Irish uncial alphabet   Irish Uncial alphabet (An Cló Gaelach)

The Irish uncial alphabet originated in medieval manuscripts as a variant of the Latin alphabet. The first Gaelic typeface was designed in 1571 for a catechism commissioned by Elizabeth I, Aibidil Gaoidheilge & Caiticiosma by Seán Ó Cearnaigh, and this style of typeface was used for printing Irish until mid-20th century.

An Cló Gaelach (Gaelic type) is another name for the Irish uncial alphabet, which is now used mainly as a decorative script on road signs, street names, shop signs and elsewhere in Ireland. It is also used as a decorative script in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man, and Gaelic typefaces tend to include the letters and diacritics need to write the other Celtic languages.

Notable features

Irish uncial alphabet (An Cló Gaelach)

Irish uncial alphabet (An Cló Gaelach)

Irish uncial alphabet (An Cló Gaelach) - extra letters

Sample text in the Irish uncial alphabet

Sample text in the Irish uncial alphabet

Transliteration

Saolaítear na daoine uile saor agus coṁionann ina ndínit agus ina gcearta. Tá bua an réasúin agus an ċoinsiasa acu agus dlíd iad féin d'iompar de ṁeon bráiṫreaċais i leiṫ a ċéile.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Links

Information about the Gaelic script
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_script
http://www.evertype.com/celtscript/fonthist.html

Scríbhinní - information about the Irish uncial script in Irish
http://www.scribhinn.org/

Ceithre Céad Bliain de Chló Éireannach / Four centuries of printing in the Irish character: http://services.spd.dcu.ie/library/LIBire/Special%20Collections/spcoll4centG.htm

Free Irish uncial fonts
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~oduibhin/mearchlar/fonts.htm
http://www.gaelchlo.com
http://www.abstractfonts.com/search/irish+uncial

Other versions of the Latin alphabet

Ancient Latin, Fraktur, Irish Uncial, Old English

Other Irish pages

Learn Chinese Characters with the Omniglot Chinese app