The targeting of the Irish language was an obvious tactic adopted by the British military as the War of Independence continued.

  Seeking to disrupt efforts to promote the Irish language, the military intervened to prevent a host of activities. In June 1920 the Irish Bulletin newspaper compiled a list of just some of the attempts to prevent the teaching and spread of Irish. They included preventing the hosting of Irish language festivals in Bantry and Ballinspittle in county Cork for example; raids on the O’Curry Language school in Carrigaholt, county Clare and the suppressing of the newspaper, Fainne an Lae, the official organ of the Irish Language Revival. In other instances people collecting and involved in the Gaelic League were arrested and targeted. Homes were raided and where papers found in the Irish language discovered, they were ceased. In Skibbereen, county Cork a school with thirty girls learning Irish was dispersed and the girls forcibly removed. These were subtle attempts to prevent the spread of the language and support for other nationalist organisations. It had the opposite effect and in many cases actually swelled the numbers joining the republican cause.  

Source: Irish Bulletin 1918-1921, Thursday, June 24, 1920; Page: 2

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