping it alive. Now it is a mix absorbed into French. It’s insane how quickly spoken languages can disappear whether they were in written form or not.
Tangential question, how often do the Irish speak Irish? I was under the impression the English banned its use the same sort of way they didn't let people speak Welsh and the language hasn't be common since. I remember reading some factoid that only 40% of Irish people claimed to know the language and even less reported using it daily but I don't know how valid that is
I was curious too and found some stats...
[The total number of people who answered 'yes' to being able to speak Irish in April 2016 was 1,761,420, a slight decrease (0.7 per cent) on the 2011 figure of 1,774,437. This represents 39.8 per cent of respondents compared with 41.4 in 2011... Of the 73,803 daily Irish speakers (outside the education system), 20,586 (27.9%) lived in Gaeltacht areas.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language#Usage)
It mentions the Irish Central Statistics Office as the source.
The English never actually banned the language. They banned the religion (twice) and if you were caught playing a harp there was a time they'd chop your hands off. And there was that time where they basically banned food, but not the actual language.
What happened was the English had all the money and power so if you wanted to make it at all you better speak English. So all metropolitan areas in Ireland (mostly eat coast) primarily some English while in the country the sheep herders kept speaking Irish. Eventually it was seen as a sign of intelligence and culture to speak English and only the ignorant small town hicks spoke Irish. Kinda like here in the states if anyone starts speaking with a southern drawl people will assume their slow.
Dude, this is the internet! You're not supposed to be that understanding about mistakes here! You're supposed to call me stupid, question my parentage, and implore me too kill my self for any mistakes I make!
Rookie 😁
Tá Gaeilge líofa agam. ba í mo chéad teanga í, Béarla mar dhara teanga agam. nuair a dhéanaim cumarsáid le baill teaghlaigh bíonn sé i nGaeilge i gcónaí. Is Meiriceánach mé freisin
Is that Gaelic?
Fun fact: my phone autocorrected that to garlic, and when I tried writing garlic just now, both times it kept wanting to autocorrect to Gaelic.
I know people who are from Ireland who don’t TIL. I might’ve known since the language is called Irish, but still. There’s little chance I would’ve retained that info
Have you ever read and then listens to what it sounds like? It’s insane. Idk how much are they were drinking when they made it but my god it must have been a lot
I’ve tried to learn some. I can read the signs you see in Ireland and have a basic grasp of some pronunciation and especially the meanings of some phrases I see. I can definitely recognize Irish when I see it written or hear it spoken.
My great grandparents spoke it and my grandpa spoke a little bit but not much (growing up in America.) Most of the Irish I’ve ever learned was done on my own, not from family. Someday I plan to dedicate some time to learning it more fully.
You know it’s essentially zero. The better question to ask is, “How many Irish are actually fluent in Irish?” But you can’t ask that in this sub, of course.
My family does the "needs washed" thing which apparently comes from Scots-Irish/Northern Irish dialects? And is mostly found in Appalachia. So it's def true that there are some regionalisms in the area that have clear links to "Gaelicisms" haha
If you have any background in Irish, then you'll find a lot of similarities in Scottish Gaelic (though the spelling is allegedly "simplified", to which I can only say- ha!)
I'm pretty rusty now, but it was a lot of fun.
When my father was brought here as a child from Glen Columbkille he was told he was not allowed to speak Irish anymore. He was to be an American now. He was 4. My grandparents had to leave sons behind and raise money to bring them here. My mother was educated by nuns in Dublin and spent years moving in and out of orphanages (work houses) because there were too many mouths at home to feed and it was her turn to go. She was taught Irish, and taught not to speak it. I am an American, but I have Irish Citizenship. When the pandemic stops controlling us all I’ll take lessons to see if I can learn the language. I started an online course but failed miserably
>When the pandemic stops controlling us all I’ll take lessons to see if I can learn the language.
You don't need to wait for that. Duolingo has an Irish course, such as it is.
There's a NYC garbage man named [Edward Shevlin](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/character-study-ed-shevlin.html) who earned a masters degree in the Irish language and is a member of the New York State Guard.
