THIS PAST MONTH The Good Information Project has been looking at whether the Irish language is thriving or merely surviving – “fair bhrú nó faoi bhláth” mar a déarfá. 

In many ways it is unfortunate that our national language is the subject of regular health checks but it’s difficult to avoid when daily speakers have declined over the last decade. 

As of the last Census there were about 74,000 daily speakers, with the government’s goal of having 250,000 by 2030 looking to be a long way off. 

When the results of tonight’s Census are collated we will have a more up-to-date idea of where we are – but the language need not be a numbers game. 

As has been explored over the past month, what is clear is that there is an evident grá for the language among the majority of the population. 

Polling carried out by Ireland Thinks/The Good Information Project found that two-thirds of people would like to see more Irish in their lives, with younger people especially associating it closely with national identity. 

The poll found a correlation between those recently in education having more of an affection for the language than older age groups – something that perhaps points to an improvement in how the language is taught in schools. 

For example, several people who spoke to The Journal during this series spoke about how old tropes about the long-abolished teaching of Peig Sayers are still used by sceptics, even though the much-maligned text hasn’t been taught for decades.  

Instead, the focus for education providers is on catering for the demand that exists for Irish language schooling. There are now 150 primary-level gaelscoileanna and 44 second-level gaelcholáistí across the 26 counties, with Northern Ireland having 28 and 2 respectively. 

The demand for gaelscoileanna has been somewhat hampered by new patronage competitions using a first-past-the-post system, with calls for more legislative powers to enforce greater rights to Irish-language education.

The EU can play a part, with Irish having recently been made an official language of the union.

Our Open Newsroom featured Dr Teresa Lynn of the ADAPT Centre and senior policy advisor at the European Parliament Jim Maher to discuss how the EU can support minority languages and the importance of visibility. 

Ireland is not the only country in Europe where the indigenous language has hit a ceiling, with CJ McKinney outlining that by some metrics Irish is in a worse position than some European peers.

Zuzia Whelan explored another minority language, in this case the Polish language in Ireland, and the opportunities it presents for a new generation of Irish people, 

The precise role of Irish in this country is also something that is being constantly debated, with the heritage, social and cultural aspects of the language seemingly a lot more secure than the economic case for doing business through the language. 

In the case of the former, we spoke to the Irish colleges that are booked out this summer and to the communities expecting a boon from arriving students. 

We also spoke to the people who are taking Irish language cinema international and winning awards along the way.

We profiled some of the next generation of young Irish speakers who are engaging with a whole new audience online but who face digital obstacles common to many minority languages. 

This question of coming at the language with a business eye is something that is taking place specifically in Dublin, where a number of Irish language professional networks are attempting to find a foothold.

The goal of having an Irish Language Quarter in the capital may be on the ambitious end of the spectrum but there are moves towards this also. 

In the gaeltachtataí there are a completely different set of challenges, something we explored at a live debate in Dingle involving Seán Kelly MEP, ‘Kerry Cowboy’ Séaghan Ó Súilleabháin, Orlaith Ruiséal from Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne and Lisa Nic an Breithimh ón European Movement Ireland. 

The debate featured interesting questions about how the housing crisis is affecting rural gaeltacht areas. 

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.