De Bhaldraithe Tomás. The Irish of Cois Fhairrge, Co. Galway: A Phonetic Study

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1975. — 152 p.Cois Fhairrge as far as one can ascertain from the people of the Gaedhealtacht of West Galway, is applied to that area which stretches along the coast from about Bearna, itself a few miles west of Galway City, to somewhere about Casla. Some people limit its extension to the districts immediately surrounding the villages in question in the present work, An Teach Mor, and An Lochan Beag, which are situated about fifteen miles west of Galway, on the coast road, and are in the centre of Cois Fhairrge, if the name is given its broader interpretation.
Cois Fhairrge, apart from the street in the villages of Bearna and An Spideal, is practically one hundred per cent. Irish-speaking. The areas immediately north and west of it are as thoroughly Irish-speaking. According to the older generation there has been no appreciable change in the position of Irish in the district, apart from Bearna and An Spideal, within living memory. The majority of the people understand a certain amount of English, and can manage to carry on their business with outsiders in ' English ', although there are at least two intelligent middleaged men in Teach Mor, who understand no English. The younger people, around the thirties, usually make a much poorer attempt to speak English to the stranger than do their parents, who for the most part have been abroad. The recent mass emigration to England will undoubtedly change the position.
One might not expect to find the language in so strong a position in an area not far removed from Galway City. It is to be noted that there are no ' villages ' in the English sense of the word, in this district, apart from Beama and An Spideal. The people of Cois Fhairrge were less likely to come into contact with outsiders than the people of many districts in Connamara, which, although farther removed from the City, were on the main road to Clifden and were until recently served by a railway.