The Irish English Network (IrEN)

Speak for Yersel: Northern Ireland and Speak for Yersel: Republic of Ireland: Creating a digital snapshot of the use of English and Scots today

When you’re talking to a group of people, would you say ‘you’, ‘youse’, or ‘y’e? Would you ever say ‘I’m pure ragin’’? And do you pronounce ‘meat’ the same as ‘mate’?

These are the kinds of questions asked in Speak for Yersel: Northern Ireland and Speak for Yersel: Republic of Ireland, two brand-new resources which will create a digital snapshot of how English on the island of Ireland and Scots in Ulster are used in the 21st century. They will map the diverse varieties heard from Ballycastle in the north to Ballycotton in the south. City-dwellers in Belfast and Dublin in the east can have their say alongside the rural populations of tiny villages like Belleek and Brandon in the west.

Karen Corrigan, Professor of Linguistics and English Language and Research Associate Dr Mary Robinson, of the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University, are leading the Northern Irish survey. They are collaborating with Dr Louis Strange from the University of Glasgow who is leading the Republic of Ireland one.

In tribute to the late Markku Filppula

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dear colleague, the late Markku Filppula, a researcher who did so much for the field of Irish English. We are very grateful to the Irish English group in Caceres who organised a tribute to Markku Filppula in the context of the NPIE-8 conference in Caceres. It includes contributions from many researchers in Irish English. You are invited to view it here.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

What is the Irish English Network?

The Irish English Network (IrEN) is an international network of linguistic scholars interested in Irish English, the English spoken on the island of Ireland. The network aims to:

• promote linguistic research on Irish English within Irish English, within Irish Studies, and within the broader field of research on the varieties of English
• provide a platform for scholars of Irish English to share current research and perspectives and to disseminate information on publications, courses of study, open scholarships, corpora of Irish English and useful resources.
• to facilitate scholarly exchange within and across disciplinary borders around the globe.

​The Irish English Network (IrEN) is a member of the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS) since 2021.

Scholars in Irish English are invited to join the network. Membership is free of charge. All interested parties – whether scholars of Irish English or not – are invited to sign up for the Irish English Network newsletter and to use the contact address supplied to let us know of new publications, events or resources of interest.

What does the Irish English Network offer linguists studying Irish English?