Did you know that Irish Gaelic is the foundation for both Manx Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic? Beginning in around 700 AD, Irish Gaelic started to spread to the Isle of Man and Scotland through Irish immigration and conquest. This era marked the beginning of Celtic cultural prominence in the region, and for hundreds of years it would remain dominant. It wasn't until the 17th century, that Gaelic began to be slowly eroded by the huge influx of English speaking settlers from Britain. Eventually the ruling powers of Britain would decide that they did not want to rule over such a linguistically and culturally diverse empire, so they began to devise laws that would help expand the use of English. By the 19th and 20th centuries, British plans of destroying Gaelic had nearly succeeded with most of the populations of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man losing their native tongue. Hopefully modern revival efforts can reverse all of the damage that has been done.
