Gaeilge: a radical revolution by Caoimhín De Barra

Abstract

Reviewed by: Gaeilge: a radical revolution by Caoimhín De Barra Jeff W. Justice (bio) Caoimhín De Barra. Gaeilge: a radical revolution. Dublin: Currach Press, 2019. ISBN 9781782189077. 272 pages. $29.99 (paperback). Without doubt, interest in the Irish language grew during the COVID-19 global pandemic, which makes Caoimhín De Barra's work one of interest to the Celtic studies community. The work attempts to take an approach accessible to a readership that stretches well beyond academia. In this regard, it would seem to succeed. De Barra begins with a chapter outlining his trials and triumphs in learning Irish. In addition to mapping his journey toward acquiring it, he also offers sage advice to readers who might pick up this book with at least a modicum of curiosity about learning it themselves. As is the case with many Irish, he studied the subject in school. Also like many Irish, he never really used it outside of the classroom, so he resorted to self-study methods. He describes his use of the long-respected Teach yourself books, which provide a good way to form a firm foundation in many of the tongues that they cover. He offers strong praise for Rosetta Stone, which teaches Irish (and other languages) through natural means that approximate the way we learn our native tongues. He also—very correctly—advises that language learning does not stop when one reaches the end of a given course. His organic advice, approximating language learning and retention to the need to exercise daily, is certainly spot on. One can appreciate this journey and may recognize one's own linguistic journey through his commentary. [End Page 162] From here, De Barra moves into a narrative within the sociopolitical headwinds that Irish continues to face, framing the post-independence linguistic policy situation as one that was full of desire and perhaps some promise, but whose application was half-baked at best. He provides a brief history in which English colonialism relegated Irish to the fringes and discouraged new speakers through the economic advantages that English provided. He points sharp criticism at the education system for its failure to teach Irish 'properly', then moves into the social hatred that he perceives toward Irish, one that was simultaneously vague and pervasive. He asserts that this hatred does not stem—contemporarily, at least—from the State's compulsory education policy in the subject. Rather, it would seem to come from English linguistic ideology, which he asserts has no tolerance for any other language. This attitude is a direct result of linguistic colonialism foisted upon Ireland in previous centuries: This disdain for speakers of other languages appears to remain today, long after the age of Empire has passed. A linguistic study from 2006 sought to investigate parental attitudes toward their children learning a foreign language, with more students believing that parents had a negative view rather than a positive view about second language learning. It seems incredible that any parent could have a negative view about their children learning a second language, but this study shows that such attitudes are not uncommon in the English-speaking world. (138) For sake of comparison, the prose delves into the sociopolitical headwinds faced by other languages, including several major tongues deemed by prominent public officials as 'useless' for no apparent reason other than those uttering the comments do not speak them. Celtic scholars will note with interest that he gives particular attention to Scottish Gaelic and Welsh as exemplars. He takes issue, albeit only in part, with what he terms 'Magic Béarla', or 'English worship', in a chapter that argues that the Irish people overstate the value of English to Irish society and to the Irish economy in a nod to the effects of neo-liberal capitalism on minoritized languages. Next, he takes on six myths related to why Irish should not continue to be revived, such as that Hiberno-English is the real national language or the (alleged) heightened difficulty in learning it. One chapter that will interest those who study language revival includes six case studies of minoritized languages which have been subject to (arguably) successful revival efforts: Welsh, Urdu, Québécois...