Ireland is divided both politically and linguistically, and interestingly the linguistic and political borders lie close together. Northern Ireland (the six counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone), with a population of approximately one and a half million, is politicakky a part of the United Kingdom, while the remaining twenty-six counties form the Republic of Ireland (population of about three and a half million). Although Irish English (IrE), which is sometimes called Hiberno-English, shows a number of standard features throughout the islan, there are also a number of noticealbe differences. Most of these stem from fairly clear historical causes. The northern counties, for example, are characterized by the presence of Scots forms (see Characteristics of Scottish English). These originated in the large-scale settlement of the north by people from the Scottish Lowlands and the simultaneous displacement of many of the native Irish following Cromwell`s subjection of the island in the middle of the seventeenth century. In what is now the Republic a massive change from the Irish language (a celtic language related to Welsh and Scottish Gaelic) began around the year 1800. The type of English which became established there came from England and not Scotland, and shows some signs of earlier settlement in the southeast by people from the West Midlands of England.
Most characteristic of southern IrE, however, are the numerous features in it which reflect the influence of Irish as the substratum language. In a fewe areas in the west called the Gaeltacht, Irish is still spoken; and Irish is the Republic's official language (English is the second official language). The percentage of population who actually speak Irish is, however, very low (around 2 per cent).
