Assembly to be held today following funding cuts of nearly €820,000 to Irish language community

On Friday, January 31, Foras na Gaeilge announced funding cuts of €817,945, which will directly impact Irish language groups across Ireland, and many community schemes will have to be cut during the coming months.

Foras na Gaeilge is a North-South body tasked with promoting the Irish language and depends on a match-funding mechanism that must be agreed between both the Northern Executive and Southern Government.

Over recent months, both Finance ministers agreed a new framework to reform that funding relationship, which would allow either Government to provide Foras with additional funding without the need for the equivalent match funding from the other Government.

According to a spokesperson for Conradh na Gaeilge, "It has now emerged that the DUP has blocked that framework from the Executive Agenda five times since Autumn, which, in turn, blocks the only reform able to address the current crisis through Foras na Gaeilge."

Groups from across Ireland directly impacted by these cuts will attend an assembly in Dublin to chart a way forward and seek to agree with proposals, which will be brought to both the northern and southern Governments, in seeking a long-term solution to, what seems to be, an ever-growing funding crisis.

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Speaking ahead of today's assembly, Julian de Spáinn, Ard-Rúnaí of Conradh na Gaeilge, said, “Foras na Gaeilge is broken, and the only proposal to attempt to address that fundamental financial problem is being blocked by the DUP. That 32-county veto, unless resolved, will leave Foras na Gaeilge in the same situation time and time again, as their own core operational costs increase, the amount of funding for the Irish language community across Ireland will be cut,

"This situation is no longer sustainable. We now need a very quick intervention from both governments to urgently resolve this escalating funding crisis. And we have to be realistic, if the DUP chose not to agree to this reform proposal, then we have to look at alternative mechanisms which would allow funds from the Irish Government to make demonstrable change in communities across the country,

"Those communities are convening a crisis assembly to chart a path forward and agree national and local actions that will ensure the Governments north and south resolve the situation, not only for the short-term but also for the long-term,” she concluded. 

The assembly will take place today, at 12pm, on Abbey Street, Dublin 1.