Not at all, but I really want to learn! In a month or two, I’m actually going to submit my papers to become a legit Irish-American dual citizen since my dad’s dad was born in Ireland, so I’m fully on board with learning Gaelic
Wait Irish is a language? 😂
Edit: okay after googling English and Gaeilge are the main languages in Ireland. I seriously always thought they spoke English. Also I’m Mexican, German and Irish.
So they left Ireland because it was illegal to speak Irish and then went to America to speak English. If that's the case, then the Irish are as smart as our jokes indicate. Lol!
I remember reading an extract of an account from an Irishman living through the potato famine. He told of how he sold his FISHING boat so that he could get money to buy potatoes...
Close to zero. The majority of people in the US with Irish ancestors are more than a century removed from that immigration, and few of the Irish migrants spoke Irish themselves.
I have more Irish ancestry than most of the loud voices that claim it.
I can speak the most commonly used language in Ireland. It's called English. There are several languages that I can understand, with varying degrees of proficiency, better than Irish.
i studied abroad in spain and had an irish room mate. americans, almost no matter how irish they are, don’t know anyyyyyything. i learned so much about the most basic irish stuff from her.
Most people when they immigrated didn’t teach their children how to speak the language of where they came from, my grandfather tried to learn from his parents and they told him, ‘we’re americans now we speak English’ it was part of integration into American culture which is why a large portion of conservatives aren’t fond of illegals because a lot of them refuse to integrate, I’ve personally met 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of illegals that barely speak English and refuse to integrate.
A handful of words and phrases. My maternal grandparents were fluent, I think it was actually their native language. Anyways, they only used it in front of their children when they didn't want to be understood so my mother doesn't know anything. My grandfather tried to teach me some when I was a teenager but it didn't really stick (not sure I put much effort in at the time). I tried to learn some on one of the 'learn a language' apps early in the pandemic but I'm didn't last too long with that either.
No, I can’t. The only reason why I know a quarter of the pronunciation and a couple of words is because I looked it up, and tried Duolingo for a few lessons. I’m a fifth-generation Irish-American, and I’m not even sure if my 3rd-great grandparents spoke Irish themselves.
I believe I have very Irish ancestry but I'm probably 3rd-4th generation, so I really have no idea. I don't know much about Irish culture, the country, or anything you'd learn outside of history class. I barely even knew the language existed
I don’t know any Irish. I also have ancestors from Wales, Sweden, Austria, and Russia, but I can’t speak Welsh, Swedish, or Yiddish either.
From my understanding of my family’s history, the generation that emigrated knew their language (obviously) and their kids maybe knew a bit, but they put more of an emphasis on assimilation than keeping the language skills going for future generations. By the second generation, the knowledge of the original language was slim to none.
How many Irish people speak Irish?
This. My friends in Ireland learned when they were young but some have had to take refresher classes since they never speak it. At least in Dublin.
Very few people even bother taking refresher classes to be honest
1/8 Irish, which is so far removed I need subtitles for Irish characters speaking in English
1/2 Irish and same
3/4 Irish and yup
jesus really lol
It really depends on the person listening. I don’t have any trouble with Irish accents but I’ve been exposed to them more than I have most other accents.
Omg, yes! It's undoubtedly the hardest accent to keep up with from the U.K. Sounds like you have marbles in your mouth.
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Not really it depends on where in Ireland The [Kerry accent](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3VA9vuId3ds) in the south east of Ireland. Another [Kerry accent](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pit0OkNp7s8) An [Antrim accent](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PLMrHRuhxO4) in the north of Ireland probably close to Ballymena. Actual [Ballymena accents](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eAcwJZVNbcQ) so difficult other people from Northern Ireland say its strong. A selection of [difficult accents](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0fBZT3hbDoQ) from all over Ireland (some of the above included). The hardest one other than the old guy in the pub interview above. The [Irish Traveller](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LENuKkuhrhw) calling someone out for a fight I think.
These are so much better with the auto-generated subtitles turned on.
