The early history of the Irish language is obscured in the mists of time. Days could be spent arguing over the exact date the language first arrived in Ireland, but suffice it to say that some form of a Celtic language has been spoken here since about 300BC, a time when the Celts were at their zenith throughout Europe. However, the growth of the Roman Empire meant the continental Celtic peoples in France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and further afield were soon subjugated. The subsequent 'Pax Romana' or 'Roman Peace' created the circumstances for the gradual loss of their languages and the absorption of Latin.
Of all the Celtic regions in Europe only Ireland, and much of Scotland, remained totally free of Roman intrusion. This meant that the Celtic language spoken here could continue to develop and change in its own, independent of continental currents. By the time the Romans withdrew from Britain in 410AD, big differences had emerged between the Celtic language as spoken in Ireland and that in Britain. Our speech has come to be called Q-Celtic, while linguists refer to the principle languages of Britain as P-Celtic.
This distinction refers to sound changes that occurred in both languages over many centuries whereby a word in Irish pronounced with a 'Q' or 'C' sound may have a cognate word with a 'P' sound in 'P-Celtic'. For instance, the early Irish used the word maqq (mac is Modern Irish) for 'son', while the speakers of Old Welsh used map (mab in Modern Welsh). This difference between the Celtic languages survives to this day; Irish, Gaelic and Manx are referred to as Q-Celtic [or Goidleic], while Welsh, Breton and Cornish are P-Celtic [or Brythonic].
The first written examples of Irish came from Irish monks working on the Continent in the eighth century AD. Notes and poems scribbled in the margins of monastic manuscripts give us our first insight into the forms and structure of the early language. It may be surprising to note but at that time Irish was not confined to Ireland alone, but had spread to Scotland, The Isle of Man, Wales and even England! Ogham stones with various inscriptions in early Irish, Brythonic and vulgar Latin attest to the fact that considerable colonies of Irish settlers had established themselves on mainland Britain before the turn of the first millennium.
The Irish language was at its peak towards the end of the 12th Century when the King of Leinster - Laighean, Dermot MacMurrough, invited the Anglo-Normans to intervene in Irish affairs. For the first time English and Norman French were being spoken in Ireland and these languages heavily influenced Irish. Many loan-words still in use derive from this time such as "gasúr" [boy/child] borrowed from French "garcon" [boy].
By the 17th Century the fortunes of Irish had reversed dramatically, with this situation being exacerbated by the arrival of Cromwell and the enactment of the Penal Laws against the Catholic and Dissenter population. Irish poetry from this time speaks of the end of an era - bards and filí sensing they were the last of their kind.
The Act of Union in 1801 compounded the language's decline when it formalized English dominance in Ireland and finally shifted total power to London. Although on paper, large numbers of people spoke Irish, they were completely disenfranchised with absolutely no economic or political influence. Even before the Great Famine, the language had sunk into a deep decline and crisis.
The end of the 19th century saw a revival of interest in the Irish language. This movement corresponded with a nationalist resurgence across Europe, and culminated in the foundation of indigenous government for Ireland. Since the creation of the Irish State successive administrations have proclaimed their policy to be the revival and/or protection of the Irish language.
Yet in truth these policies have been no more than paper promises. The general indifference of most Irish people towards what remains of the living Irish language is reflected in its status within the national political and social life. Native Irish speakers, of whom there are suspected to be only 20,000 left, experience the most profound difficulty if they attempt to use their language when conducting business with any public body.
Marginalized by the fact of their language, native speakers are subject to a type of mistreatment that would be condemned as repressive if it occurred in any other country. In Ireland, however, such an attitude is rationalized as being an historical reality and a socio-economic necessity.