LAST night’s monthly meeting of Dublin City Council was held entirely in Irish for the first time ever.
The meeting took place at City Hall at 6.15pm, where the debates about local issues got underway in Gaelic.
There were live interpreting services available for those in the chamber who were unable to decipher the language.
In a statement the Council said it was “proud to hold this evening’s monthly Council meeting completely in Irish”.
“This is the first time ever that the monthly meeting will take place as Gaeilge, following an idea put forward by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste,” they added.
Dublin City Council held its first ever meeting entirely in Irish last nightCommenting on the event, the Lord Mayor said: “I am delighted to see this happening.”
He added: “According to the last census, more than 160 thousand people living in Dublin can speak Irish.
“I want to encourage all those people and more to speak it on a regular basis.
“Initiatives like this can help with that. So even if all you have is a Cúpla Focail, lets hear you use them.”
Green Party Councillor Michael Pidgeon was among those in attendance last night.
The South West Inner City representative said he managed to “welcome a pontoon and highlight a typo in bye-laws about skips” in Irish while in the chamber, which he joked “proved I can be just as boring in Irish as English”.
Tá cruinniú de Chomhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath anocht á dhéanamh go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge!
Beidh mé ag mangaireacht na teanga chun fáilte a chur roimh pontún nua. #SnaG24
— Michael Pidgeon (@Pidge) March 4, 2024
Dublin City Council has confirmed it is committed to its “vital role in strengthening the usage and vibrancy of the Irish language within its administrative area”.
“The demand for Irish language services within Dublin City is increasing and it permeates all our public services from business, tourism, community life, to our physical interactions with our citizens to our virtual citizen engagement platforms,” they add.
“As Dublin continues to evolve, Dublin City Council remains dedicated to nurturing the language and nourishing its vitality for generations to come.”