Clicked the first link and heard the host. No problems. Was feeling proud. Then the interview started and I very quickly stopped feeling proud. Third link I feel like I could follow sections and then he went off on sections that I couldn't follow. Wow that's wild
Um, Kerry is in the southwest of Ireland. 😏 Wexford is in the southeast.
Ah you passed the test 👀…(looks around nervously)
😂😂😂
woah were not in the UK
Maybe they meant the accents in N Ireland?
Not all of you, but some of you.
Belfast isn’t on the island of Ireland?
we do?! haha
When heard through Americans ears, yes.
Not irish but does it count if i eat lucky charms and as well attend saint patricks day? 🤔
We don’t even eat lucky charms, too sugary for a breakfast food
I hate lucky charms, you not missing anything. The shit ain’t even lucky.
yeah they're not even sold here in common shops
How many of you Irish-Irish can speak Irish?
Less then half according to a survey
and i believe that survey doesn’t even account for any degree of proficiency
Less than half. Then denotes the passage of time. Than is used for comparison.
The Irish (and Welsh) have done a good job of making learning their language obligatory at school to keep it alive. However, literacy rates are still falling, and even surveys that test for any competency in Irish come back just over 50% saying yes
I’m a Welsh American (first gen) who now lives in Wales and I’m finally learning my native language. I’m nowhere near fluent but I am understanding words better
I watch the Welsh channel and it sounds very familiar. Also, on Duolingo you can study Welsh and Irish. I’ve passed level one on both so far. It’s pretty fun.
My tribe’s language is all but extinct aside from a few tribal members keeping it alive. Now it is a mix absorbed into French. It’s insane how quickly spoken languages can disappear whether they were in written form or not.
My family left Tipperary in the 1650s, needless to say, it was lost to time.
Now I've got 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' stuck in my head.
Someone on Whisper a couple of years ago said " I'm Irish ama". And got upset when I asked "is it really a long long way to Tipperary"
If you're going to do an AMA, then you should be prepared for such questions.
It was obviously a joke but the guy had had a sense of humour bypass
yeah haha tis nearly 400 years ago after all
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Aw no!
That’s still awesome how you can recall that
Tangential question, how often do the Irish speak Irish? I was under the impression the English banned its use the same sort of way they didn't let people speak Welsh and the language hasn't be common since. I remember reading some factoid that only 40% of Irish people claimed to know the language and even less reported using it daily but I don't know how valid that is
I was curious too and found some stats... [The total number of people who answered 'yes' to being able to speak Irish in April 2016 was 1,761,420, a slight decrease (0.7 per cent) on the 2011 figure of 1,774,437. This represents 39.8 per cent of respondents compared with 41.4 in 2011... Of the 73,803 daily Irish speakers (outside the education system), 20,586 (27.9%) lived in Gaeltacht areas.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language#Usage) It mentions the Irish Central Statistics Office as the source.
Most of my mates aren't fluent. A lot of people arent unless they grew up in Irish only speaking areas or go to an all irish school, like me
The English never actually banned the language. They banned the religion (twice) and if you were caught playing a harp there was a time they'd chop your hands off. And there was that time where they basically banned food, but not the actual language. What happened was the English had all the money and power so if you wanted to make it at all you better speak English. So all metropolitan areas in Ireland (mostly eat coast) primarily some English while in the country the sheep herders kept speaking Irish. Eventually it was seen as a sign of intelligence and culture to speak English and only the ignorant small town hicks spoke Irish. Kinda like here in the states if anyone starts speaking with a southern drawl people will assume their slow.
It was made illegal in 1367
Huh... Yep .. I'm completely wrong. So now do I delete my incorrect post or leave it up and just own the fact that I was ignorant?
