Distinguishing Irish from Gaelic

Key Difference – Irish vs Gaelic

Irish and Gaelic are two native languages used in Northern Europe. Gaelic is a Celtic language, which is categorized into three languages known as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Irish Gaelic is also known as Irish and is the official and national language of Ireland. The key difference between Irish and Gaelic is that Irish is a Gaelic language.

What is Gaelic?

Gaelic, also known as Goidelic, is one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages. In contemporary usage, Gaelic refers to either the Scottish Gaelic language or the Irish Gaelic language. Manx, which also belonged to this group, died out in the 20th century. Irish Gaelic actually refers to the Irish language. Irish and Scottish are somewhat similar; an Irish speaker may be able to understand some Scottish Gaelic.

What is Irish?

The Irish language is the Celtic language of Ireland. It is also known as Irish Gaelic. It is the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland and is also officially recognized as an official minority language in Northern Ireland. It is also an official language of the European Union. However, it is spoken as a first language by a small minority of Irish people, although the number of second-language speakers consists of a rather large group.

Key Takeaways

• Irish is a Gaelic language, while Gaelic is one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages.
• Irish is also known as Irish Gaelic, and Gaelic is categorized into the Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, or Manx.
• Irish is the first official language of the Republic of Ireland, while Gaelic is used in Ireland and Scotland.