Did you know that the reason why Irish English sounds so different from British English, is because it's heavily influenced by Irish Gaelic? Since the introduction of English to Ireland by the 12th century Normans, English has had an interesting path to travel in Ireland. When the Normans invaded Ireland and established their power, the Irish inhabitants were forced to speak English if they wanted to do any business or trading with the Normans, which obviously would have been quite lucrative at the time. For centuries power and wealth in Ireland were heavily associated with the English language, and at periods of time in the country, Irish Gaelic was seen as a pheasant language, and so many natives began to try and teach their children English, hoping this would afford them a better life and future. Today the pride and honor has been fully restored to Irish Gaelic, and linguists are hopeful that the language can fully recover.
