I think Cyril is missing Debby's point. Yes, Irish is spoken by many people today in different parts of Ireland, but that is due to the deliberate fostering of the language by the Irish government during the twentieth century. And I might add that, despite all the fostering, it's still a language most Irish people have only a vague acquaintance with. Debby was talking about nineteenth century 'native' speakers. As she said, by the mid-nineteenth century it was confined to certain parts of the country. Every Irish census conducted from 1851 forward asked of an individual's ability to speak Irish and English, or Irish only. Those who spoke English only (the vast majority) were not asked to record the fact. The statistics (as opposed to the actual returns in the case of those destroyed) are available from all these census returns. The statistics from 1901 forward include the large numbers of young people whose knowledge of Irish was due to the beginning of the fostering process, started by the Gaelic League. Paul Gorry

Well, I guess I can safely assume that my relatives spoke English. If they didn't speak Gaelic, they must have known a little. I secretly wish that we (Americans) had kept some sort of UK brouge/accent. Why did Austrailia and New Zealand keep that charming accent and we didn't? !! I know-the US is a BIG place. I am guessing George Washington and people of his time had it, but I doubt if it lasted to Abraham Lincoln's time !! Cece