How to revive an endangered language
At Britain's most glamorous film awards last weekend, the BAFTAs, one film received particular attention: ”Kneecap”, which follows the rise of the eponymous rap trio (we previously wrote about them here). All in Irish, the comedy's – alongside the trio's – popularity is the latest cultural success of the Celtic language.
Gaeilge – the word for the Irish language in Irish itself – is one of the oldest written languages in Europe, only spoken in Ireland. Although English is more widely spoken in daily life, more and more people are rediscovering Irish: since 2019, several films in Gaeilge have been met with international acclaim. Music, literature, social media, or even podcasts are all experiencing the same Irish revival.
There are a few clues as to why Gaeilge is making a comeback – one being educational trends. Irish-speaking schools have grown in popularity since the 1980s, and more emphasis has been put on spoken Irish, especially in secondary school. Consequently, the number of people able to speak Irish has gone up 71% since 1991. According to the 2022 census, around two-fifths of Ireland's population reported that they could speak some Gaeilge.
The comeback is also driven by a direct recognition of the need for more Gaeilge cultural production from both artists and cultural institutions. In 2017, the National Irish Language Broadcaster launched Cine4, a film initiative which funds the production of two Irish-language films per year. It's been a success: Among them is ”The Quiet Girl”, the first-ever film in Irish to be shortlisted at the Oscars in 2023.
Gaeilge is compulsory in all schools: that's 12 years of learning it. Yet, less than 2% of the population speaks Irish daily. Because of its absence from everyday life, it has a paradoxical reputation: recognised as a touchstone of Irish identity, it is often perceived as an outdated language.
One reason is the cultural material used, which, as my cousin put it when I asked him about it, ”never felt modern or cool.” Current teaching methods are also deemed unfit to properly learn the language due to the emphasis put on final exams.
Successful cultural productions like ”Kneecap” or even the recent rise in Irish language social media influencers are a way to integrate Gailge into modern life.