The Irish language (Gaeilge) is one of the oldest written and vernacular tongues in Europe, boasting a rich history that spans over two millennia. Belonging to the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language family, its earliest written remnants appear as Ogham inscriptions carved into stone pillars around the 4th century AD. With the arrival of Christianity, Irish adopted the Latin alphabet, entering a golden age of literature and scholarship where Irish monks preserved both classical texts and native sagas. It remained the dominant language across all social classes in Ireland until the 17th century, when British colonization, the imposition of the Penal Laws, and the systematic suppression of Irish culture began its steady decline. This decline accelerated catastrophically during the Great Famine of the 1840s, which decimated the rural, predominantly Irish-speaking population through starvation and forced emigration. By the late 19th century, the Gaelic Revival sparked a passionate movement to save the language from extinction, laying the groundwork for Irish to be recognized as the first official language of the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) in 1922. Today, while it faces ongoing challenges as a daily community language, it survives in designated Irish-speaking regions (Gaeltachtaí), is a mandatory subject in Irish schools, and enjoys a modern resurgence through digital media, Gaelscoileanna (Irish-medium schools), and official recognition as a working language of the European Union.
All of the book titles that are included in this DVD are listed as follows:
A Concise Irish Grammar - E. Windisch (1882)
A concise Old Irish grammar and reader - J. Pokorny (1914)
A contribution to the phonology of Desi-Irish to serve as an introduction to the metrical system of Munster Poetry - R. Henebry (1898)
A Gaelic primer, containing rules for pronouncing the language - J. Munro (1828)
A grammar of Old Irish - F. O'Connell (1912)
A grammar of the Iberno-Celtic, or Irish language - C. Vallancey (1782)
A grammar of the Irish language - H. Mason (1830)
A grammar of the Irish language - J. O'Donovan (1845)
A grammar of the Irish language - P. Joyce (1896)
A grammar of the Irish language for the use of schools - P. Joyce (1878)
A grammar of the modern Irish language - C. Wright (1855)
A hand-book of modern Irish Vol. 1 - J. Henry (1905)
A hand-book of modern Irish Vol. 2 - J. Henry (1905)
A key to the exercises in Studies in modern Irish - G. O'Nolan (1920)
A practical grammar of the Irish language - O. Connellan (1844)
A practical grammar of the Irish language - P. O'Brien (1809)
A primer of Irish metrics - with a glossary, and an appendix containing an alphabetical list of the poets of Ireland - K. Meyer (1909)
A primer of the Irish language, with copious reading lessons (1845)
Aids to Irish composition - Christian Brothers (1910)
Aids to the pronunciation of Irish - Christian Brothers (1920)
Aistiḋe Gaeḋilge le haġaiḋ an aosa óig - Irish lessons for the young with short vocabularies and copious explanations - P. Dinneen (1908)
An ċéad scéaluiḋe - First story reader - leaḃar léiġṫeoireaċtá le hAġaiḋ scoileana - T. Ó hAodha (1906)
An Cheud leabhar Gaedhilge - First Irish book - Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (1903)
An cónggar - the short cut, Irish simplified - R. O'Daly (1921)
An dara leabhar Gaedhilge - Second Irish book - Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (1890)
An English-Irish dictionary - intended for the use of students of the Irish language - D. Foley (1855)
An essay on the antiquity of the Irish language - C. Vallancey (1818)
An ġaoṫ aniar - T. Ó Máille (1920)
An introduction to the Irish language - W. Neilson (1808)
An introduction to the study of the Irish language - W. Hayden (1891)
An Irish-English dictionary - J. O'Brien (1832)
An Irish-English dictionary - with copious quotations from the most esteemed ancient and modern writers, to elucidate the meaning of obscure words - E. O'Reilly (1864)
An Irish-English dictionary, being a thesaurus of words, phrases and idioms of the modern Irish language, with explanations in English - P. Dineen (1904)
