Gan Teanga Gan Tír : The Significance of Language in the Irish Sruggle for Independence 1893-1937

Abstract

When Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Constitution of Ireland, was passed in 1937, the Irish Language had a central position in it, despite its being a marginal minority language in terms of number of speakers and social status. Being all but ignored by Irish politicians working for Home Rule in the 19th century, the Irish language was among the most important issues among the politicians who achieved partial independence with the Irish Free State in 1922, and what was in reality an Irish Republic in 1937. In this thesis I look into the different events which led to this change in attitude towards the Irish Language, and thereby I try to show how important the language was on the road leading freedom for Ireland. By using theories developed by Bakhtin, I also try to make this a general statement describing forces at work in the developement of language in history, and the interaction between linguistic and political developements.