Articles

Here are two articles by James Connolly which contribute to the debate on the cultural revolution, the attitude of socialists to the language movement and the attitude of language enthusiasts to socialism.

The first is The Language Movement (1898):

You cannot teach starving men Gaelic; and the treasury of our national literature will and must remain lost forever to the poor wage-slaves who are contented by our system of society to toil from early morning to late at night for a mere starvation wage.

Therefore, I say to our friends of the Gaelic movement - your proper place is in the ranks of the Socialist Republican Party, fighting for the abolition of this accursed social system which grinds us down in such a manner; which debases the character and lowers the ideals of our people to such a fearful degree, that to the majority of our workers the most priceless manuscript of ancient Celtic lore would hold but a secondary place in their esteem beside a rasher of bacon.

The second is Sinn Féin and Socialism (1908):

Even on the question of the Irish language, Gaelic, a question on which most Socialists are prone to stumble, I am heartily in accord. I do believe in the necessity, and indeed in the inevitability, of a universal language, but I do not believe it will be brought about, or even hastened, by smaller races or nations consenting to the extinction of their language. Such a course of action, or rather of slavish inaction, would not hasten the day of a universal language, but would rather lead to the intensification of the struggle for mastery between the languages of the greater powers.

On the other hand a large number of small communities speaking different tongues, are more likely to agree upon a common language as a common means of communication than a small number of great empires, each jealous of its own power and seeking its own supremacy.

I have heard some doctrinaire Socialists arguing that Socialists should not sympathize with oppressed nationalities, or with nationalities resisting conquest. They argue that the sooner these nationalities are suppressed the better, as it will be easier to conquer political power in a few big empires than in a number of small states. This is the language argument over again.

The Cultural Revolution

The Irish language movement in the Six Counties has continued to grow despite attacks on it and reaction against attempts to gain it equal status by various Stormont regimes and British governments. The movement in the Twenty-Six Counties has experienced a revival of late despite apathy from the Dublin government and hostility from sections of the media.

What is the relationship between the Irish language and progressive politics today? Is it a means by which a national population can exert its autonomy against a homogenising neo-liberal system? Can it act as a bulwark for diversity against an ever-encroaching Anglo-US cultural imperialism? Moreover, what role has the Irish language community to play in the struggle for a better Ireland and the regaining of our national independence and unity? Can the language truly progress as long as capitalism remains the predominant ideology in our society?

Join the debate on the future of our national tongue on Thursday 21st February at 7.00pm in the Roddy McCorley Club.