Irish language use and ideologies in Australia in the performance of traditional singing Mahesh Radhakrishnan
This paper looks at how Irish language use and ideologies are expressed in the performance of Irish traditional singing within the Irish language community in Australia. Both the Irish language (Gaeilge) and English are used in the song repertoire itself as well as the “banter” or stage talk by singers. The songs and surrounding banter express ideologies of Irish as a revival language and a form of resistance to English language hegemony. The use of the Irish language and the assertion of Irish language ideologies in Australia challenge the widely unquestioned assumption of a homogenous and English-speaking Anglo-Celtic Australian heritage.

Mahesh Radhakrishnan is a Macquarie University Linguistics PhD candidate with a research interest in the performance of language, linguistic diversity, language ideology, interaction and the connections between language and music. He has recently submitted his thesis on Irish traditional singing and Carnatic singing under the supervision of Dr. Verna Rieschild.