The grammar and metrical rules were described in a series of grammatical tracts and linguistic poems used for teaching in bardic schools.

[9] Queen Elizabeth I was proficient in several languages and is reported to have expressed a desire to understand Irish.

[11] The grammar of Early Modern Irish is laid out in a series of grammatical tracts written by native speakers and intended to teach the most cultivated form of the language to student bards, lawyers, doctors, administrators, monks, and so on in Ireland and Scotland.

The distinction between preposition + accusative to show motion toward a goal (e.g. san gcath "into the battle") and preposition + dative to show non–goal-oriented location (e.g. san chath "in the battle") is lost during this period in the spoken language, as is the distinction between nominative and accusative case in nouns, but they are kept in Classical Gaelic.

The Classical Gaelic standard also requires the use of accusative for direct object of the verb if it is different in form from the nominative.

The infix pronouns inherited from Old Irish are still optionally used in poetry for direct objects, but their use was likely outdated in speech already in the beginning of the Early Modern period.

The first book printed in any Goidelic language was published in 1567 in Edinburgh, a translation of John Knox's 'Liturgy' by Séon Carsuel, Bishop of the Isles.

The Church of Ireland (a member of the Anglican communion) undertook the first publication of Scripture in Irish.

The first Irish translation of the New Testament was begun by Nicholas Walsh, Bishop of Ossory, who worked on it until his murder in 1585.

An Irish translation of the revised prayer book of 1662 was effected by John Richardson (1664–1747) and published in 1712.