Irish language ‘on the brink of extinction’

THE Irish language is on the brink of extinction unless radical measures are taken to arrest its decline, a study published today reveals.

Less than a quarter of those in the Gaeltacht are now speaking Irish fluently, according to the study. It points out that fluent speakers have fallen from 250,000 over 80 years ago to under 30,000 today.

The data suggests that only 25% of the country’s Gaeltacht communities can claim Irish is the main language of most families.