JĘZYK IRLANDZKI W PERSPEKTYWIE GEOGRAFICZNEJ
THE IRISH LANGUAGE IN GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVE

Summary/Abstract: The situation of the Irish language in the Republic of Ireland is quite paradoxical because in the country’s constitution it has the status of the national and the first official language, and it is used on a daily basis by a relatively small number of citizens. Neverthe- less, it has a place in public space legally guaranteed, as all official signs must have names and inscriptions in Irish and English – in that order. This also applies to placenames and other elements of the geographical environment – that belong to the cultural heritage of the Irish people – which are the main focus of the author of this article. In the case of Gaeltacht areas considered to be the stronghold of the Irish language, the placenames should be given only in Irish. The article comprises two main sections, not counting the Introduction and Conclusions. In the first one are raised issues related to contemporary times whereas the second one is devoted to the mythical onomastics of Ireland, on which the contemporary one is based. In the article, the author used ethnographic and folklore materials, as well as onomastics and statistical data.

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