Irish is the 21st language to be officially recognised by the EU
Posted on 06/13/2005 1:45:27 PM PDT by RWR8189
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Irish is the 21st language to be officially recognised by the EU
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Ireland's national language is the 21st to be given such recognition by the EU and previously had the status of a treaty language.
Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said he was pleased by the move, which was announced on Monday.
"This affirms at European level the dignity and status of our first official language," he said.
"This represents a particularly significant practical step for the Irish language, and complements the government's wider policy of strong support for the language at home."
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 As an Irish speaker, I am obviously delighted that the Irish language has been accorded the status of an official working language of the EU  Bairbre de Brun
Sinn Fein MEP |
In the country's 2002 census, 1.4 million of the four million population said they had "an ability" to speak Irish.
More than a quarter of those said they spoke it on a daily basis.
There are a number of Gaeltacht areas in Ireland, where Irish is spoken by more than 80% of people.
The Gaeltacht encompasses the most westerly parts of counties Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry and Mayo and their nearby islands.
Sinn Fein MEP Bairbre de Brun said the EU's recognition was a "victory for campaigners from all over Ireland and further afield who continue to campaign for equality for the language".
"As an Irish speaker, I am obviously delighted that the Irish language has been accorded the status of an official working language of the EU," she said.
"Sinn Fein has made the recognition of the Irish language at EU level a party priority and has campaigned long and hard with other Irish speakers and Irish language organisations."
Everyone has always recognized the Irish language, it's just that we don't understand it.
Or particularly want to.
SO9
Is the language known as "Gaelic"? It is only mentioned in the article as the "Irish Language".
At this stage , to get someone to recognise the EU, The EU would recognise Gobbledygook as an official language.
It's probably an attempt to screw over Britain.
I didn't know "I'll have a Guiness" wasn't English!! :-)
The Irish language has been officially recognised as a working language by the European Union.
Next thing you know, they'll want to be recognized as white.
Owl_Eagle(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
Wow, to think I have been sprechen Irish for several years now and did not know it!! Erin go Bragh!!
Cool!
I have a dual citizenship with Ireland which is a nice EU work permit...
Yes.
"In the country's 2002 census, 1.4 million of the four million population said they had "an ability" to speak Irish.
More than a quarter of those said they spoke it on a daily basis."
Gaelic, as a language, has several different, almost mutually unintelligible dialects. Welsh, or Cymric, is also a form of Gaelic, but is quite different from the form of Gaelic, known as Erse, which is spoken in Ireland...
the infowarrior
And they deserve to get screwed over.
Great Britain is the one thing standing in the way of a unified Emerald Isle. It's funny how all the liberals have their pet causes like Tibet (which granted, horrible situation) or Guantanamo (not horrible) but when it comes to Ireland, no one wants to defend the Green, White and Orange.
English, as a language, is only dominant in Ireland due to policies of the British crown to stamp out "Irishness" in Ireland throughout its occupation of the isle. These policies were enforced by force, at times lethal force. This is not an attempt to foist off acceptance of a language of incoming immigrants as a working language of the people, but a recognition of a language which had been spoken there, by native inhabitants for numerous millenia. Surely you can see the difference...
the infowarrior
Yes, Irish language == Gaelic.
There are actually 4 different Gaelic dialects, so this would refer to specifically the Irish one. I am told that native speakers have a very difficult time understanding each other from Welsh to Scottish to Irish.
Me too! And according to a treaty from the 1800 somethings- I also can claim British citizenship- and you probably can too!
Over my dog's dead body.
So9
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