Status of the Irish language from 40,000 up to 80,000 people. Areas in which the language remains a vernacular are referred to as "Gaeltacht" areas. Irish is the least widely spoken among the 24 official languages of the European Union. The use of the language in the Irish diaspora has been declining steadily. Irish speakers outside the Gaeltacht include both second-language speakers and native speakers who were raised and educated through Irish. They are sometimes known as and constitute an expanding minority, though of uncertain size. They are predominantly urban dwellers. Present trends make it likely that they represent the future of the language and
The Great Saint Patrick's Day Flood The Great Saint Patrick's Day Flood The Great Saint Patrick's Day Flood is a short historical novel for children by the American writer Mildred S. Flaherty based on events of the Pittsburgh Flood of 1936 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Set in March, the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers are rising. Eleven-year-old Billy Flynn and his seven-year-old brother Tommy are happy when school is cancelled. The boys' excitement soon turns to fear and awe as the rivers overflow their banks and people are forced to flee from their homes and work. Soon they experience life as they have never known it, discovering