Percentage of people who said they could speak Irish (Gaelic or Irish Gaelic), in 2011 As you many know, Ireland was under the rule of Britain for centuries, only gaining independence in the early 20 th century. However, by then Irish (also known as Gaelic, or Irish Gaelic) had declined in usage, with only 15% percent speaking it by the time they gained their independence. Even today, Irish as a language is still less commonly used than English, despite the Irish government making large efforts to promote its usage, such as, historically, requiring those who worked in the civil service, such as postal workers, tax collectors, and more (this was later changed). The history between Ireland and the UK has been quite tense, with the centuries of English and British rule, with them discouraging the usage of Irish, and the whole situation with independence and the status of Northern Ireland. Nowadays, there seems to be much more reduced animosity