This chapter describes an aspect of Ireland and Irishness in the twenty-first century. It tells the story of a country undergoing major changes and a concomitant identity in flux. Ireland has had, in a relatively short space of time, an economic boom and a subsequent crash. This economic cataclysm, with its major shifts in population caused by immigration and emigration, has brought with it changes in how Irish people see themselves and indeed what constitutes ‘Irishness’. The study presented here tells this story through the lens of language: language use, language practices and language attitudes. an important ‘barometer’ of identity is language; here, language tells a story of identity in flux where ‘Irishness’ is redefined. Similarly to the picture painted by Lamarre (this volume) of a changing Quebec identity, Ireland’s rapidly changing identity may be captured here through language use in Ireland today; specifically the language of the ‘new Irish’.Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Science
