Although English has been spoken in Ireland for eight centuries and used creatively in literature for over six centuries, Irish speakers did not simply adopt English; they grafted it onto a Gaelic stem, making it capable of expressing an Irish culture and world view. This book explores the origins and development of English in Ireland; how emigrants, missionaries and writers have influenced English world-wide; how it is used; and how the loss of a mother tongue can affect a nation's psyche, and whether the loss has been accompanied by abundant recompense.