Language and Politics in Ireland – a Constructive or Destructive Interconnection?

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that the idea that a language, a culture and a nation are tied together as one single unit just because they share the same name is almost always fundamentally flawed. In Northern Ireland, the tying together of “Irish language”, “Irish culture” and “Irish Nationalism” has led to a mirrored response from opponents of Irish Nationalism, who have sought to present “Ulster Scots language, heritage and culture” as a single entity. Because they are not a single entity, the outcome of this has been the presentation of “Ulster Scots” as something at best unreal and at worst invented. This has merely meant that the identity crisis that some in Northern Ireland are experiencing has continued, while much needed work on promoting “Ulster Scots language” and “Ulster Scots culture” as the distinct entities they are has gone undone.