_________________
__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___

I just saw this the other day.
I never knew that Irish was spoken in the area so late.
It shows that Irish was the main community language of areas of south Dublin around 1800, and that the generation born around the 1820's were bilingual and the generation born around the 1840's were English speakers but knew Irish and in some cases spoke it, especially if they spent a of of time with an elderly relative.

I found the idea that the last person with first hand knowledge died in the 1930's was amazing.
It also points out repeatedly how many Irish speakers would hide their ability due to its poor status, something Ive seen from census records where people in certain community's around 1900 returned themselves as Irish speakers , but ten years later the community largely left the question blank.

It certainly challenges the oft held belief that Irish hasn't been spoken in Dublin for hundreds of years (some people claim never), and would make you question the conventional wisdom that the Eastern half of Ireland was primarily English speaking long before the famine.

pity they never recorded any of the last speakers.

_________________
Bíonn rudaí maithe mall

Several decades ago when I was in Dublin I spoke with an elderly person who grew up in the Smithfield area, which is not all that far from the center of the city, but outside where the walls once stood, and is where the horse market used to be (or may still be). He told me that his family spoke Irish at home until the 1920's or 1930's, and that there was a mini-Gaeltacht in that neighborhood. Although some of the people may have been migrants from "true" Gaeltacht areas, he said that the neighborhood had always had a significant Irish speaking population.

_________________
I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

As my username suggests, I am the author of the blog in this thread. I am very glad people like it.

I registered after reading Caoimhín's post; I would be very interested in finding more out about the person he refers to (perhaps contact me privately via my profile here if such a feature is available, or via the blog). Hopefully I will then be able to find out where his family were from and thus what sort of Irish they spoke (whether local or not).

I would also be very interested in any reports anyone has of Irish-speaking neighbourhoods in Dublin, presumably now preserved in the memories of the elderly, of the kind referred to by Caoimhín.

GRMA!

My conversation was back in the late 1970's, so I can't really remember any additional info about the man with whom I spoke. It was just a passing conversation and I don't even remember the context very well, except that it was my first visit to Dublin and i had gone to Smithfield to see the horse market. That area was gentrified quite a lot during the Celtic Tiger years (it's on one of the Luas lines now), but I checked online and it appears that they still hold the market there twice a year. I think I may have gotten into conversation with the man because I heard him speak Irish and I was very interested, since I was about to go West to visit my relatives in an area which, although outside the Gaeltacht, was still partly Irish speaking (two of my grandparents were native speakers who grew up there). Sorry I can't help more, but perhaps studies about that area have been done at UCD or somewhere.

_________________
I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

It is a great help, and you have no reason to apologise! I will get in touch with some people in the Liberties, and those who specialise in the area, who may be able to give us a little more information.

Your post was extremely important, and I am very grateful for it. People often think half-remembered stories from decades ago are of little consequence but in this field the converse is true; they are often gold.

A fascinating blog.

_________________
(SL)(GM)

I was in a bar in Korea 4 years ago, and my friend from Fermanagh had an American friend who was/is Jewish. Well her friend was also Jewish, but originally from Smithfields and told me her family still owned property there, having once been owners of more of it. It was very interesting to meet an Irish Jewish person. She was only young tho (mid twenties) and had spent some time in the US, so didn't seem to be that interested in any history chat. Maybe the older members of the family would know something, I don't know

_________________
__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___

Thank you, JayBee, Murchadh.

I will let you know if I find anything about Irish in the Liberties.

And thank you all for your kind comments about the blog.

Suíomh ana shuimiúil ar fad is ea é! Thá sár-obair ar siúl agat, a charaid, lean ort! Is dúshlán ollmhór é bearna eolais don tsaghas seo a líonadh nuair 'thá ganntanas fianaise ann.

Chonac é seo ar You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YisPq2FDwKY

Tuigim gurbh as an Lughbhadh í. Bhí cur amach agam ar dhá fhís eile as an Lú ar You Tube leis. Fear ag cur síos ar sgéal grinn ina chuaigh sé ag iascach i n-ionad is ' bheith a' buachailleacht, más buan mo chuimhne. Agus fís don bhfear gcéana ag comhaireamh ach ní bhfuighinn teacht ortha a thuilleadh, pé sgéal é.

Is dócha go bhfuil cur amach agat ar an leabhar seo Labhrann Laighnigh

http://www.coisceim.ie/leabhrann.html

mura bhfuil, thánn sé le ceannach anso ar €10

http://www.litriocht.com/shop/product_i ... -bYivldUqg

_________________

Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice