Gaelicisation, orGaelicization, is the act or process of making somethingGaelic or gaining characteristics of theGaels, a sub-branch ofCelticisation. TheGaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread fromIreland toScotland and theIsle of Man.
Gaelic, as a linguistic term, refers to theGaelic languages but can also refer to the transmission of any other Gaelic cultural feature such associal norms andcustoms, music and sport.
It is often referred to as a part ofCeltic identity since Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man are all consideredCeltic nations, and the Gaelic languages are considered a sub-group of theCeltic languages.
Examples of ethnic groups that have gone through a period of Gaelicisation in history include theNorse-Gaels, thePicts, theBritons of south-western Scotland, theScoto-Normans,[1] and theHiberno-Normans,[2]
Today, Gaelicisation, or more often re-Gaelicisation, ofplacenames,surnames andgiven names is often a deliberate effort to help promote the languages and to counteract centuries ofanglicisation.
Manx, a language that is very similar toIrish,[3] has undergone a major revival in recent years[4] although Manx is so rarely used that it was even mislabelled as extinct by aUnited Nations report as recently as 2009.[5] The decline of the language on the island was primarily as a result ofstigmatisation and high levels ofemigration toEngland.[4]
There are now primary schools teaching in the medium of Manx Gaelic; efforts are modelled mainly on the Irish system.[6] The efforts have been widely praised,[7] with further developments such as using technology to teach the language being put into place.[8]
Estimates of numbers of native speakers of Irish in theRepublic of Ireland in 2000 ranged from 20,000 to 80,000.[9][10][11] According to the 2006 census for the Republic, 85,000 people used Irish daily outside of school and 1.2 million used Irish at least occasionally.[12] In the 2011 Census, these numbers increased to 94,000 and 1.3 million, respectively.[13] Active Irish speakers probably comprise 5 to 10 per cent of Ireland's population.[14]
In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of urban Irish speakers, particularly in Dublin. The dispersed but large, educated and middle-class urban Gaeilgeoir community enjoys a lively cultural life and is buoyed by the growth ofIrish medium education andIrish-language media.[15]
In some officialGaeltachtaí (Irish-speaking regions) areas, Irish remains a vernacular language alongside English.
InNorthern Ireland, the Gaelicisation process is significantly slower and less-supported than elsewhere on the island and the status of theIrish language in Northern Ireland is the subject of heated political debates.[16][17]
In Scotland,Scottish Gaelic and traditional Gaelic customs such those manifested at theHighland Games, with traditional sports such as thecaber toss, are mainly restricted to theHighlands and islands. In the 21st century,Scottish Gaelic literature has seen development and challenges within the area of prose fiction publication,[18] and phrases such asAlba gu bràth may be used today as a catch-phrase or rallying cry.
Gaelicised areas are referred to asGàidhealtachd.
Some became completely integrated, giving rise to the well known phrase 'Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis' (more Irish than the Irish themselves). These formed septs on the Gaelic-Irish pattern, headed by a chief.
