How does the decline and revival of Irish in Northern Ireland compare with the decline and revival of Cornish, and what successes from Northern Ireland can the Cornish language community adapt in its language policies?

Abstract

In Northern Ireland, the Irish language faced similar difficulties in terms of usage, status and acceptance within the wider society to those of the Cornish language in Cornwall. Both languages have been reduced to the point of near extinction due to the move from monolingualism, through bilingualism to an almost universal use of English within their geographical areas. Their respective language communities have, with varying degrees of success, attempted to revive their particular languages in terms of both usage and status within their respective societies. By examining the decline, revival and current position of Irish in Northern Ireland, we can apply this knowledge to factors affecting the decline of Cornish in Cornwall during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and by drawing on the experiences of the Northern Irish minority language communities, look for ways in which the continuing Cornish language revival can be most positively achieved and outline a future strategy for the Cornish language based on the factors which have achieved most success in Northern Ireland.