Irish Literature - The Beginning of Writing in Irish

The Beginning of Writing in Irish

Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in western Europe (after Greek and Latin).

The Irish became fully literate with the arrival of Christianity in the fifth century. Before that time a simple writing system known as "ogham" was used for inscriptions. The introduction of Latin led to the adaption of the Latin alphabet to the Irish language and the rise of a small literate class, both clerical and lay.

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