ABSTRACT
The material was transcribed from the audio interviews according to the system developed by the NEOPHON research project in Spain in which both authors participated. Clar learned Irish in her local all-Irish Gaeltacht school at primary level and then attended an all-English secondary school outside the Gaeltacht. The majority of the people the author interviewed had no Irish language background or connection to the Gaeltacht but had taken clear steps towards improving their Irish over time. Liam was from a rural town in the west of Ireland and was brought up speaking English in the home. He admits that there aren’t a lot of opportunities to speak Irish but that he makes his own and seeks them out. Most salient amongst these is the process of identity construction through the Irish language, language ownership, legitimacy and their relationship with the Gaeltacht and traditional Irish speakers.
