Back to school for SF politicians
Sinn Féin sent its politicians back to the classroom today to brush up their Irish language skills.
Stormont Assembly members and staff are attending a week-long intensive Irish language course in Co Tyrone to fine-tune their language skills with what the party called a focus on “political terminology”.
Party president Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and a number of other leading party members regularly display a fluency in the Irish language – now the party wants to make sure all other members are equally fluent.
They need them to be verbally “on-message” as the party launches fresh condemnation of the Government for not doing enough to promote the language across Northern Ireland.
A party spokesman said each MLA and the staff were paying for the course themselves.
“It’s to give those who have the language the confidence to use it, particularly in a political context,” he added.
Sinn Féin Culture spokesman and East Londonderry Assembly member Francie Brolly said from the Co Tyrone venue: “Sinn Féin are committed to developing and promoting the use of our native Irish language in all aspects of life.
“That is why we have invested so much time and energy into improving the Irish language skills of our Assembly team.”
He accused the British and Irish governments of failing to live up to Good Friday Agreement commitments on promoting the language.
Despite signing the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in March 2000, the British government had failed to demonstrate how it would implement the commitments, he said.
The Irish Government, meanwhile, was refusing to ensure that Irish became one of the EU working languages, he added.
Mr Brolly said the European Charter placed a responsibility not just in relation to day-to-day dealings with the public but also in specific areas such as research, education, training and the media.
“It requires, for example, that resources be made available across all the education sectors and that the British government address the issue of Irish language broadcasting,” he added.
When Martin McGuinness was Education Minister and Sinn Féin colleague Bairbre de Brun Health Minister in the now suspended Assembly they insisted key documents and all press releases were issued in English and Irish.
It was a move roundly condemned by unionists as an expensive waste of money.
The translation has continued in both departments despite the re-imposition of direct rule.
