Gaeilge
Irish
Long Island City +2Irish immigration to New York began early in the history of the city, accelerating dramatically during the mid-19th century during the Famine. During this period, a significant percentage of Irish New Yorkers came from Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas in western Ireland, meaning that tens of thousands likely would have spoken the language, though direct evidence is fragmentary until significant publishing and teaching efforts began a generation later in the 1870s. Analysis of the 1910 census by the Irish Speakers and the Empire City project found that Irish speakers still lived all over, but with strong concentrations on the West Side near what is today Chelsea. Many significant figures and events in modern Irish history have New York connections, from Eamon de Valera (born in Manhattan) to John Kilgallon (the "Rockaway Rebel" who joined the Easter Rising). Read more here.
T
he Irish community in Queens developed rapidly in the 20th century. Significant Irish- and Irish English-speaking communities still stretch across Sunnyside, Woodside, Rockaway, Breezy Point, Middle Village, and other areas of Queens. The New York Irish Center in Long Island City is one of a number of organizations involved in teaching, maintaining, and spreading the language among both native speakers and second-language learners — and there is an active literary scene too.
Note that the language above may be used throughout the New York area — this is just one significant site.