Irish (Gaelic or Irish Gaelic) is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil, i.e. the official written standard, the name of the language is Gaeilge, pronounced [ˈɡælgə]. Irish is now spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state. In pronunciation, Irish most closely resembles its nearest relatives, Scottish Gaelic and Manx. Writing system: Latin Official language in: Ireland, European Union