Posted this on CF.net a couple days ago, and it got one comment, so I thought I'd open it up for discussion here. Basically, its a few ideas I had for how Scottish and Irish Gaelic could be in a better position today. Feel free to tell me if any of these ideas are good (or silly...)
-England stays Catholic. This might give the Irish population some more political rights, and make the British government less hostile towards Irish culture and language
-Ireland becomes Protestant. Same as above, but I'm not sure how one could make it happen-maybe have some kind of Irish John Knox figure?
-"Scotland" only includes the Highlands. This would require some POD in the 10th or 11th centuries that prevents or reverses the Highland conquest of the Lowlands (which would probably be absorbed into "England" ITTL). This way, "Scotland" wold be made up almost entirely of Scots Gaelic-speaking areas, giving the language a much more dominant position than IOTL. This reduced Scotland would probably be absorbed into Britain at some point, but if it manages to survive as long as our Scotland did, and to maintain its own legal system, then Scottish Gaelic would probably be in a better position in the modern day.
-The
Lords of the Isles (who ruled the Hebrides and the Isle of Man) manage to maintain their independence from Scotland for longer than OTL, to the point that when the UK forms, the Hebrides are considered a separate home nation from Scotland. This is essentially the same idea as above-an entirely Scots Gaelic-speaking home nation in the UK.
-Gaelic England. After the Roman retreat from Britain, several Irish colonies were planted in the island, the most successful of which eventually evolved into modern-day Scotland. However, according to the
Oxford History of Ireland (which I haven't read in a couple years, so I might be getting some details wrong) there were a few incursions similar to Dalriada in Wales and the west coast of England. Why not wank them? How hard would it be for one (or several) Irish colonies to form in Cumbria or Wales, then push into central England itself before the Anglo-Saxons get to it? Then, the Saxons would be limited to their initial invasion points in the Humber, East Anglia, and the south of England, and eventually take over the Saxon kingdoms. The population of *England and *Wales will probably adopt Gaelic, and you now have...Gaelic Britian. I recognize this scenario is the most far-fetched of the ones I've mentioned, but its the most potential for a Gael-wank-they not only survive, but have the potential to become a world power...