Ulster Irish is the
dialect of the
Irish language spoken in the
province of
Ulster. It "occupies a central position in the
Gaelic world made up of
Ireland,
Scotland and the
Isle of Man". Ulster Irish thus has more in common with
Scottish Gaelic and
Manx than other Irish dialects do. Within Ulster there have historically been two main sub-dialects: West Ulster Irish and East Ulster Irish. The Western dialect is spoken in
County Donegal and once was in parts of neighbouring counties, hence the name Donegal Irish. The Eastern dialect was spoken in most of the rest of Ulster and northern parts of counties
Louth and
Meath.