Wars of Words The Politics of Language in Ireland 1537-2004

Wars of Words is the first comprehensive survey of the politics of language in Ireland in the colonial and post-colonial period. Challenging received notions, the book re-visits familiar materials and considers previously little-known evidence in order to present a complex, fascinating, and often surprising history which has suffered greatly in the past from over-simplification. Ranging from Tudor proscription of Irish tocontemporary legislation governing the rights of language users in the Republic and Northern Ireland, the book argues for the centrality of an understanding of the role of language in Irish social and political history.