The first impression encountered after reading the research paper on the Gaelic League is that it touched several points about the league and what its purpose was, but it never went into any specific detail to further explain its functions. The opening paragraph begins with a quote to explain who were the league's founding fathers and when and where it was formed, but the author does not let the reader know why these people were particularly interested in preserving Irish as the national language of Ireland and Gaelic literature. The author does offer the point that the use of the Gaelic language was drastically decreasing, and that the founding fathers found this fact to be "disturbing", but there is no explanation which motivated these particular individuals.
The author does however, explain why the Gaelic League was successful in its mission. By describing the type of organization it was and how it fit into a time period in Ireland where people were looking for a national identity, the author illustrates exactly how the Gaelic League achieved success. The author sites an example of the opposition that the Gaelic League faced once it was formed, and sites quotes on the feelings of the Gaelic League from people who opposed it.
As the Gaelic League continued to work, it became more and more affiliated with politics although its original intention was to remain neutral. The author suggests that the League's affiliation with national political groups may have helped the League accomplish its goals, and how it was hard for the league tom maintain it's neutral position in political issues. The Gaelic League's intention to build Irish nationalism was bolstered by political organizations which is acknowledged and quoted from the author's sources.
The end of the paper gives a look at the present status of the Gaelic League and how active in the present day the League really is. It is only a few brief statements, but it informs the reader that the League is still in existence. A few examples of how the League operates in the present day would be beneficial, and some way to measure the success of the Leagues accomplishments would also help finish out the paper.
This paper mentions good points about the Gaelic League and it is structured from the
foundation of the League to its present day status. The structure of the paper is solid, as it takes
the reader from the beginning of the Gaelic League until present day, but in the middle, more
information about the League and what it has done would strengthen the authors opinion of the
success of the League. Adding more detail would also help the length of the paper and solidify
the authors findings. There were several supporting quotes from researched sources, but the
paper remained very general in knowledge of the League. It was informative and well structured,
but lacked the support it would need if it were to be considered an accurate resource on the
Gaelic League.