A Global History of the Irish Language in the Nineteenth Century
Nicholas Wolf, New York University
The Distribution of Irish-Born Native Speakers of Irish Worldwide, ca. 1900-1910*
100,000
300,000
500,000
700,000
900,000
Ireland (60%)
United States (25%)
Other (15%)
Garret FitzGerald (1983)
Revival Organizations: SPIL, Gaelic Union, Gaelic League
Bean Uí Chobhthaigh, National Folklore Schools Collection, Vol. 633 (1937)
"Bhí scoile scairte i gCuibhreann ag Dick Madigan, Cíarraidheach, go dtí 58 blíana ó shoin. Fear bacac crosta ab eadh é agus bhíodh an scoil ar siúbhal 'na thigh féin. Bhí an ghaedhilg go líomhtha aige agus núair bhíodh sé ar buile, labharadh sé í ag cáineadh na scoláirí acht dá gcloiseadh sé focal gaedhilge dá labhairt ag na scolairí do thabharfadh sé léasadh dóibh."
"Dick Madigan, a Kerryman, had a hedge school in Querrin up until 58 years ago. He was a despicable, difficult man, and the school was held in his own house. He had fluent Irish, and when he was angry he would speak it when admonishing the students but if he heard a word of Irish spoken by the students he would give them a flogging."
Difference between % of Full Population under 20 and
% of Irish-Speaking Population under 20, 1851-91
Province | 1851 | 1871 | 1891 |
---|---|---|---|
Munster | .14 | .26 | .31 |
Ulster | .14 | .15 | .16 |
Connacht | .10 | .20 | .25 |
Leinster | .36 | .38 | .36 |
Province | 1851 | 1871 | 1891 |
---|---|---|---|
Munster | .14 | .26 (-.12) | .31 |
Ulster | .14 | .15 | .16 |
Connacht | .10 | .20 (-.10) | .25 |
Leinster | .36 | .38 | .36 |
Difference between % of Full Population under 20 and
% of Irish-Speaking Population under 20, 1851-91
In sum...
- Munster was missing 100,000 Irish-speaking youths under age 20 in 1871 it needed to sustain the proportion of young Irish speakers it had in 1851 (on a all-language population under 20 of 640,000)
- Connacht was missing 60,000 in 1871 to match its 1851 proportion (out of 410,000)
- Ulster was missing 6,000 (out of 832,000; 0.72%)
Total Number of Irish-Mother-Tongue Claimants Per State, 1910
Top Two States, Percentage of Overall Irish-Born Claiming Irish by Decade of Immigration
Decade | State 1 | State 2 |
---|---|---|
1830-39 | New York (33.4%) | Illinois (22.1%) |
1840-49 | New York (13.5%) | Pennsylvania (13.5%) |
1850-59 | New York (15.7%) | Pennsylvania (11.9%) |
1860-69 | New York (16.8%) | Massachusetts (11.7%) |
1870-79 | New York (15.4%) | Pennsylvania (15.1%) |
1880-89 | New York (18.7%) | Massachusetts (15.9%) |
1890-99 | Massachusetts (21.4%) | New York (17.4%) |
1900-10 | New York (21.4%) | Pennsylvania (15.5%) |
Percentage of Irish-Born Claiming Irish Mother Tongue, 1910
Top New York/New Jersey Counties for Irish-Born Claimants of Irish as Mother Tongue, 1910
County | Number of Claimants |
---|---|
New York (incl. Bronx, not S.I.) | 13,432 |
Bergen + Hudson Counties, NJ | 8,726 |
Kings (Brooklyn) | 6,825 |
Westchester | 4,220 |
Erie | 3,106 |
Queens | 1,803 |
Albany | 1,501 |
Estimated Number of Irish-Born with Irish as Mother Tongue, ca. 1891-1901
Country | Number of Irish-Born | If 21.1% Irish Mother Tongue... |
---|---|---|
England and Wales | 458,315 | 96,704 |
Australia | 228,000 | 48,000 |
Canada | 150,000 | 31,000 |
An Gaodhal, Brooklyn, NY, 1881-1904
Star Spangled Banner Translation into Irish,
Eugene O'Growney, 1900
Gaelic League London Executive Committee, 1903
Books of Prayers, Daibhí de Barra, 1833
State Library of Victoria, MS 10959, Melbourne, Australia
IACI Virtual Presentation 2022
By Nicholas Wolf
IACI Virtual Presentation 2022
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