dlr launches Irish Language Advisory Committee

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (dlr) is delighted to launch an Irish Language Advisory Committee.

Launched this week, the Committee has been established to promote the use of Irish within the Council and to monitor and report on the progress of the implementation of the Council’s Irish Language Scheme. The Committee is comprised of dlr staff, external stakeholders from different sectors and local councillors.

Watch our promotional video here. You can also watch the video at the bottom of this webpage. Listen to our dlr Podcast with Conor O’Shea, Irish Language Development Officer here.

An Cathaoirleach, Councillor Mary Hanafin, speaking at the launch of the Committee, said: 

The Irish language is very strong in the County. It’s very strong amongst the Gaelscoils, primary schools and Irish-medium colleges. There is only one way to promote the Irish language and that is to speak it. The first thing I did when I was elected as Cathaoirleach was that I asked all the Councillors in the County Council to use their Irish. I told them I didn’t care how good their Irish is and I didn’t care about mistakes. There are plenty of people here using their Irish, Irish they haven’t used in a long time.

The Committee will monitor and assess the demand for the provision of services through Irish. As well as monitoring the Scheme, the Committee will also monitor other legislation that pertains to the Irish language and will look at Council strategies to ensure that the Council is complying with the relevant legislation.

Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Frank Curran, added:

I sincerely welcome the news of the establishment of the dlr Irish Language Advisory Committee, and I expect this Committee to have a big impact in improving the quality of our Irish language services and that it will benefit the Council and the County for many years to come.