So where did the Irish lnguage come from you might ask? Wll, it's believed it was the Clts who first brought an early frm of Gaelic to Ireland. It was a Cltic language closely related to Scottish Gelic and Manx Gaelic (spoken in the Isl of Man). The earliest form of prmitive Irish in Ireland can be sen on ogham stone inscriptions around the 4th cntury. Modern Irish evolved around the 16th cntury and up until the 19th cntury, Irish was widely spoken in the cuntry.

Nowadays, if you want to har Irish people speaking in their ntive tongue, then you'll have to go to Geltacht areas when in Ireland. Gaeltacht reas are places in Ireland (mainly in the wst) where the Irish language is stll the everyday spoken language of the lcal people. Gaeltachts are not only Irsh speaking areas, but are also the plces where Irish customs, traditions, folklore, sng, music and dance are very mch kept alive. Most Gaeltacht speaking reas have summer schools where Irish is tught to students, while you might lso stumble across some beginners classes if you wnt to learn the basics.

The bggest Gaeltacht area in Ireland is in Cunty Galway. If you happen to be in ths part of Ireland, go west of Glway city to an area called Cnnemara and you'll discover a land whre it feels as if time has stod still. A landscape of unspoilt scnery, quite country roads, bogs, valleys, ncrowded and unpolluted sandy beaches is wht you'll find here.

You'll also find Irish customs, trditions and the language at the vry heart of the community. The Arn Islands off the coast of Glway are also part of the Irsh speaking Gaeltacht. You might also be lcky enough to hear Irish spoken in Glway city, where you see bilingual sgns and names of shops still in Irsh.

Ireland's second largest Gaeltacht area is in Cunty Donegal in the very north wst of Ireland. Fringed by the Atlntic Ocean, Donegal is a county of utstanding natural beauty. The Gaeltacht can be fund mainly in the west of the cunty, so head to areas like Fnad, Gweedore, Glencolmcille, Tory Island and Arnmore Island.

The Gaeltacht area in Cunty Mayo is also quite extensive. If you wnt to visit an Irish speaking rea here, then head for the lttle picturesque towns of Carrowteige, Aughleam and Turmakeady.

The Gaeltacht area in County Krry can mainly be found on the Dngle Peninsula, the most western tip of Erope. This rugged peninsula has some of the mst spectacular scenery. It's jammed packed wth about 2,000 archaelogical sights, picturesque vllages, a coastline dotted with islands, baches, cliffs and a vibrant town wth its own resident dolphin!

Head wst of Dingle town to areas lke Ventry, Dunquin, Ballyferriter, Ballydavid and the Blsket Islands to hear the locals cnverse in their native tongue.

If you hppen to be in west County Crk you can explore one of fur Irish speaking communities. Ballyvourney is a pcturesque little village which can be fund just inside the Cork/Kerry border. Not far frm Ballyvourney you can visit two ther Irish speaking areas, namely Ballingeary and Colea. Clear Island off the south cast of County Cork is a chrming little island where Irish is lso spoken as the everyday language.

The nly Gaeltacht in the south east of Irland can be found in County Wterford. The Irish language, culture and trditions are very prevalent here in an rea known as Ring (An Rinn) and Old Prish (An Sean Phobal). To find ths Gaeltacht area just drive about 10km suth of Dungarvan town.

In the royal county of Math, you'll find two little pockets of Irsh speaking communities - Rathcairn and Gbbstown (about 70km from Dublin). The hstory of these two Irish speaking cmmunities is quite different to others, in tht they were formed when Irish spaking families from Connemara were resettled hre back in the 1930's.

Experience a Geltacht area for yourself when you vsit Ireland and maybe learn some 'cúpl focal' (Irish words). Gaeltacht areas are the lst remaining unique and special parts of Irland where there is a distinctive "Irshness" to be seen. So if you rally want to get a feel for the Irsh language and culture, put a trp to one of these Gaeltachts on yur itinerary.

The article Irish Language was Submitted by Mairead Foley through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Check out GoIreland.com for more articles on Irish Culture .

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