British Colonialism - Irish Language
The Suppression of Irish Language and Culture14 January 2025
A summary of the history of suppression of the Irish Language and culture under British colonial rule
Colonialism and the Irish Language
As part of the colonising process in Ireland every aspect of Irish social, political, economic and cultural life was violently suppressed and overturned, and English norms and practices were forcibly established in their place.
English was imposed as the dominant language of state, law and commerce from the 14th century onwards, a process that accelerated greatly throughout the 19th century.
A state education system was set up in 1831 with instruction in English only.
Similar to other colonial entities, children who used their native tongue were singled out, ridiculed and punished.
A state induced famine in the mid 19th century, in which a million people died, and a further million emigrated, accelerated the physical and psychological decline of Irish as the areas most affected were poorer, and were disproportionately Irish speaking.
As emigration continued, by the end of the 19th century Irish was a minority language in its own country for the first time.
A cultural revival in the late 19th century prioritised the language, and this in turn was a major part of the fight for, and achievement of, partial independence in southern Ireland in 1922.
Today, Irish remains marginalised in the south, despite official state support, while the northern part of the island, under gerrymandered unionist rule, actively suppressed the Irish language.
Despite this the language underwent a revival in the 1970s with the establishment of Irish language schools and a community and rights-based approach to language issues across all of the island. The use of the language is expanding in urban areas, while it continues to decline in the few Irish speaking areas that remain on the fringes of Irish society.