8 (40) An Gaeltacht The West is an area where the original Gaelic language fights for its survival. Road signs signal An Gaeltacht: Gaelic-speaking area. In spite of all efforts by the Englishmen to exterminate the language in the 17th and 18th centuries, Gaelic was the mother tongue for most Irishmen until 1850-60. By that time, in the aftermath of the Great Famine, the majority changed to English-speaking. Nowadays Gaelic experiences a revived interest. There is a Gaelic-speaking radio channel since 1972 and TV broadcasts youth programs. Along the roads of Western Ireland we saw how the fight for a language is expressed by over-painted English names on the road signs.   7 9 First published: Friday 20th December, 2002 Send a to the author! You may also use this form