Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-10
STUDY OF GAELIC TONGUE
Progress in Twenty-Five Years 10
Rescue Irish Literature and
Music From Oblivion.

During the last few years there has been
q remarkable advance in the study of ma
tive Irish. or Gaelic, a tongue which was
In a way to become wholly forgotten when
patriotic Hibernians started a movement
to rescue 1t from oblivion. Many societies
were organized In Ireland twenty-five years
ago for fostering the study of the language.
art, music and literature of the country's
ancients. They were just in time. for tho
disuse into which the Gaelic had fallen wa,
so pronounced that its scholars elsily were
numbered.
The Irish societies at home were supple
mented by others in various parts of thu
world. The one in this city gave its annual
musical festival last week, and TIE pro-
gram was largely composed of songs writ
ten in the old tongue. There are similar or.
ganisations in Russia, Central Europe and
different Irish centers of America. The
movement is not confined to the Irish, how
ever, for scholars of all nations have begin
to take an interest in II. on the ground that
the ancient literature is worth preserving
for other than sentimental reasons.
The local organizations history has been
cont-emporaneous with the general progress
of the work, for the advance OF the move
ment, has been witnessed almost entirely
within the twenty-five years during which
the New York society has 1~ourlshe1. A
quarter of a century ago the ireland of
Coloncile, the learned Cormac, the heroic
Brian and the Golden Age" was but little
known-so few could read its story. Tho
Society for the Preservation of tho Irish
Language, a Dublin association, was at
work in 1873, but its total membership, in
elusive Of several branches, was less than
1000. The growth Of the movement is shown
by the fact that last years "Oireachtas"
ana convention Of the Gaelic league in Dub
lin was a gathering representing an afnlia-
ton Of AIS branches. with a membership OF
80. 900.
In 1880, out OF a population OF 5,i5),O0O
Irishmen, there were less than 10000 who
could speak Irish, but last year 1t was esti-
mated that there were 10000 who spoke the
language, though the total population had
dwindled to $4,000. In this estimate It
was calculated that the loss by emigration
from ireland fell largely on Irls~h-speaking
communities. While the school authorities
of Ireland declined TO have the language
taught in the public schools in 1887. II Is
now taught in 1900 different institutions OF
the island. In 1880 a couple of paragraphs
printed in Irish was all the periodical
literature the ancient tongue boasted. These
appeared in a remote corner of a Dublin
newspaper. the Freeman. Today. on the
other hand, the Gaelic league publishes a
monthly magazine and a weekly news
paper in Irish. three private weekly pub
l~cations are urging the study OF the litera-
ture and art OF the a~ncients. and nearly
every periodical OF Ireland prints between
a column and a page In Gaelic.
In 1880 II was said hat Irish music had
disappeared and that II was no longer 70
be heard at Irish concerts. but nowadays
every concert given by a typical Irish or
ganIEation devotes at least a part Of its
program to native songs. Less than fifty
persons attended a conference in the inter
est OF the Irish language held in Dublin in
1852, ana the meeting excited little public
attention even at home. but in last years
convention, which lasted more than a week.
there were Con entries for the literary and
musical competitions. ana the visitors num-
bered thousands that came from Ireland,
/ England and PARKWAY countries.
Many wealthy Irishmen have given money
10 the movement, and this year there are
plans in the wind TO establish a college
where nothing but Gaelic will be spoken. as
well as 10 found libraries for Irish books
and conservatories where Irish melody will
have It's place.-New York Times.