Irish language
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Irish or Gaeilge is a language spoken in Ireland. Irish is a Celtic language. This means that Irish is similar to Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. Many people who speak Irish can understand some Scottish Gaelic. They usually do not understand Welsh though.
Until the nineteenth century, most people in Ireland spoke Irish. There were great poets who wrote in Irish. Their poems became the songs of the people. People told stories about the heroes of old times. Many of the poems were about them.
Today, Irish is the first official language of the Republic of Ireland. It is not spoken by most Irish people outside the Gaeltacht for day to day life, but a lot of people speak it daily also or when among friends or family. It has to be taught in all schools in Ireland.
[change] Figures
There are around 1.5 million speakers. The places where Irish spoken a lot are called Gaeltacht areas. Around 70% of the people in these areas can speak Irish.
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[change] Common words and phrase
- Aon = 1
- Dó = 2
- Trí = 3
- Ceathair = 4
- cúig = 5
- sé = 6
- seacht = 7
- ocht = eight
- naoi = nine
- deich = ten
- céad = one hundred
- dhá chéad = two hundred
- Dia Dhuit = Hello
- Céad Mile Fáilte = One hundred thousand welcomes
- Ceist ag éinne? = Anyone have a question?
- Éire = Ireland
- go maith = Good
- Slán = goodbye
[change] Other websites
Wikipedia in gaeilge