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The$Irish$Language$And$Everyday$Life$ In#Derry! The$Irish$language$and$everyday$life$ in#Derry! ! ! ! Rosa!Siobhan!O’Neill! ! A!thesis!submitted!in!partial!fulfilment!of!the!requirements!for!the!degree!of! Doctor!of!Philosophy! The!University!of!Sheffield! Faculty!of!Social!Science! Department!of!Sociological!Studies! May!2019! ! ! i" " Abstract! This!thesis!explores!the!use!of!the!Irish!language!in!everyday!life!in!Derry!city.!I!argue!that! representations!of!the!Irish!language!in!media,!politics!and!academic!research!have! tended!to!overKidentify!it!with!social!division!and!antagonistic!cultures!or!identities,!and! have!drawn!too!heavily!on!political!rhetoric!and!a!priori!assumptions!about!language,! culture!and!groups!in!Northern!Ireland.!I!suggest!that!if!we!instead!look!at!the!mundane! and!the!everyday!moments!of!individual!lives,!and!listen!to!the!voices!of!those!who!are! rarely!heard!in!political!or!media!debate,!a!different!story!of!the!Irish!language!emerges.! Drawing!on!eighteen!months!of!ethnographic!research,!together!with!document!analysis! and!investigation!of!historical!statistics!and!other!secondary!data!sources,!I!argue!that! learning,!speaking,!using,!experiencing!and!relating!to!the!Irish!language!is!both!emotional! and!habitual.!It!is!intertwined!with!understandings!of!family,!memory,!history!and! community!that!cannot!be!reduced!to!simple!narratives!of!political!difference!and! constitutional!aspirations,!or!of!identity!as!emerging!from!conflict.!The!Irish!language!is! bound!up!in!everyday!experiences!of!fun,!interest,!achievement,!and!the!quotidian!ebbs! and!flows!of!daily!life,!of!getting!the!kids!to!school,!going!to!work,!having!a!social!life!and! simply!making!it!through!the!day.!While!political!and!cultural!concerns!are!important,!the! Irish!language!has!an!emotional!significance!and!everyday!resonance;!to!echo!Jenkins’! (2007)!study!of!the!Danish!flag,!for!many!who!use!or!relate!to!the!Irish!Language,!it!is! something!that!just!is,!is!there,!and!something!that!is!natural,!that!simply!‘feels!right’,! something!that!is!‘simply!part!of!the!background,!just!there,!something!which!one!just! does.!Something!one!doesn’t!generally!think!about.!Something!one!feels’!(Jenkins!2007,!p.! 129).!! " ! ii" " Acknowledgements! This!thesis!owes!everything!to!the!support,!encouragement,!assistance,!advice!and!input! of!all!those!many!people!involved!in!the!planning,!research!and!writing!stages.!Of!course,! it’s!to!the!participants!in!the!research!project!and!the!people!of!Derry!that!I!owe!the!most.! I!was!overwhelmed!by!the!level!of!generosity!I!was!shown!from!the!very!first!day!of!my! fieldwork!right!up!to!recent!months.!To!those!that!helped!me!establish!my!fieldwork! project,!to!those!that!befriended!me,!to!the!passing!individuals!who!helped!me!find!my! way,!talked!to!me,!and!made!me!welcome;!thank!you!from!the!very!bottom!of!my!heart.! While!for!reasons!of!confidentiality!I!cannot!name!you!all,!I!do!hope!you!know!who!you! are!and!how!very,!very!grateful!I!am.!!You!supported!me!academically,!personally,!made! me!welcome!in!a!new!town,!looked!out!for!me,!mopped!me!up!through!illness!and! breakups,!and!allowed!me!to!share!your!lives,!and!your!love!of!your!language!and!town.! You!changed!my!outlook!on!the!world,!gave!me!confidence,!inspired!me,!and!have!been! more!influential!that!you!probably!know.!Truly,!go!raibh!míle!maith!agaibh.!!While!this! PhD!does!not!tell!the!whole!story,!or!is!able!to!cover!everything!I!was!involved!with!or! learnt,!I!hope!it!does!justice!to!some!of!the!sentiments!expressed!and!gives!voice!to!those! I!worked!with.! !Absolutely!massive!thanks!must!also!be!given!to!the!amazing!team!of!staff!and!students! at!Sheffield!University!who!guided!me!through!this!whole!process.!I!am!incredibly,! incredibly!grateful!to!Professor!Richard!Jenkins,!my!primary!supervisor,!who!has!provided! constant!advice!and!guidance,!stuck!with!me!through!my!constant!wobbles!and!life! meltdowns,!and!been!a!massive!support!both!academically!and!personally.!I!also!owe! much!to!Dr!Tom!Clark,!Dr!Lorna!Warren!and!Janine!Wilson,!along!with!all!the!other!staff!in! the!Department!of!Sociological!Studies,!who!have!provided!support!and!encouragement.!I! likewise!owe!a!massive!debt!to!my!fellow!students!in!the!department,!above!all!to!Dr!Kitty! Nichols,!who!has!kept!me!going!with!a!constant!stream!of!positivity,!humour,!trips!to! iii" " Harvester!and!sage!advice;!thanks!Kitty,!I!wouldn’t!have!been!able!to!do!it!without!you.! Massive,!massive!thanks!also!to!my!other!fellow!PhDKers!throughout!the!years:!Donna,! Martin,!Ellie,!Laura,!Natalia,!Alex!and!Pete,!you!have!all!been!amazing.!! I!would!also!like!to!take!this!time!to!express!my!gratitude!to!all!of!my!lovely!friends!who! have!supported!me!throughout!the!last!few!years!K!particular!thanks!to!Claire!Austin,!Jess! Wilson,!Esther!Knowles