Northern Ireland Election Result is Good News for the Irish Language – Shows Wide Support for Gaelic

Earlier this month Transceltic reported that in the run up to the elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly the Gaelic League had identified candidates by name who support the Irish Language and promoted them as part of the #GaelVóta campaign. Information on every political party and each election candidate officially supporting the three main Irish-language commitments were published on Conradh na Gaeilge’s website. In a stunning advance for the Irish Language,  the #GaelVóta campaign has borne fruit.

The results of the 5 May 2016 election for the Northern Ireland Assembly (Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann)  have been hailed by the Gaelic League as a step forward for the Gaelic Tongue in Ulster. Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill, President of Conradh na Gaeilge, in reference to the election results made the following statement: “The number and scope of the newly elected members clearly shows the wide support for the Irish language in the north. But this is only the first step – now is the time for action.”

Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge summed up the election results by citing the number of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) elected on a platform which made reference to support for the Irish Language: “Ní neart go cur le chéile – there is strength in unity. 43 MLAs across four parties have now been elected to Government in the north, all of whom support the Irish-language commitments. The Irish-language community are calling for their agreed proposals to be included in the Executive’s next Programme for Government for the coming period. “

The Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) is the main voluntary community organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. The League’s primary objective is the reinstatement of the Irish language as the common tongue of Ireland.  Since its founding in 1893, members have been actively promoting Irish in every aspect of life in Ireland, from legal and educational affairs to the development of media and services through Irish.  Members of the Gaelic League are in the forefront of campaigns to strengthen the rights of the Irish speaking community.

The full text of the Gaelic League announcement is found below:

News from The Gaelic league

43 Members of Newly-Elected Assembly Support Irish-Language Commitments - Representatives elected from across 4 parties have pledged support for commitments of 80+ Irish-language community groups

43 MLAs that officially support the three main Irish-language commitments have been newly elected to the Assembly, and Conradh na Gaeilge is calling upon them to ensure the commitments are central in talks regarding the next Programme for Government. The elected MLAs officially backing the commitments include 28 Sinn Féin MLAs alongside 12 from the SDLP, two from PBP and one Alliance Party representative.

#GaelVóta is based on three main Irish-language commitments – stemming from an investment plan and representative measures agreed by over 80 Irish-language and Gaeltacht community groups – and the commitments are as follows:

1. An additional investment of £2.16 million in an Irish-language plan to expand the use of Irish and to create new jobs
2. A Minister for Communities that is supportive of the Irish language and able to promote the wishes of Irish speakers
3. A Minister for Education who supports Irish in the education system and who ensures the continued development of the Irish-medium education sector

Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill, President of Conradh na Gaeilge says: “The number and scope of the newly elected members clearly shows the wide support for the Irish language in the north. But this is only the first step – now is the time for action. Conradh na Gaeilge is calling on every newly elected member to ensure the commitments they made take centre stage in the negotiations regarding the Programme for Government.”      Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge says: “Ní neart go cur le chéile – there is strength in unity. 43 MLAs across four parties have now been elected to Government in the north, all of whom support the Irish-language commitments. The Irish-language community are calling for their agreed proposals to be included in the Executive’s next Programme for Government for the coming period. Further investment is urgently needed to increase the opportunities for people to use Irish in the north, and Ministers who support the Irish language need to be assigned to the Education and Community portfolios as ministries are decided in the coming weeks.”

http://www.transceltic.com/blog/gaelic-league-intensify-its-intervention...

https://cnag.ie/en/news/827-43-members-of-newly-elected-assembly-support...