<h2>Irish interpreters and translators</h2>
            CIT offers Irish interpreters and translators with legal, medical and specialty experience, including criminal and civil matters, employee meetings, engineering, patent cases, labor disputes, immigration and more.

            Although based in Los Angeles, CIT offers comprehensive Irish language services including interpretation, translation and transcription, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, worldwide. Our interpreters and translators are native speakers who have been screened, certified, have provided credentials, field tested, and kept up to date with developments in both English and the Irish language through means such as lectures, conferences, and travel. CIT’s Irish language interpreters and translators possess in depth knowledge of the Irish language, as well as of the culture and history of the Irish people, allowing them to provide informed and complete interpretation and translation.
            <h2>The Irish Language</h2>
            The Irish language, also known as Irish, Gaelic or Irish Gaelic, is a Celtic language that is mainly spoken in Ireland. Irish is the official language of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Before 1948, the title of the language was spelled Gaedhilge. Middle Irish spelled it as Gaoidhealg while class Iwish was Gaoidhealg and Old Irish spelled it as Goidelc. The Irish language is also minimally spoken in the United Kingdon, the US, Canada and Australia. Approximately 1.76 million people speak Irish in Ireland. Only about 74,000 speak it daily, whereas 112,000 speak it weekly and over 585,000 people speak it less frequently. The rest rarely speak it but still consider themselves to speak it. Most Irish speakers are scattered along the west coast of Ireland. This number is about 96,000 people.

            The Irish language is part of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages and they are known as Q-Celtic languages. It is related to Manx, Scottish Gaelic and other Goidelic languages. It is also related to Welsh, Cornish and Breton but not as closely related. These languages are part of the Brythonic branch within the Celtic languages. These are referred to as P-Celtic languages.

            There are three main Irish dialects: Munster (spoken in Kerry, Muskerry and County Cork), Connacht (spoke in Connemara, Aran Islands and Tourmakeady in the Mayo County) and Ulster (spoken mainly in Rosses). There is another dialect, the Gweedore dialect, but it is very closely related to the Ulster dialect. In the 1960s, Irish became standardized and became known as <em>An Caighdean Oifigiul</em>. This form combines several parts of all the dialects and the pronunciation is closest to the Connacht dialect. It is the form taught primarily in schools.

            Between the 1600s to the 1900s, the Irish language was replaced by English in most parts of Ireland. Because of famine and migration, the language continued to decline. In 1922, when the Republic of Ireland was created, Irish became the official language along with English. The government essentially became bilingual. In modern times, Irish is used in publications, news, television and radio.

            The Irish language was first written using Ogham writings, which were used in Archaic Irish and Old Welsh, in the years 300-500. When the Saint, Patrick, brought Christianity to Ireland, the Irish began writing in Latin. When the Vikings invaded in 800-900 AD, many Latin manuscripts were destroyed. Today, Irish is written using the Latin alphabet. In 1957, a spelling reform got rid of silent letters, although they are still used in Scottish Gaelic.

            Variations of spelling:

            <em>Gaedhilic/Gaeilic/Gaeilig</em>, or <em>Gaedhlag</em>, <em>Gaedhealaing/Gaoluinn/Gaelainn</em>
            <h2>Fun Facts about Ireland</h2>
            <ul>
                <li>The Titanic was built in Belfast in North Ireland</li>
                <li>Mustaches were illegal in Ireland in 1447</li>
                <li>The longest name of a place in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia</li>
                <li>The Guinness brewery has a 9,000-year lease</li>
                <li>Contrary to popular belief, the national symbol of Ireland is not a shamrock, but a Celtic harp</li>
                <li>The film Braveheart (1995) was taped in Ireland, even though it took place in Scotland</li>
            </ul>