▁been ▁written ▁in ▁G ael ic ▁languages ▁from ▁the ▁ 1 st ▁centuries ▁AD ▁to ▁the ▁present ▁day . ▁Latin ▁had ▁been ▁used ▁extens ively ▁in ▁the ▁G ael ic ▁lands , ▁with ▁the ▁advent ▁of ▁Christian ity , ▁however , ▁the ▁Ga els ▁were ▁in ▁the ▁v angu ard ▁as ▁regards ▁using ▁their ▁own ▁language ▁to ▁write ▁literary ▁works ▁of ▁mer it . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Old ▁G ael ic , ▁ 3 0 0 s ▁CE — 9 0 0 s ▁CE ▁ ▁Before ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁Christian ity ▁in ▁Ireland , ▁the ▁Ga els ▁had ▁a ▁limited ▁level ▁of ▁liter acy ▁in ▁Prim itive ▁Irish . ▁This ▁manif ested ▁itself ▁in ▁og ham ▁ins cri ptions ▁in ▁wood ▁and ▁stone ; ▁typically ▁mem orial s ▁to ▁the ▁dead ▁or ▁boundary ▁markers . ▁The ▁traditional ▁stories ▁of ▁the ▁people ▁were ▁circul ated ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁or al ▁culture , ▁rather ▁than ▁written ▁down . ▁Works ▁of ▁a ▁Christian ▁nature ▁were ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁appear ▁in ▁the ▁Se an - G ha eil ge ▁( Old ▁Irish ), ▁the ▁earliest ▁form ▁written ▁in ▁Latin ▁script , ▁as ▁it ▁would ▁appear ▁that ▁the ▁G ael ic ▁speaking ▁mon ks ▁wanted ▁to ▁im part ▁the ▁religion ▁to ▁their ▁f lock s ▁in ▁the ▁native ▁tongue . ▁It ▁is ▁thought ▁likely ▁that ▁the ▁first ▁church ▁h ym ns ▁and ▁pray ers ▁were ▁composed ▁in ▁Old ▁Irish ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁century . ▁The ▁work ▁Am ra ▁Ch olu im ▁Ch ille