English Language Was Beaten Into The Irish

Recently 'Transceltic' reported on an Irish-speaking employee who was reported to have been forced from his job after the management of the business demanded that he use the English language. This news item was widely reported and generated a wide range of responses. An interesting article: ' Beating The English Language Into The Irish, Quite Literally'  has been published by the independent Irish media website 'An Sionnach Fionn' (The White Fox).

In this article it is pointed out that Irish children were forced to speak English:

'Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th, school children were forbidden to speak in their mother tongue. If caught speaking Irish, reported by the teachers or informed on by fellow pupils, they would have a stick hung around their neck, the feared bata scóir or “tally stick”, into which notches were carved every time they were discovered to be speaking the forbidden language. At the end of the day or the week they were beaten in accordance with the number of notches on the tally stick, by the staff or by their parents. In some cases the local priest or Protestant minister would be informed so that the family could be privately or publicly chastised. And the beatings were horrific. Whip-like canes or knotted ropes were used as the child was held down by one or more adults depending on their age or willingness to fight back. In the case of the schools these punishments were often carried out in front of their classmates as an example to others.'

The aim of the British colonial authorities through the school system in Ireland at the time, was the forced removal of the Irish language to facilitate British rule in Ireland.