An Irish-English dictionary, containing upwards of twenty thousand words that never appeared in any former Irish lexicon - E. O'Reilly (1821)
An léiġṫeoir Gaeḋealaċ (1907)
An macléighinn, leabhar chomhráidh - F. Finnbhéil (1906)
An treas leabhar Gaedhilge - Third Irish book - Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (1889)
Ancient Irish litany of the ever Blessed Mother of God, in the original Irish ... with translations in English and Latin (1880)
Anecdota from Irish manuscripts Vol. 1 - O. Bergin (1907)
Anecdota from Irish manuscripts Vol. 3 - O. Bergin (1907)
Auraicept na n-éces - the scholars' primer, being the texts of the Ogham tract from the Book of Ballymote and the Yellow book of Lecan, and the text of the Trefhocul from the Book of Leinster (1917)
Beirt Ġaeḋilgeoirí 'na gcoṁnaiḋe 'sa ċaṫair - D. Ó Murchadha (1915)
Bruth-fá-thír - P. Ó Domhnalláin (1900)
Cáin Adamnáin - an old-Irish treatise on the law of Adamnan - K. Meyer (1905)
Cainnt scoile - School talk, an Irish-English conversation book for use in elementary schools and Gaelic League classes - T. Ó hAodha (1906)
Ceachta beaga gaedhilge Vol. 2 - N. Borthwick (1911)
Ceachta beaga gaedhilge Vol. 3 - N. Borthwick (1911)
Ceaċta cainnte gramadaiġe - the practical grammar of modern Irish - S. O Cathain (1913)
Christian Inscriptions In The Irish Language Vol. 1 - G. Petrie (1872)
Christian Inscriptions In The Irish Language Vol. 2 - G. Petrie (1872)
Cnó coilleaḋ craoḃaiġe, the Irish of the people - M. Sheehan (1908)
Cnó coilleadh craobhaighe - The Irish of the people - M. Sheehan (1917)
Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh - The war of the Gaedhil with the Gaill, the original Irish text, edited, with translation and introduction - J. Todd (1867)
Cóir mhúinte na Gaedhilge - Christian Brothers (1920)
Cóir mhúinte na Gaedhilge, teachers' companion to an chéad leabhar agus an dara leabhar - Christian Brothers (1909)
Compendium of Irish grammar - E. Windisch (1883)
Complete course of Irish composition - D. Lynch (1910)
Concise Irish grammar with pieces for reading - E. Windisch (1882)
Contributions to Irish lexicography Vol. 1 Pt. 1 - K. Meyer (1906)
Cúrsaí an lae, cur síos ar gach éinní a bhaineann le saoghal an sgoláire - N. Ní Ghráda (1900)
Dánta Aodhagáin Uí Rathaille - The poems of Egan O'Rahilly, to which are added miscellaneous pieces illustrating their subjects and language (1900)
Dearg-ruaṫar Ċonaill Ċearnaiġ, sgéal ruḋraiġeaċta - S. Laoide (1907)
Easy lessons, or, Self-instruction in Irish - U. Bourke (1873)
Easy lessons, or, Self-instruction in Irish - U. Bourke (1876)
English-Irish phrase dictionary - L. McKenna (1912)
First Irish Grammar - Christian Brothers (1920)
Fís Mherlíno, the vision of Merlino, an Irish allegory - R. Macalister (1905)
Focalóir gaoidhilge-sax-bhéarla, or An Irish-English dictionary - J. O'Brien (1768)
Focloir Gaoidhilge-sacs-Bearla, or, An Irish-English dictionary, intended for the use of students and teachers of Irish - T. Coneys (1849)
Folclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla - An Irish-English dictionary - P. Dineen (1904)
Graiméar na GaeDilge - Christian Brothers (1906)
Gramadac ḋá-ṫeangṫaċ, an Ġaeḋilg agus an Béarla ar aġaiḋ a ċéile - T. Connellan (1906)
Grammaire du vieil-irlandais - J. Vendryes (1908) (French)
Historical sketches of the native Irish and their descendants, illustrative of their past and present state with regard to literature, education, and oral instruction - C. Anderson (1830)
Introduction to studies in modern Irish, a handbook for teachers and beginners - G. Ó Nualláin (1921)
Irish at school, or, Gaeḋilg sa scoil - Ní Cheallacháin Máire (1920)
Irish composition - suitable for middle and senior grades, intermediate, and for university examinations - Christian Brothers (1917)
Irish for all everyday conversation in Irish with imitated pronounciation and English translation, including salutations, simple proverbs, rhymes and witticisms from Gaelic firesides - S. Toibin (1920)
Irish glosses - W. Stokes (1860)
Irish made easy - M. O'Brennan (1859)
Irish phrase book - illustrating the various meanings and uses of verbs and prepositions - E. Hogan (1897)
