THE Council of Europe has called on the UK to make better efforts to promote the use of the Irish language in Northern Ireland.
Experts at the organisation have published a report on the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man with regards to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Their findings show that the UK needs to “adopt language strategies for Irish and Ulster Scots, in particular, and to strengthen the teaching of all regional or minority languages in the UK”.
The report adds that Irish needs to be “further promoted” in the North.
“Despite new legislation enacted in Northern Ireland, language issues remain politicised, and efforts should be made in order to further promote both Irish and Ulster Scots despite political tensions,” the report authors state.
“Overall, the Committee found that there is a good framework for protecting regional or minority languages, but there is an over-reliance on volunteers for the development of some languages – notably Cornish, Scots and Ulster Scots – and a lack of adequate and systematic funding,” the report adds.
The report also notes that minority language education lies within the remit of local authorities, which are largely responsible for both ensuring delivery and stimulating demand.
“In practice, this leads to a very uneven situation across different regional or minority languages, with the training and recruitment of teachers remaining problematic for all such languages,” the report authors say.
“Similarly, the use of regional or minority languages in public administration is largely left to the discretion of regional and local authorities,” they add.
“This also leads to a very varied situation: the ability to communicate in Welsh is guaranteed in all relevant local councils, but this is not always the case concerning Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Irish, Ulster Scots or Manx Gaelic and it is not possible for Cornish.”
The report is based on information provided by governmental and non-governmental sources, including information obtained during the Committee’s visit to the United Kingdom in February 2024.
