Recently a trilingual Danish acquaintance of mine, somewhat familiar with Ireland, asked me why is it that most of the political leaders of the British Unionist minority in the north-east of the country are so vociferous in their antipathy to the Irish language and equal rights for Irish-speaking men, women and children in the region. The simplest explanation I could give was also the most obvious. Irish is the indigenous language of the island of Ireland, a language tied up with two thousand years and more of Gaelic civilization that predated the British invasions and colonisations of our country, and which for centuries existed in parallel with and in opposition to the British settlements on this island-nation. It naturally became a symbol of native resistance to foreign rule and a target for extermination along with those who spoke it. For some in a community who believe themselves to…
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