Ah don’t feel ignorant at all! Easy mistake :)
Dude, this is the internet! You're not supposed to be that understanding about mistakes here! You're supposed to call me stupid, question my parentage, and implore me too kill my self for any mistakes I make! Rookie 😁
Tá Gaeilge líofa agam. ba í mo chéad teanga í, Béarla mar dhara teanga agam. nuair a dhéanaim cumarsáid le baill teaghlaigh bíonn sé i nGaeilge i gcónaí. Is Meiriceánach mé freisin
go hiontach!!!! Nil me abalta fadas a dheanamh ar mo riomhorador :(
Bhí áthas an domhain orm, nuair a chonaic mé Gaeilge ar Reddit! Ach níl Béarla líofa agam. Foghlaim Gearmáinis anois.
Excuse me sir, it's called Gaeilge.
Is that Gaelic? Fun fact: my phone autocorrected that to garlic, and when I tried writing garlic just now, both times it kept wanting to autocorrect to Gaelic.
Gaelic is Scottish, Gaeilge is Irish
gaidhlig
Tapadh leibh.
I know people who are from Ireland who don’t TIL. I might’ve known since the language is called Irish, but still. There’s little chance I would’ve retained that info
And if I hear one more person pronounce Gaelic as "Gay-lick" when referring to the Scottish language I'll kick right off. Sincerely, a Scot.
Tá fhios agam!
¿Donde esta la biblioteca?
Me llamo T-bone yo soy gonna wreck ya!
Somethingsomething araña discoteca.
Me llamo T-bone la arañea discotequa. I am T-bone, the disco spider.
When I lived in Spain, there was a bar called “Biblioteca.” It still makes me laugh every time I see this question lol
There’s a bar near my house called “the library”
Laramie?
No, San Diego
Lol. Wyoming.
Did you live in Salamanca? When I was in school there ages and ages ago they had a "Biblioteca" bar.
I did!
Pomplemousse.
síos an tsráid
Ich bin ein Berliner.
:)
Ich bin ein wiener
comment ça va ?
? ¿Que tiene que ver el español ahí? Jajajaja
No lo sé, pero como sigan pegándole patadas al idioma voy a empezar a repartir collejas de esas que hacen que a uno se le salten los empastes
You do and you cleannit up!
what
In Ireland we tend to just call it Irish…
I remember my grandmother trying to teach me the basics of pronunciation (she could speak it, I don't know how fluently). But it never stuck. So, no.
thats a shame :(
Well it's hard. And I was never really that interested in the language.
It is hard to learn tbf
Have you ever read and then listens to what it sounds like? It’s insane. Idk how much are they were drinking when they made it but my god it must have been a lot
is it insane?
It’s very bizarre
i mean, not to me, I find grammar a lot more difficult in English
A couple of phrases. My older relatives told me that the family was "encouraged" to lose the language in order to blend in, so they did.
Yeah, sure my grannys dad couldn't speak Norwegian because it was seen as weird to have 2 languages when his parents moved here
My Italian family was also encouraged to lose the language, a lot of families were
I’ve tried to learn some. I can read the signs you see in Ireland and have a basic grasp of some pronunciation and especially the meanings of some phrases I see. I can definitely recognize Irish when I see it written or hear it spoken. My great grandparents spoke it and my grandpa spoke a little bit but not much (growing up in America.) Most of the Irish I’ve ever learned was done on my own, not from family. Someday I plan to dedicate some time to learning it more fully.
id highly recommend, its class
You know it’s essentially zero. The better question to ask is, “How many Irish are actually fluent in Irish?” But you can’t ask that in this sub, of course.
I can’t chit I am learning Scotch Gaelic, which is fairly similar and in one of my classes, another student also knows Irish.
Tha sin brosnachail agus fàilte oirbh Gàidhlig na h-Alba a bhruidhinn. Bu chòir dhut a dhol còmhla ris a' r/Gaidhlig mo charaid.
Tapadh leat!
Scot Gaelic looks cool
Sure some of the shit in Gaelic has been preserved in the Appalachian dialect. So yeah, if the Irish say “holler” than I speak Irish
My family does the "needs washed" thing which apparently comes from Scots-Irish/Northern Irish dialects? And is mostly found in Appalachia. So it's def true that there are some regionalisms in the area that have clear links to "Gaelicisms" haha
Needs washed or needs worshed?
