Fighting for Irish: Gaeilge Battles EU Bureaucracy
The struggle for equality for the Irish language in the European Parliament continues as Cynthia Ní Mhurchú gets ready to host Dublin event aimed at shining a light on the second-class treatment of the Irish language in the Parliament despite its status since 2022 as a full official working language of the European Union!
This Friday, Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú will host a high level meeting on the issue of equality for the Irish language in the European Parliament.
The meeting follows a visit this week by senior officials from the European Parliament, at the request of Ní Mhurchú, to University College Galway. EU officials met with academics from the MA Course in Conference Interpreting in UCG but also visited the office of the Coimisinéir Teanga in An Spidéal and Údarás na Gaeltachta in Conamara.
Ní Mhurchú has been engaged with top EU official, Juan Carlos Jiminéz Marín, the Director General of the Directorate for Logistics and Interpreting, in an attempt to overturn the legal derogation in place until 2029, which is currently preventing Irish from becoming a full working language intheEuropean Parliament.
Ní Mhurchú says there is a level of EU bureaucracy that she is trying to break down that is slowing down the hiring of Irish speaking interpreters in the Parliament and ultimately preventing Irish speaking MEPs from contributing in their native language at European Parliament Committee level.
Although Irish achieved full official working language status in Europe in January 2022, MEPs still cannot avail of interpretation services at Committee level of the Parliament. As things stand, the only time that Irish MEPs can speak Irish with a full interpretation service provided by the Parliament, is at full plenary sessions of the European Parliament when it sits in Strasbourg for week-long voting sessions.
Ní Mhurchú has called on Irish Government officials and Ministers to intensify pressure on our EU institutions to hire Irish speaking interpreters and introduce a full service Irish interpretation service in the Parliament – to mirror the Irish language service in the other EU institutions of the Council and the Commission.
“The Irish Presidency of the European Council is a unique opportunity to move the dial on how Irish is sidelined in our European Parliament. The current derogation on a full service of Irish interpretation needs to end in 2029 – at the end of this mandate – and not be extended again by vote of the Parliament as happened in 2024. We cannot allow it to be extended into the next mandate of the European Parliament. At my request, senior officials from the European Parliament will return to Dublin in May to meet Government officials and politicians from across the divide to further the case for the removal of the derogation on Irish in the EU institutions”
Ní Mhurchú says this is about the legal right granted to Ireland and our native language being recognised and upheld by the EU institutions, akin to French and German and all the other official languages of the European Union which enjoy a full language service.
The issue will be centre stage on Friday at an event, An Ghaeilge: Teanga Oibre in Éirinn agus San Eoraip – which will explore the evolving role of the Irish language as a working language in Ireland and across European institutions. The event will be addressed by several high profile speakers working in the Irish language sphere.
ENDS:
Editor’s Note:
Media are invited to attend An Ghaeilge: Teanga Oibre in Éirinn agus san Eoraip, – an event which will explore the evolving role of the Irish language as a working language in Ireland and across European institutions, highlighting opportunities, rights, and active participation.
Speakers
- Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP for Ireland South
- Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh, B.L. – Irish Language Professional and Legal Practitioner
- Róisín Abbott – First Irish Language Translator in the European Parliament
- Pól Deeds – First Irish Language Commissioner for Northern Ireland
- Elaine Dold – Community Engagement Specialist and Coordinator of Irish Services, Cólaiste Mhuire.
- John Prendergast – Conradh na Gaeilge – Oifigeach Abhcóideachta
Where?
- EPLO (European Parliament Liaison Office) / Teach na hEorpa, 5 Stráid Balfe, Bleá Cliath 2 D02 E7K4 Éire
When?
- 27ú Márta 2026 – 27 March 2026, 1pm – 3pm
