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Conradh na Gaeilge is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emerged as the successor of several 19th century groups such as the Gaelic Union. The organisation was a spearhead of the Gaelic revival and of Gaeilgeoir activism.
A Gaeltacht is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The Gaeltacht districts were first officially recognised during the 1920s in the early years of the Irish Free State, following the Gaelic revival, as part of a government policy aimed at restoring the Irish language.
Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots, also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect of Scots spoken in parts of Ulster in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is generally considered a dialect or group of dialects of Scots, although groups such as the Ulster-Scots Language Society and Ulster-Scots Academy consider it a language in its own right, and the Ulster-Scots Agency and former Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure have used the term Ulster-Scots language.
English, in various dialects, is the most widely spoken language of the United Kingdom, but a number of regional and migrant languages are also spoken. Regional indigenous languages are Scots and Ulster Scots and the Celtic languages, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and, as a revived language with few speakers, Cornish. British Sign Language is also used. There are also many languages spoken by immigrants who arrived recently to the United Kingdom, mainly within inner city areas; these languages are mainly from continental Europe and South Asia.
The Ulster Scots, also called Ulster Scots people or, in North America, Scotch-Irish (Scotch-Airisch) or Scots-Irish, are an ethnic group in Ireland, who share a common history, culture and ancestry, some of whom speak an Ulster Scots dialect of the Scots language, a West Germanic language. As an ethnicity, they descend largely from Scottish and English settlers who moved to the north of Ireland, during the 17th century.
The North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) is a body established under the Good Friday Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of Ireland.
Foras na Gaeilge is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the roles of the Irish language board Bord na Gaeilge, the publisher An Gúm, and the terminological committee An Coiste Téarmaíochta, all three of which had formerly been state bodies of the Irish government.
The Ulster-Scots Agency is a cross-border body for Ireland which seeks to "promote the study, conservation and development of Ulster-Scots as a living language, to encourage and develop the full range of its attendant culture, and to promote an understanding of the history of the Ulster-Scots [people]."
Tourism Northern Ireland, also known as Tourism NI, is a non-departmental public body of the Department for the Economy. Its primary objective is to promote Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to domestic tourists, from within Northern Ireland, and to visitors from the Republic of Ireland.
An Gúm was an Irish state company tasked with the publication of Irish literature, especially educational materials. The agency is now part of Foras na Gaeilge. Its mission statement is "To produce publications and resources in support of Irish-medium education and of the use of Irish in general." It is the largest publisher of books in Irish in the country. Seosamh Ó Murchú is the current Senior Editor.
An tUltach was the official magazine of Comhaltas Uladh, the Ulster branch of Conradh na Gaeilge. It was in circulation from 1924 to 2018.
The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is a cross-border body in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland which co-ordinates projects funded by the European Union and implemented in Northern Ireland and adjacent regions: the Border region of the Republic of Ireland, and Western Scotland. The SEUPB is one of six cross-border bodies established after the 1998 Belfast Agreement, given statutory force by Section V of both the North/South Co-operation Order 1999 and the British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999 in the UK and Republic respectively. SEUPB receives and disburses funds under two EU programs: Interreg IVA and Peace III. It may also compete for Interreg IVB and IVC funds. It reports to the European Commission, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government of Ireland.
The Trade and Business Development Body, trading as InterTradeIreland, is one of the six all-island bodies set up following the Belfast Agreement reporting to the North/South Ministerial Council. InterTradeIreland is a Cross-Border Trade and Business Development Body funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) in Ireland and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland (DFE). InterTradeIreland helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the island with a wide range of services in particular to assist firms with growth, funding, capacity building and research and innovation.
The official status of the Irish language has remained high in the Republic of Ireland from foundation. This reflects the dominance of the language in Irish cultural and social history until the nineteenth century and its role in Irish cultural identity. In 2022, strong recognition was added in Northern Ireland also. In the 2022 Republic of Ireland census 1,873,997 people or 39.8% of the population in the Republic of Ireland said that they had some ability to speak Irish, out of an overall population of 5,149,139. In Northern Ireland 228,600 people (12.4%) have some ability in the Irish language according to the 2021 census for Northern Ireland, out of a population of 1,903,175 people. It has been found, however, that while ideological support for Irish is high, actual routine use is very low, and that there is very little or rare correlation between personal fluency in the language and the perceived value of Irish as an identity-marker. Nevertheless, the language benefits from the support of activists who continue to use it as a social and cultural medium.
Coleraine is a barony in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It connects to the north-Londonderry coastline, and is bordered by five other baronies: Keenaght to the west; Loughinsholin to the south; North East Liberties of Coleraine, Dunluce Upper, and the Kilconway to the east. Before its creation it was once a territory known as "Firnacreeve".
Safefood, stylised safefood, is the public body responsible for raising consumer awareness of issues relating to food safety and healthy eating across the island of Ireland. Founded in 1999, Safefood is one of six North-South implementation bodies established jointly by the British and Irish governments under the terms of the British-Irish Agreement Act.
English is by far the most spoken, and the "de facto" national language of Northern Ireland,; it occurs in various forms, including Ulster English and Hiberno-English. Irish is an official language of Northern Ireland since 2022, and the local variety of Scots, known as Ulster Scots, has official minority status, with services in the language provided by public authorities. Northern Ireland Sign Language and Irish Sign Language have also been recognised with minority status since 29 March 2004.
References
- ↑ 2006 annual report in Irish NSMC.
- ↑ 2006 annual report in Ulster-Scots Archived 27 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine NSMC.
- ↑ 2010 annual report in Ulster-Scots Archived 27 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine NSMC.
