Did you know that despite the establishment of The Irish Free State in 1922, that the Irish Gaelic revival did not get started until a couple of decades later? Many of the Irish Republican leaders were very committed Irish Gaelic speakers, however the newly formed state continued to use English as it's language of government administration, despite the fact that over 80% of the island's inhabitants spoke Irish. The reason for this was simply due to convenience, but then slowly an organized and unified Gaelic movement began to build up it's support, and eventually Irish was declared the official language of Ireland. With it's current official status, anyone who works within the Irish government must pass an Irish Gaelic proficiency test in order to serve. This same rule applies to many of the universities and colleges throughout the island, making it mandatory for Irish born citizens to pass a proficiency test.
