Jailtacht: The Irish Language, Symbolic Power and Political Violence in Northern Ireland, 1972-2008

by Diarmait Mac Giolla Chríost

Jailtacht closely analyzes the emergence of the Irish language among republican prisoners and ex-prisoners in Northern Ireland from the 1970s to the present. This pioneering study shows how, despite the efforts of prison authorities to suppress the language, in some parts of the prison it became the exclusive language used by prisoners. Drawing on interviews with these prisoners, Diarmait Mac Giolla Chríost shows how these developments gave rise to the popular coinage of the term “Jailtacht,” a deformation of “Gaeltacht”—the official Irish-speaking district of the Republic of Ireland—to describe this unique linguistic phenomenon. He goes on to trace the dramatic impact this politically rooted adoption of the language had on Irish society both at the time and in the subsequent decades.

Genres: Ireland

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Katy West · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of Irish Republican prisoners reclaiming their ancestral tongue in jail.

[molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating. The author's passion for the subject was apparent; this is the first nonfiction book I've ever read that I would classify as a page-turner. Having a background in linguistics gave me an even deeper appreciation for the work that went into collecting the information as well as the very existence of language as political power. This is a wonderful example of making the study of language/linguistics accessible to the general public. It would be a great asset to any sociolinguistics course.

[Kate Zimmerbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for the language nerd in me.

Although some of the discussion requires knowledge of the Irish language for full appreciation, a non-speaker like me had no problem understanding and enjoying this book.

Fascinating history of both the politics behind the language movement in Long Kesh and in the politics of the language revival movement inside and outside the prison.

[c]

Interesting and detailed account of the Irish language as it was utilised by Irish republicans imprisoned in HMP Long Kesh.
Not rating as I read it as part of research for my dissertation, but I do think this would be a great read for anyone interested in language as it exist within the context of colonial violence and cultural suppression.