The Irish Language Revival and the Gaelic League

The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History · Sep 25, 2026 · 11m · transcript

While we often trace Ireland’s path through battles and political treaties, the soul of the nation was also preserved in a language that nearly vanished. In this episode, we explore the late nineteenth-century cultural revival led by Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill, who founded the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Gaelic League to save Irish from extinction. We dive into the complex reality that many urban Irish speakers were already monolingual Englishmen, yet they rallied behind the symbol of the tongue. Lucas and Luna discuss how the push for linguistic purity collided with political…