Irish is a conlang!

Hello Everyone,

I'm delurking for a moment as something I'm working on mentions that
Irish/Gaelic is, in fact, a constructed language!

I was reading a translation of Auraicept na nÉces, which means "The Poets'
Primer" It is a grammar (more or less) of Irish dating from the 7th century.
The Tower of Babel reference is there, but it's not just that. The opening
paragraphs are translated as follows :

"Now the authors of the Irish say that the cause for the invention of the
language of the Féni (Irish) was a strange wonderful deed that took place
in the world i.e. the construction of Nimrod's Tower. Who has invented this
language and in what place was it invented and at what time was it
invented? Not difficult: Fénius Farrsaid invented it at Nimrod's tower at
the end of ten years after the dispersion from the tower. It is there
Fénius stayed, at the tower, and it is there he lived until the school
asked him to extract a language out the many languages such that they only
would speak it or anyone who might learn it from them. Every obscure sound
that existed in every speech and in every language was put into Irish so
that for this reason it is more comprehensive than any other language."

Sounds like one of the earliest references to conlanging, then!

Cheers,
John.

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