Douglas Hyde successfully campaigned to have Irish included in the school curriculum against tough opposition, including two distinguished Trinity professors who argued that Irish was not a subject fit for study. Hyde submitted responses from leading European Celtic scholars, which crushed the opposition.
In his efforts to make Irish a compulsory subject for entrance into the new National University of Ireland, Hyde also faced tough opposition, particularly from Catholic bishops. Such was his campaigning ability that 100,000 attended a rally in Dublin to support the Irish language.