The Erse leid (Airisch or Airish in Ulster-Scots; Erse: Gaeilge, Gaoluinn, Gaedhlag) is a Celtic leid frae Ireland. It is sib tae Manx Gaelic an Scots Gaelic, an is ane o the twa offeecial leids o the Republic o Ireland an ane o the thrie o Northren Ireland. Frae the 1st o Januar 2007, the Erse leid becam ane o the offeecial leids o the E.U. The Erse spak in Dunnygal is the nearest tae Scots Gaelic, but ither dialects isna sae eith tae lift for Scots Gaelic spickers.
The pairts whaur Erse is still spak for common bi fowk is thegither cried the Gaeltacht. It is sindry bits o the kintra, whiles juist a single clachan, skailt athort sieven coonties - Dunnygal an Galway (the twa wi the maist), Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Waterford, an Meath. There's a wee pairt o Belfast whaur mony fowk spicks Erse an aw.
Aboot 1.66 million fowk spik Erse.