The Irish standard., 1912-06-08
THE IRISH LANGUAGE
AND NATIONALITY
If the People of Ireland are to be
Irish, Says DR.. Hyde, They
Must Speak Gaelic.
Points Out Need of Reviving the
Language, the Music and the
Old Customs.
The Gaelic League Accomplishing
Much in This Direction in
Past Few Years.

In an address at an aeridheacht at
Lusk not long ago DR.. Douglas Hyde
spoke in behalf of the Gaelic League
movement. He emphasized the i'm
portance Of a revival of tho Irish Ian
guage as means of restoring Irish
ancestors of the people of Fingal, he
said, had penetrated into the furthest
parts of Ireland and they had left
their marks everywhere in the coun-
try. There in Fingal up to the close
of the 18th century the people con-
tinued to speak the Danish language,
but if that tongue We're dead today
it was because the spirit of Irish Ma
tionnlity was too strong for it, The
same spirit of Irish Nationality had
been too strong for everybody that
came into the country whether they
We're Danes, Norlnans or English
Now that they had lost the Danish
language surely it was not English
that they were going to pick up. If
they We're going to be Irishmen they
must study the Irish language.
Ten years ago the people OF Ire
lund did not understand what the
Gaelic League was doing. Now they
did understand, and they could say
at present that there was not a coun-
ty council in the country which was
not solidly behind them. They were
aiming at having one common Ian
guagc, one common set of customs,
one common music, and everything
that belonged to ireland, and not to
England, in the country They were
working today on the same principle
as they had always worked on. Their
first principle was that ireland, in her
own right, was a nation, and not a
province or q second rate English
county. They did not want to see,
Ireland fallen into the rank of an in
ferior third rate imitation makc-be-
lieve English county like Yorkshire
or Somersctshire. They did not want
the English people or anybody else to
lead them. and they wanted to rule
on their own lines. They had good
enough things of their own if they
would only develop them, and they
were going to develop them. Their
movement was n revolt moreover
against vllgarity. lie did not know
on the face of the earth anything
more vulgar than the imitation Eng
lishman. Politics were in their ma
ture shifty things. and Governments
were here today and gone tomorrow
But their idcal-the ideal of an Irish
nation founded upon the bedrock
principles Of nationality would stand
forever. Their ideal was an Ireland
thinking her own thoughts, speaking
her own language. singing her owr
songs lifting her own music, playing
her own games. wearing their OWL
clothes, and, above all, an ireland
standing on her own two legs. and no
going outside the country for any.
thing that could possibly be procured
inside of it. The Gaelic League die
not stand for any one part of tn,
country, and, If it stood for anything
it stood for all Ireland. There was
no party, creed or faction in 1rclant
that the Gaelic League had not go
knew, were necessary things, and the.
were grateful to those politicians VIII
z be left outside the door of the Gaeli
League. He had always thought tha
: too holy. too pure and sanctified ;
thing to be stained and polluted b.
: the taint of political warfare. and h
had always looked upon the Gaeli
League as being the one organiza
ton in the country in which truce o
God prevailed, and into which every
e one was free to enter, no matter q
: what creed or politics they were. Th
T. Gaelic League had always stood 70
Il courtesy, for kindness and sobriets
a for they knew that they could nc
build nation upon drunkards an,