Debate contribution: Irish Language Strategy

Debate contribution by Miss Nicola Brogan on 18 March 2025.

MLA

Miss Nicola Brogan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

18 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Irish Language Strategy

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4860416

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Tá áthas mór orm an rún seo a mholadh inniu díreach i ndiaidh Sheachtain na Gaeilge rathúla eile. Le linn na féile, ghlac níos mó ná milliún duine ar chúig mhór-roinn páirt in imeachtaí a dhéanann ceiliúradh ar an Ghaeilge.

I congratulate and thank all those who organised events for Seachtain na Gaeilge, including those in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area who hosted events ranging from coffee mornings and drama festivals to storytelling workshops and a special Irish language edition of the 5-kilometre parkrun. I attended a very successful Gaeltacht-at-home experience in the Glenpark estate in Omagh. It was great to see a wide range of people with varying Irish abilities enjoy a weekend of Irish language classes and social activities, including yoga as Gaeilge

. Chomh maith leis sin, the Ceann Comhairle

hosted an excellent event in the Senate Chamber on 4 March to launch Seachtain na Gaeilge. All those events contribute to the success of Seachtain na Gaeilge gach bliain

. Is dea-scéala é go bhfuil Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann ag teacht go Béal Feirste in 2026. Déanaim comhghairdeas le gach duine a raibh baint acu leis an imeacht a thabhairt go dtí an Tuaisceart. Is ceiliúradh iontach í an fhleadh ar cheol, ar chultúr agus ar theanga dhúchais na hÉireann, agus is iontach an rud é a bheith i mBéal Feirste. Déanfar ceiliúradh ar 75 bliain de Chomhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Seo an dara huair ariamh a reáchtálfar an fhleadh uile-Éireann i dTuaisceart na hÉireann.

Events at the fleadh range from large concerts with well-known acts to street and youth performances and community céilís.

There will also be competitions in music, song and dance. I hope that many people take the chance to get involved with the fleadh and enjoy everything that that celebration of Irish culture has to offer.

There is no doubt that the Irish language has made huge advances in recent years. The Irish language community is vibrant and thriving. Irish-medium education is the fastest-growing sector in education. We see more and more bilingual road signs. Last week, the Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins, launched a pilot scheme to have traffic signs in Irish and English in the Gaeltacht Quarter in west Belfast. That is a welcome development. With the international success of Irish language groups such as Kneecap and the fact that we can address the Assembly as Gaeilge anois,

it is clear that the Irish language is going from strength to strength across the North. It saddens me to say that the Irish language community has achieved all that without the help of the entire Executive. Earlier this month, Irish language workers went on strike for the first time in history in protest at cuts to Foras na Gaeilge funding — cuts that were caused by the DUP preventing reforms to the funding process. The Communities Minister continues to delay the introduction of an Irish language strategy that was first announced a decade ago. Last week, we, as members of the Committee for Communities, heard evidence from Conradh na Gaeilge. The sheer frustration of those hard-working organisers and activists was palpable. We heard about how people in the sector are at their wits' end, how jobs and vital community programmes would be lost and how those working on the co-design group are on the verge of walking out. We heard how multiple attempts to organise a meeting with the Minister to discuss those urgent concerns have repeatedly been rejected. It is becoming more difficult for Minister Lyons to deny that a deeply concerning pattern is emerging in whom he will and will not meet. The Irish language belongs to all of us. The vast majority of our place names come from Irish and, in doing so, tell us a story about our shared history. I came this morning from Tír Eoghain,

the land of Eoghan, to Béal Feirste,

the mouth of the ford. This is our shared heritage, and, with the right support, it can be a cultural, social and economic driver that we all benefit from. I hope that the Minister finds the arguments compelling and delivers on the Irish language strategy. I look forward to the other contributions to the debate.

705 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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