,!Tim!McCann,!Milly!Cooper,!Hilary!Jones,!Nadine!Bancroft,!Howard! Bristol!and!family,!Julie!Coffey,!Sarah!Kettlewell!and!Jenny!and!Chris!Downham;!it!has! been!a!challenging!few!years!for!many!reasons,!and!you!have!all!been!there!for!me!when!I! needed!you,!helped!me!in!so!many!ways,!and!made!my!life!a!joy.!I!truly!cannot!express! how!grateful!I!am.!I!am!also!so!very!thankful!for!the!constant!support!and!positive!vibes! from!all!the!staff!and!students!from!the!yoga!world!that!I!have!been!lucky!enough!to!work! with!over!the!years.!!! Last!but!not!least,!I!would!like!to!thank!my!wonderful!family.!I!owe!so!much!to!my! amazing!mum,!Yvette!Solomon,!who!has!not!only!supported!me!emotionally!and!always! been!there!for!me!in!everything!I!have!done!(and!of!course!helped!me!with!the!countless! moves)!but!has!also!been!a!sounding!board,!has!undertaken!the!unenviable!task!of! proofreading!this!thesis,!and!has!most!importantly!been!excited!and!interested,!enthusing! me!to!carry!on!every!time!things!got!tough.!!Massive!thanks!as!well!to!my!Dad!John! O’Neill,!who!has!been!everKinterested,!always!keen!to!discuss!and!debate,!sympathised! with!my!writing!struggles,!and!always!greeted!any!life!dilemma!with!kindness!and! compassion.!My!sister!Bridie!has!been!the!best!friend!I!could!ask!for,!always!there,!always! supporting,!always!on!the!end!of!a!phone,!always!forgiving,!always!kind,!always!proud!of! me!and!cheerleading!me!in!everything!I!do.!Love!you!and!thanks!so!much!Bea.!I!would! also!like!to!take!this!time!to!acknowledge!and!remember!my!granddad!Bill!O’Neill,!now! sadly!passed,!and!my!gran!Mary!O’Neill.!You!have!inspired!my!love!of!Ireland,!of!Irish! iv" " history,!of!politics,!of!striving!for!justice,!integrity!and!equality;!all!I!hope!is!that!I!can!be! half!the!people!you!are.!This!thesis!is!dedicated!to!you!with!love.!!! v" " List!of!Tables! Table"3.1"Numbers"reporting"skills"in"Irish"in"the"6"counties"in"1911"by"religion…..….....98" Table"3.2"Religious"composition"of"Irish"speakers…………………………………………….………..99" Table"3.3"Total"numbers"of"Irish"speakers"by"skills"for"each"county"as"raw"numbers"and" %"of"total"………………………………………………………………………………………………………………100" Table"3.4"Religious"proportions"of"those"reporting"skills"in"Irish"in"the"6"counties"in" 1911,"as"a"percentage"of"the"Irish"speakers"in"each"county………………………………………101" List!of!Figures! Figure"7.1"Derry"1911:"Irish"speakers"reported"in"1911"census,"coded"for"numbers"in" each"street"and"religious"composition……………………………………………………………………..195" Figure"7.2:"Area"around"the"Fountain"in"1911,"census"data"reports"of"Irish" Speakers…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….196" Figure"10.1"Irish"language"signs."Top:"historical"engraving"above"the"modern"playhouse." Bottom:"Ferryquay"Street"and"Great"James"Street…………………………………………………….278" Figure"10.2"Derry"City"Council"trilingual"logo………………………………………………………..…280" Figure"10.3"ClockwiseT"Derry"City"Council"Irish"language"products:"Irish"language"signs" in"the"Guildhall,"Irish"language"in"Council"promotion"material,"sign"outside"Derry"City" Council"building,"Derry"City"Council"Irish"language"services"leaflet"displayed"around"the" city…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..281" Figure"10.1"Political"material"culture,"clockwise:"Sinn"Féin"campaign"leaflet,"Sinn"Féin" party"conference,"Sinn"Féin"street"poster,"Social"Democratic"And"Labour"Party" canvassing"booklet……………………………………………………………………………………….….……..283" Figure"10.2"Irish"language"in"festival"conteXts,"clockwise:"St"Columba’s"Day"parade,"St" Patrick’s"Day"event,"PanTCeltic"festival"certificate,"PanTCeltic"festival"displays,"Saint’s"Day" flag"at"the"Cathedral…………………………………………………………………………………………….…285" Figure"10.3"School"signs"and"adverts"clockwise:"St"Brigid's"College,"St"Mary's"College"and" an"advertisement"for"IrishTmedium"education……………………………………………….……..…287" Figure"10.7"Use"of"Irish"in"businessesT"Siopa"Ciste,"Dungloe"Bar,"Linen"Room"Bar,"Bishop" Gate"pub…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….…290" Figure"10.4"Use"of"Irish"in"business"and"promotion:"outdoor"activities"poster,"Eating" Disorder"group,"Free"Derry"bilingual"signs,"bilingual"Áras"Cholmcille"museum….…..….291" ! ! 6" " ! Table!of!Contents! 1.!Introduction!........................................................................................................!9" 2.!Language!and!everyday!life!...............................................................................!15" 2.1"Approaching"language:"the"problem"of"meaning"and"boundaries"....................................."17" 2.2"Language"boundaries"and"groups"....................................................................................................."31" 2.3"Politics,"nationalism"and"language"..................................................................................................."50"
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