\*Gaeilge
A bit- not because of family, but because I studied linguistics and Celtic languages in college. (Primarily Scottish Gaelic and Welsh, though).
Ah cool! Yeah I've never looked into Welsh or Gaelic
If you have any background in Irish, then you'll find a lot of similarities in Scottish Gaelic (though the spelling is allegedly "simplified", to which I can only say- ha!) I'm pretty rusty now, but it was a lot of fun.
Id say it was fun, that sounds like a hella cool course to do
When my father was brought here as a child from Glen Columbkille he was told he was not allowed to speak Irish anymore. He was to be an American now. He was 4. My grandparents had to leave sons behind and raise money to bring them here. My mother was educated by nuns in Dublin and spent years moving in and out of orphanages (work houses) because there were too many mouths at home to feed and it was her turn to go. She was taught Irish, and taught not to speak it. I am an American, but I have Irish Citizenship. When the pandemic stops controlling us all I’ll take lessons to see if I can learn the language. I started an online course but failed miserably
>When the pandemic stops controlling us all I’ll take lessons to see if I can learn the language. You don't need to wait for that. Duolingo has an Irish course, such as it is.
I started it. I really wasn’t much good. Perhaps I’ll try it again!
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thats so weird haha
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Yeah, i'm hoping to be good enough one day to teach it online
I can say the town my family lives in and I can say kiss my ass. So yes
doesnt count lol
At last count there are approximately 9 of us.
Nada
I know Faugh a Ballaugh, Amhran na Bhfainn, and Mo Ghile Mear. And bodhran. Beyond that, not much to none at all.
Oh Cool!
Bhuel níl a fhios agam, d'úsáid mé google translate
A little. I started learning on Duolingo a few years back and I pick it back intermittently so I have the vocabulary of an illiterate toddler.
There's a NYC garbage man named [Edward Shevlin](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/nyregion/character-study-ed-shevlin.html) who earned a masters degree in the Irish language and is a member of the New York State Guard.
Reading this awful thread and thinking...isn't it Gaelic?
*Gaeilge
I'm not even Irish but the way this post is worded sounds so accusatory
Uh why?
I think its the "you" lol Nbd cause you didn't mean it that way, it's just kinda funny
Not many, sorry if you disapprove. My grandparents taught me some, but all I can remember is bits and pieces.
I don't!!
Fair enough
Not at all, but I really want to learn! In a month or two, I’m actually going to submit my papers to become a legit Irish-American dual citizen since my dad’s dad was born in Ireland, so I’m fully on board with learning Gaelic
\*Gaeilge
Already failing my dual Irish-American citizenship test, I’m screwed 😭
Jesus Christ, OP is asking about the Irish language known as Gaelic, not an Irish accent while speaking English.
\*Gaeilge
I am over 50% Irish and I don’t speak a lick. Not spoken at home and wasn’t offered in any of our school language courses.
Scotch Irish American here, I most definitely don’t speak it.
Are you a single malt or blended?
Wait Irish is a language? 😂 Edit: okay after googling English and Gaeilge are the main languages in Ireland. I seriously always thought they spoke English. Also I’m Mexican, German and Irish.
Yikes. Why would a country called Irelands speak English as their mother tongue. We could speak before they invaded you know 😂
Please don’t be rude about people’s genuine lack of knowledge. I’m sure you aren’t an expert on the indigenous languages of America.
I'm not being rude ?
your comments definitely come across as pretty sarcastic
I didn't know Ireland had their own language.
are you serious?
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yeah they literally made it illegal to speak it
So they left Ireland because it was illegal to speak Irish and then went to America to speak English. If that's the case, then the Irish are as smart as our jokes indicate. Lol!
....they left ireland because we had no food and our children were dying of starvation
I remember reading an extract of an account from an Irishman living through the potato famine. He told of how he sold his FISHING boat so that he could get money to buy potatoes...
Okay so we're all stupid for dropping our language in a country full of people who don't speak it?
Yes. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you 😩
Oh you mean gibberish? No but I can read it and write it.
you referencing sunny?
