Language revival and conflicting identities in the Irish Independent

Abstract

An important feature of the Irish Independent newspaper at the turn of the twentieth century was its use of a bilingual platform for the promotion of the Irish language revival movement. Having pledged its “heartiest support … to the Irish Language and Industrial Revival Movements, as to every movement for the National and material regeneration of Ireland” in its first edition (Irish Independent, January 2, 1905), it was clear from the outset that the Irish Independent would foster the core values of nationalism, economic progress and cultural revival as promoted by the “Irish-Ireland” movement. However, the Irish Independent was also aware of its vital role as the harbinger of news and information within the realm of the British Empire. In the period immediately preceding political independence, against the backdrop of the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the co-operation movement, the Irish Independent promoted the “Irish-Ireland” ideology and its related aims of language and cultural revival, while also functioning within the paradigms of the imperial regime. Through an analysis of both Irish and English language articles, along with bilingual advertisements, announcements and reports concerning the Irish-speaking districts, the role of women and the high moral tone of the nationalist movement, this article will explore the function of this bilingual forum as a voice for the emerging new Irish language community. Conflicting identities and cultural variances within the Irish Independent during this period mirror the framework created for nationalist identity, while also retaining cultural and economic links with the British Empire.