The Irish language is having a renaissance ... what does it mean for Scots

When walking around Ireland you would be hard-pressed not to hear a quick “dia dhuit” on the street, or a hearty “sláinte” during a celebration.

It’s been this way for generations, but many now argue that this is just the beginning of what could be a Celtic revival seen across the British Isles.

Last year, The Irish Times reported that while the total number of Irish language speakers has dropped roughly 2% since 2016, there is a noticeably greater proficiency in Irish speaking amongst Ireland’s youth.

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The 2022 census shows us how 63% of Irish speakers between the ages of 15 and 19 claimed to speak Irish “very well” or “well”.

But these statistics prove the rise in Irish’s ­popularity is not just restricted to Ireland’s ­Gaeltacht, or even south of the border, as Northern Ireland has also seen a gradual increase in people who can speak Irish to some degree.

Northern Ireland’s 2021 census shows us that 12.4% of the population (228,600 people) reportedly have “some” knowledge of Irish, an increase of nearly 2% from 2011.

So what is the reason behind so many young Irish people looking to reconnect with their national ­heritage?

It’s no surprise that younger demographics have incorporated the Irish language into their daily life through means of social media platforms like ­Instagram and TikTok, and when looking at what’s on offer from independent Irish advocates, it’s easy to see younger people are spoilt for choice.

Mollie Guidera is one of the biggest figures on Instagram for learning Irish, whose page @irishwithmollie boasts a massive 154k followers.

“There’s a great tenderness that’s built into the ­language that I think in schools people were not aware of,” she told The Irish Times last year.

“I’m trying to remove the fear and shame around the ­language, and embrace the fun” she continued when discussing the motivation behind her social media posts offering bitesize Irish lessons to her followers.

Another contender in the digital Irish language scene is New York-based TikTok creator Vivienne ­Sayers O’Callaghan, whose content has ­garnered her over 150,000 followers on the platform. O’Callaghan told The Irish Independent in January that TikTok was perfect for promoting Irish ­culture, as short clips ­uploaded to the site allowed for ­“snappy, engaging content that’s just perfect for teaching basics”.

When discussing the possible factors ­influencing the growing enthusiasm for Irish in Northern ­Ireland, controversial hip-hop trio Kneecap (below) are also a force to be reckoned with.

Helping put Belfast on the map by spearheading the Irish language rap scene, their unique stance on ­Belfast’s post-Troubles society has found their ­self-titled film Kneecap premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, being the first ever film in the Irish language to do so.

The trio’s growing ­popularity has seen them using their spotlight to ­continue to promote the Irish language with ­younger people primarily in Northern Ireland where use of the Irish language still sees stigma with those ­identifying as Irish Catholics.

“In Dublin, if there was a young person ­speaking Irish it’s normal, but up North, if we ­decided to have a group that’s in Irish it’s for some reason political,” Kneecap told Patrick Kielty on The Late Late Show earlier this year.

“At the end of the day, it’s a language we converse in, it’s a means of ­socialising and survival, but an hour and a half down the street it’s not political,”they ­continued.

It is important to note that the Irish language has only officially been recognised as an official language in Northern Ireland as of 2022 after the Identity and Language Act was passed – which saw both the protection of Irish in Northern Ireland and a £4 million investment in an Irish language investment fund among other benefits.

The act was passed despite opposition from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose then-leader Arlene Foster (below) stated that supporters of the language act were “using the Irish language as a tool to beat Unionism over the head”.

Aside from the growing success seen digitally, the Irish language has also found itself returning to Northern ­Ireland’s legal sector in ways that many didn’t expect to see, as January 2024 saw the Irish language being used in a Belfast courtroom for the first time in 300 years.

This news – while seemingly a small step in the grand scheme of things – saw huge engagement and ­shareability on ­social ­media among Northern ­Ireland’s ­Catholic population that now ­outnumbers the Protestant population for the first time since 1926.

So what could this mean for Scotland?

The native Celtic languages that span the British Isles have been in the same boat for decades, ­fighting tooth and nail not to be ­forgotten by future generations. While it is clear from the recent 2022 census that Scottish Gaelic has not seen the same magnitude of resurgence that Irish has, there are a few key indicators that perhaps signal an oncoming increase of Gaelic speakers over the coming years.

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“My impression is that there is a ­growing interest amongst young people in learning languages such as Gaelic.

We have probably more students than ever at Edinburgh University doing Gaelic ­language classes,” Professor Rob Dunbar, head of the University of Edinburgh’s Celtic and Scottish studies department told me in an interview discussing the current state of Gaelic.

