The English language was introduced into Ireland with the coming of the Anglo-Normans from West Wales in the late 12th century. Since then the fate of English has been closely linked with that of the Irish language which it came largely to replace in the late modern period. The language shift in Ireland was relatively long, spanning at least three centuries from 1600 to 1900 for most of the country. In present-day Ireland there are only a few small remaining enclaves scattered along the western seaboard where Irish is still spoken as a native language. Linguistically, Ireland is divided into two broad sections, the north and the south. A dividing line can be drawn roughly between Sligo, just south of County Donegal, and Dundalk on the east coast immediately below the border with Northern Ireland.