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Conradh na Gaeilge (; ) is an organisation "for the purpose of keeping the Irish language
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
 spoken in Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
."

Gaelic League was founded in Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
 on July 31, 1893 by Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde

Douglas Hyde was an Anglo-Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945. He founded the Gaelic League, one of the most influential cultural organisations in Ireland....
 , a Protestant from Frenchpark
Frenchpark

Frenchpark is a village in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland. It was the home of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland.The nearby French Park Estate was until 1952 the ancestral seat of the French family, Barons de Freyne....
, County Roscommon
County Roscommon

County Roscommon is a county located in central Ireland. Area: . Roscommon is in the Provinces of Ireland of Connacht. It is the only county in Connacht that does not have a shoreline....
 with the aid of Eugene O'Growney
Eugene O'Growney

Eugene O'Growney , was an Irish priest and scholar.Neither of his parents spoke Irish Gaelic and it was little used where he was born; in fact, he was ignorant of the existence of a language of Ireland until a student at St....
, Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill

Eoin MacNeill was an Ireland scholar, nationalist, revolutionary and politician. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve Irish language and culture, going on to establish the Irish Volunteers prompted and encouraged by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and becoming Chief-of-Staff....
, Luke K. Walsh and others. The League developed from Ulick Bourke's earlier Gaelic Union and became the leading institution promoting the Gaelic Revival
Gaelic Revival

For the Gaelic resurgence to overthrow English supremacy in the 14th-16th century, see: Norman Ireland#Gaelic resurgence.2C Norman decline 1254.E2.80.931536....
. The league's first newspaper was An Claidheamh Soluis
An Claidheamh Soluis

An Claidheamh Soluis was an Ireland Irish nationalism newspaper published in the early 20th century by Conradh na Gaeilge . It was edited from 1903 to 1909 by Padr?ig Pearse, an Irish educationalist and barrister who later became a key figure in the Easter Rising in 1916....
 (The Sword of Light) and its most noted editor was Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse

Patrick Henry Pearse was a teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916....
.

Though apolitical, the league attracted many Irish nationalists of different persuasions, much like the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation mainly focused on promoting Gaelic games: the traditional Ireland sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, Gaelic handball and rounders....
.






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Conradh na Gaeilge (; ) is an organisation "for the purpose of keeping the Irish language
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
 spoken in Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
."

Origins

The Gaelic League was founded in Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
 on July 31, 1893 by Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde

Douglas Hyde was an Anglo-Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945. He founded the Gaelic League, one of the most influential cultural organisations in Ireland....
 , a Protestant from Frenchpark
Frenchpark

Frenchpark is a village in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland. It was the home of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland.The nearby French Park Estate was until 1952 the ancestral seat of the French family, Barons de Freyne....
, County Roscommon
County Roscommon

County Roscommon is a county located in central Ireland. Area: . Roscommon is in the Provinces of Ireland of Connacht. It is the only county in Connacht that does not have a shoreline....
 with the aid of Eugene O'Growney
Eugene O'Growney

Eugene O'Growney , was an Irish priest and scholar.Neither of his parents spoke Irish Gaelic and it was little used where he was born; in fact, he was ignorant of the existence of a language of Ireland until a student at St....
, Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill

Eoin MacNeill was an Ireland scholar, nationalist, revolutionary and politician. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve Irish language and culture, going on to establish the Irish Volunteers prompted and encouraged by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and becoming Chief-of-Staff....
, Luke K. Walsh and others. The League developed from Ulick Bourke's earlier Gaelic Union and became the leading institution promoting the Gaelic Revival
Gaelic Revival

For the Gaelic resurgence to overthrow English supremacy in the 14th-16th century, see: Norman Ireland#Gaelic resurgence.2C Norman decline 1254.E2.80.931536....
. The league's first newspaper was An Claidheamh Soluis
An Claidheamh Soluis

An Claidheamh Soluis was an Ireland Irish nationalism newspaper published in the early 20th century by Conradh na Gaeilge . It was edited from 1903 to 1909 by Padr?ig Pearse, an Irish educationalist and barrister who later became a key figure in the Easter Rising in 1916....
 (The Sword of Light) and its most noted editor was Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse

Patrick Henry Pearse was a teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916....
.

Though apolitical, the league attracted many Irish nationalists of different persuasions, much like the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation mainly focused on promoting Gaelic games: the traditional Ireland sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, Gaelic handball and rounders....
. It was through the League that many future political leaders and rebels first met, laying the foundation for groups such as the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers

The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalism. Its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland", in other words, the safeguarding of Irish Home Rule Bill....
 (1913). However, the League did not commit itself entirely to the national movement until 1915, causing the resignation of Douglas Hyde, who felt that the culture of language should be above politics. Most of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation were members.

From 1922

After the foundation of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State

The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand....
 in 1922, the organisation had a less prominent role in public life as Irish was made a compulsory subject in state-funded schools. The organisation successfully campaigned for the enactment of the Official Languages Act, 2003 which gave greater statutory protection to Irish speakers and created the position of An Coimisinéir Teanga (The Languages Commissioner).

Conradh na Gaeilge was among the principal organisation responsible for co-ordinating the successful campaign to make Irish an official language of the European Union
Languages of the European Union

The languages of the European Union are languages used by people within the member states of the European Union. They include the twenty-three official languages of the European Union along with a range of others....
.

Most recently, the organisation has become embroiled in a dispute with Irish political party Fine Gael
Fine Gael

Fine Gael ? The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. It claims a membership of 30,000, and is the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament....
 over the party's policy to end the status of Irish as a compulsory subject for the Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate

The Leaving Certificate , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final course in the Republic of Ireland secondary school system and culminates with the Leaving Certificate Examination....
. Conradh na Gaeilge have responded by asking voters in the next general election to vote only for candidates who are in favour of Irish's required position remaining.

The organisation has branches in several parts of Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 and is closely involved in the development of the annual cultural festival An tOireachtas as well as Seachtain na Gaeilge. Conradh na Gaeilge has recently opened free legal advice centres (Ionaid Saor Chomhairle Dlí) in Dublin and Galway in partnership with FLAC.

Most recently, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, has announced that he is to move the organisation out of its headquarters in central Dublin and relocate the organisation to the heart of the Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht
Ráth Cairn

is a small Gaeltacht in County Meath, Republic of Ireland. It is about 55 km northwest of Dublin.The R?th Cairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1935 when 27 families from Conamara were settled on land previously acquired by the Irish Land Commission....
 in Meath. He cited the reason that not many people are using the building.

See also

Foras na Gaeilge
Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge is the governing body of the Irish language, set up on 2 December 1999, which is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland....


External links