“At the same time, we must be mindful that languages like Gaelic and Irish are very vulnerable, and at the same time that we see greater institutional support and a growth in interest in learning them, the remaining communities in which they are still widely spoken are under great pressure.”

Just like in the Irish digital space, ­influencers have taken to social media with the hopes of educating those around the world who wish to learn Gaelic.

Aberdeen’s Lauren Smith is without a doubt one of the main names in digital Gaelic education on Instagram.

While proudly boasting 115k followers who readily interact with her lifestyle and ­educational posts, Lauren’s ­advocacy for all things Scottish Gaelic led her to ­become a finalist at the Scottish ­Influencer Awards in 2024.

“We’re often fed a narrative that ­Gaelic is a dying language and that nobody cares, but it’s clear to see that people do care,” Smith explained.

“At the time I started, I would often hear people say that they wished they did it at school or that they wished they could speak it but that it felt intimidating to try.

“So, I wanted to break it down into bite-sized content and show that the language can be accessible and more importantly, you can have fun with it,” she continues, discussing the use of digital media for day-to-day exposure to Gaelic.

Scotland’s 2022 census published in May of this year has found Gaelic to be in an interesting position, with 2.5% of ­people aged three and over having some skills in Gaelic in 2022. This is an increase of 43,100 people since 2011 when 1.7% had some skills in Gaelic. In 2001, 1.9% had some Gaelic skills, similar to 2011.

The percentage of people aged three and over with some skills in Scots also increased, to 46.2% in 2022 from 37.7% in 2011.

From a digital perspective, things seem far more visibly optimistic. Duolingo is widely recognised as the world’s most popular free language learning app, boasting an online community that totals more than 500 million users.

In 2021, statistics from Duolingo shared data that Irish was the fastest-growing language on the app.

While this educational platform is open to any and all demographics that own a smartphone, the quick access to lessons and quick activities have proven very popular with users under 30 since the app’s launch in 2012.

This is also promising news for those looking to reconnect with their Scottish heritage.

(Image: NQ)

There are currently 519,000 people actively learning Scottish Gaelic on Duolingo, hitting an enormous 1.8 million total learners in 2023. This is up 17% in 2023, an increase of 12% from 2022 according to Duolingo’s most ­recent language trends.

Of course, 1.8m learners is a seemingly tiny fraction of Duolingo’s 500 million user base, but it is important to understand that Scottish Gaelic was only introduced to the app in 2019, and has seen considerable growth each year which can arguably be ­attributed to younger people taking an interest in the language.

“I think with the continued help of our varied learning resources, social media and the new generation of content creators who are sharing their everyday lives and interests through speaking Gaelic, I feel very positive about the future of the language,” said Smith when discussing the possibly bright future for Gaelic.

The importance of Gaelic culture and any future Gaelic revival has been further highlighted thanks to Glasgow City Council, which recently reported that Scotland’s Gaelic economy contributes roughly £21.6m every year to Glasgow’s council from festivals, events, tourism and education.

From a financial perspective, it would make sense for the government to – at the very least – maintain the momentum we are seeing with Scotland’s culture, ­history and language.

“The popularity of the Gaelic ­Duolingo course has been widely reported,” said Professor Dunbar on the growing celebration of Scottish heritage.

“I think that there has been a ­growing interest in many aspects of Scottish ­culture and heritage – there seem to be good things happening in relation to ­traditional music, in both Gaelic and Scots, for example.

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“I think that there is a greater ­awareness of Gaelic, and that is thanks in part to its greater visibility – I think that BBC Alba has played a big part in this, as have things like increased Gaelic signage”

The Scottish Government has ­reportedly dedicated itself to ­encouraging the growth and protection of Scottish Gaelic, putting into action various plans and proposals that have proven much less turbulent than the language act in ­Northern Ireland.

According to The Scottish Funding Council, the ongoing Gaelic Language Plan (2022 to 2027) will continue to put in motion various policies to promote the acquisition of speaking, reading and ­writing skills in Gaelic and expand the visibility, audibility and recognition of Gaelic among other points.

The ambitious plan also highlights the support devised for Scottish Gaelic to ­ensure that health, social care and ­wellbeing services are available through the medium of Gaelic, while ­additionally introducing bursaries for those ­interested in teaching STEM subjects in ­Gaelic.

With all this interest gaining traction, perhaps Scotland will soon start seeing more signs of the Celtic cultural revival under way across the North Channel.