Did you know that Australia was introduced to Irish Gaelic at the same time that it was introduced to English? When the English first arrived in Australia in 1788, they brought with them Irish convicts for slave labor. Many of these Irishmen didn't speak English, and as they began to settle the country as free men, large Irish Gaelic speaking communities began to form. To this day there are a small number of native Australians that speak Irish Gaelic, most of which are Irish diaspora, who have taken it upon themselves to learn their ancestral tongue. These Irish speaking Australians are renown for contributing a large amount of fiction and journalism to Irish speaking magazines, despite their relatively small numbers. In addition to contributing to Ireland based media, these Australians also have their own Irish Gaelic newsletter, called An Lúibín. Search Google for the link to their portal, and check out their publication.
