Is Irish a republican language?
The link between the Irish language and republicanism is a relatively recent phenomenon. Irish was perceived to be a non-political pursuit by the Protestant intelligentsia of Belfast until the political upheavals of the late 19th century. When Queen Victoria visited Belfast in 1849, she noted that the crowds greeted her with shouts of Cad Mle Filte (a hundred thousand welcomes). A banned Orange procession on 12th July 1867 travelled from Bangor to Newtownards, according to the Belfast News-Letter, ‘without interruption save the cead mille failthes of hosts of sympathisers.’ Irish language inscriptions were popular on public buildings in the 1800s. The Ulster Bank adopted the motto ‘Lamh Dearg Eireann’ (‘Red Hand of Ireland’) in its coat of arms – this can be seen today above a branch of the bank in Bangor and above the door of what is now the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. The same motto appears above St. George’s Market in Belfast. Inscriptions in Irish also appeared on the foundation sto
