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Not Gaelic, But Free. Not Free, But Gaelic: The Role Of The Irish Language In Cultural And Political Nationalism In Ireland, Jeanne Buckley

Library Faculty Scholarship

The title of this paper paraphrases a quote by Patrick Pearse, an Irish poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was killed by the British for his participation in the Easter 1916 uprising. These words seem fitting for a discussion on the connection between politics and the Irish language in 19^th and early 20^thcentury Ireland, which this paper addresses.

The Irish language and Ireland’s creation as a nation are intricately linked. After the Great Famine of the 19^th century, the rise of cultural nationalism within Ireland, fueled by its writers, convinced the Irish that they existed …