The correct answer, 1. Irish, is not a dialect of Old English because Irish is a separate language entirely and belongs to the Celtic language family, not the Germanic language family to which Old English belongs.
Old English, spoken in England from roughly 450–1100 AD, had four main dialects:
Northumbrian: Spoken in northern England and southeastern Scotland.
Mercian: Spoken in the Midlands (central England).
Kentish: Spoken in Kent and southeastern England.
West Saxon: Spoken in the southwest, and later became the most prominent literary dialect.
Irish, on the other hand, is part of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages and was spoken in Ireland. It had no direct connection to Old English except through contact between the Irish and Anglo-Saxon peoples. Thus, Irish was not a dialect of Old English.
Year-wise PYQs