Irish spelling - O. Bergin (1911)
Key to the study of Gaelic - J. O'Daly (1899)
Lane's English-Irish dictionary - T. Lane (1904)
Laoidh Oisin air Thir na n-Og - The Lay of Oisin on the land of the young - Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (1880)
Larger English-Irish dictionary. Focloir bearla-gaidhlige - T. O'Neill-Lane (1917)
Leaḃar mion-cainte i nGaeḋilg & i mBéarla - An Irish-English conversation book Vol. 1 - J. Ahern (1902)
Leaḃar mion-cainte i nGaeḋilg & i mBéarla - An Irish-English conversation book Vol. 2 - J. Ahern (1902)
Leabhar breathnach annso sis - the Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius (1848)
Lectures on the Irish language movement delivered under the auspices of various branches of the Gaelic League - P. Dinneen (1904)
Measgán Músgraiġe, cnuasaċ beag sgéalaiḋeaċta - S. Laoide (1911)
Mion-ċaint, an easy Irish phrase book - P. O'Leary (1899)
Mion-chaint - Gill's Irish phrase book a conversational manual for everyday use - B. Crehan (1902)
Modern Irish grammar - J. Craig (1900)
Oiḋe ċloinne Lir - The fate of the children of Lir - R. O'Duffy (1883)
Oidhe chloinne uisnigh - Fate of the children of Uisneach - Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (1914)
Old Irish paradigms and Selections from the old-Irish glosses, with notes and vocabulary - J. Strachan (1909)
Outlines of Irish grammar - for the use of schools and Gaelic League classes (1905)
Post-ṡeanċas - i n-a ḃfuil cúigí, dúiṫċí, conntaeṫe, & bailte puist na h-Éireann Vol. 1 - S. Laoide (1905)
Post-ṡeanċas - i n-a ḃfuil cúigí, dúiṫċí, conntaeṫe, & bailte puist na h-Éireann Vol. 2 - S. Laoide (1905)
Prós Gaedhealach, trácht in Gaedhilg, maille le n-a aistriughadh i mBéarla, agus foclóir - P. Dinneen (1902)
Provincialisms and dialects in modern spoken Irish - J. O'Flynn (1910)
Réalta de'n spéir, leaḃar léiġṫeoreaċta iolsgol agus árdsgol - S. Laoide (1915)
Réilthíní óir Vol. 2 - G. Clune (1920)
Revised simple lessons in Irish, giving the pronunciation of each word - E. O'Growney (1901)
Scéaluiḋe Éireann, with complete vocabulary - S. Ua Ceallaigh (1920)
Simple Lessons in Irish Part 1 - E. O Growney (1919)
Simple Lessons in Irish Part 2 - E. O Growney (1919)
Stories from the Táin - J. Strachan (1908)
Studies in modern Irish - G. O'Nolan (1919)
Teacher's companion to Aids to Irish composition - Christan Brothers (1906)
The ancient Irish epic tale, Táin bó Cúalnge, The Cualnge cattle-raid - J. Dunn (1914)
The Aryan origin of the Gaelic race and language. The Round Towers, the Brehon law, truth of the Pentateuch - U. Bourke (1876)
The banquet of Dun na n-Gedh and The battle of Magh Rath an ancient historical tale - J. O'Donovan (1842)
The college Irish grammar - U. Bourke (1856)
The educational pronouncing dictionary of the Irish language - S. Duirinne (1900)
The Gaelic journal - Irislear na elge (1882)
The Gaelic journal - Irislear na elge (1884-86)
The Gaelic journal - Irislear na elge (1887-88)
The Gaelic journal - Irislear na elge (1889)
The Gaelic journal - Irislear na elge (1894)
The Irish language and Irish intermediate education - Connradh na Gaedhilge (1901)
The Irish vindicator both of race and language, an appeal to the Irish race to save the Irish language - P. O'Daly (1911)
The Irish-English spelling book. Intended to assist the native Irish in learning English, through the medium of the Irish language - T. Connellan (1825)
The King's letter translated into irish, with a grammatical introduction to the Irish language, and reading lessons - T. Connellan (1825)
The language of the annals of Ulster - T. Ó Máille (1910)
The metrical Dindsenchas Vol. 2 - E. Gwynn (1903)
The old-Latin and old-Irish monuments of verse - T. Fitz-Hugh (1920)
The Táin bó Cúailnge from the Yellow book of Lecan, with variant readings from the Lebor na huidre - J. Strachan (1912)
Three Irish glossaries - Cormac's glossary, codex A, O'Davoren's glossary and A glossary to the calendar of Oengus the Culdec (1862)
Tóruigheacht Dhiarmuda agus Gráinne = The pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne - Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (1880)