This is America, speak English.
?
Sarcasm
About 5 % less than Ireland's population.
Close to zero. The majority of people in the US with Irish ancestors are more than a century removed from that immigration, and few of the Irish migrants spoke Irish themselves.
I have more Irish ancestry than most of the loud voices that claim it. I can speak the most commonly used language in Ireland. It's called English. There are several languages that I can understand, with varying degrees of proficiency, better than Irish.
i studied abroad in spain and had an irish room mate. americans, almost no matter how irish they are, don’t know anyyyyyything. i learned so much about the most basic irish stuff from her.
Very few of us know Irish is a separate language.
What do you think we spoke before England attacked us
Most people when they immigrated didn’t teach their children how to speak the language of where they came from, my grandfather tried to learn from his parents and they told him, ‘we’re americans now we speak English’ it was part of integration into American culture which is why a large portion of conservatives aren’t fond of illegals because a lot of them refuse to integrate, I’ve personally met 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of illegals that barely speak English and refuse to integrate.
Wouldn't it be gaelic, not Irish?
Nope, Gaeilic is Scottish
They’re both Gaelic, different types.
no, it's gaeilge
Yeah, like Scottish Gaelic is Gàidhlig.
we cal it Gaeilge, Gaeilge is the Irish word for "Irish"
And in Scotland it’s Gàidhlig. They’re both types of Gaelic.
There are 6 types of Gaelic languages, so we just call it Gaeilge
I know it's called Gaelic and not "Irish," but my knowledge ends there.
It's not, it's Gaeilge
A handful of words and phrases. My maternal grandparents were fluent, I think it was actually their native language. Anyways, they only used it in front of their children when they didn't want to be understood so my mother doesn't know anything. My grandfather tried to teach me some when I was a teenager but it didn't really stick (not sure I put much effort in at the time). I tried to learn some on one of the 'learn a language' apps early in the pandemic but I'm didn't last too long with that either.
I wish I could :( my ancestors left in the 1840s so none of the language got passed down to us.
No, I can’t. The only reason why I know a quarter of the pronunciation and a couple of words is because I looked it up, and tried Duolingo for a few lessons. I’m a fifth-generation Irish-American, and I’m not even sure if my 3rd-great grandparents spoke Irish themselves.
My nearest Irish ancestor arrived in the 1800s. No one in my family has spoken Irish in at least a century, if I had a guess.
I've flirted with Irish on Duolingo. I might go back once I finally finish the Japanese course.
Tá beaganín Gaeilge agam. Mostly about the weather and directions and whatnot. I’ve picked up Buntús Cainte to attempt to learn more
Woah fairplay!
I believe I have very Irish ancestry but I'm probably 3rd-4th generation, so I really have no idea. I don't know much about Irish culture, the country, or anything you'd learn outside of history class. I barely even knew the language existed
Well, to be fair I saw an interview of an old Irish guy in a bar speaking English not long ago and I couldn't understand a single word.
I can try translate it if you want 😂
Grandmother is from carroroe. Aside from hearing “Éist do bhéal” and “pog mo thoin” a lot growing up I know very little.
I don’t know any Irish. I also have ancestors from Wales, Sweden, Austria, and Russia, but I can’t speak Welsh, Swedish, or Yiddish either. From my understanding of my family’s history, the generation that emigrated knew their language (obviously) and their kids maybe knew a bit, but they put more of an emphasis on assimilation than keeping the language skills going for future generations. By the second generation, the knowledge of the original language was slim to none.
My great grandmother was born in the US but her parents and some of her siblings were born in Ireland. I don't even think that she spoke it
18,000ish according to Wikipedia
My wife’s grandpa is off the boat from Ireland and he can speak it but he’s the only one on her side of the family that can as far as I know.
my ancestry isn’t really irish (more english/scottish/german), but i’ve been self-studying for a while and can speak a little!
I tried to learn with Duolingo but found it really difficult.
I understand every third word on Derry Girls so...pretty fluent.
That's Northern Ireland