GWAYL-geh or GAYL-geh – The name for the Irish language in the Irish language. In English, the language is called Irish. The Irish do not refer to the language as “Gaelic” but people outside Ireland often refer to it as “Irish Gaelic.” Gaeilge is the first official language of Ireland and one of the official languages of the European Union. It is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family.

Pronunciation note: As with most words, the pronunciation depends on what area one is from. I hear it most commonly pronounced “GWALE-geh” and this is how I choose to pronounce it. I have also heard it pronounced GAYL-geh, GAYL-i-geh, GAYL-ig, and GWAYL-in.