Irish Language

Many Republicans want official recognition of the Irish language in Northern Ireland, arguing that this was part of last year’s St Andrew’s Agreement which paved the way for power-sharing. Unionist politicians, however, have said they’ll veto a draft bill to protect and promote Irish that has been drawn up by the Republicans.

At the Irish Cultural Centre on Belfast’s Falls Road, Paul McCann checks out the breakfast menu, which is written in Irish -- a reflection of this part of the city’s staunchly Republican identity.

But the Irish language group that McCann works for, Pobol, wants more opportunities and rights for Irish speakers in Northern Ireland. According to McCann, opportunities to use Irish as a mode of expression “are limited”.

“What we want to try and do is ensure that people have the ability to use the language in every aspect of their life -- with government, with major companies, with parliament, ” he said.

Language legislation

Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has issued draft plans which would see the appointment of an Irish Language Commissioner and the establishment of Irish language schemes for public bodies. The proposals and public responses to the consultation paper are still being considered.

In order to be passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly, the bill needs cross-community support. However, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the province’s largest political group, has already said it will veto the bill because there are other, more pressing needs.

“We have a massive need for special education in Northern Ireland to help children who are disadvantaged," Alastair Ross from DUP said.

“That’s where the money should be going to.”

Ross accused the Education Minister, who is from Sinn Fein, as using language as a political football. “She is opening Irish schools with as little as 12 pupils, yet closing state schools with three or four times that many pupils,” he said.

Already some Irish services

According to Pobol’s Paul McCann, more than ten percent of Northern Ireland’s population has some knowledge of Irish.

Speakers can already tune into Belfast-based Radio Fáilte, read their own newspaper, Lá Nua and get an education in Irish.

The legislation would simply mirror the Welsh Language Act and the Gaelic Act in Scotland, McCann said, adding that it was a simple matter to implement small steps, for example, for new road signage to be bilingual.

“How can you have a shared future if you don’t share people’s culture?," he asked.

Hiding Irish skills

Gordon McCoy is an expectation to the rule here in Northern Ireland. Whereas most Irish speakers are Catholic, McCoy is a Protestant and speaks the language fluently. McCoy, who works for the Ultach Trust which promotes the Irish language, said he still is often “secretive” about his knowledge of the language.

McCoy lives in east Belfast, which is primarily a Protestant area. On the first day he moved into his new house, Ultach Trust’s secretary rang McCoy on his mobile and spoke to him in Irish. McCoy quickly ended the call because he was “afraid to talk Irish to her”.

“Also, if I have tradesmen working in the house … , I’ll tend to hide my Irish language books because otherwise people might think I’m a Sinn Fein supporter or the IRA and I could be attacked,” he said.

More and more republicans in Northern Ireland are learning and using Irish in their everyday life. Convincing Unionists to do the same seems an impossible dream. But what will happen when the proposed language bill is vetoed by the unionist DUP party?

Gordon McCoy doesn’t believe it’ll be the end of the issue. But despite a devolved government, Northern Ireland’s Irish speakers, he said, may well have to rely on the British government to realise their calls for recognition.