ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses how key junctures in language policy since the revival period have been shaped by and, in turn, have shaped new speakers of Irish. It provides a discussion of the revival period before going on to discuss the intersection of language policy and new speakers since independence. Language policy entered a new and crucial phase following Irish independence, as the first native government appeared to adopt the policies of Conradh na Gaeilge, with major implications for the emergence of future generations of new speakers. The history of Irish language policy in this period has been characterised by distinct approaches in different historical phases of various ideological hues. The concept of Gaeltacht is at the centre of the complex relationship between space, place, identity and Irish language, and it is highly salient in the discourses of new speakers. Many teachers knew little or no Irish, laying bare the monumental task of turning pupils into new speakers of the language.
