As Ireland takes the helm of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Fianna Fáil MEP for Ireland South, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, has issued a powerful and urgent directive to the Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton TD.
MEP Ní Mhurchú is demanding immediate, legally binding action to address decades of systematic neglect by the Department of Education, warning that Ireland faces severe international reputational damage on the European stage if it continues to stand as an outlier in minority language protection.
Following a working breakfast meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, with Minister Naughton, Ní Mhurchú formally expanded on a series of grave concerns regarding the status of the Irish language. She has highlighted a severe recruitment crisis for fluent Irish speakers both domestically and within European Union institutions in Brussels.
A Reputation at Risk on the European Stage
With the eyes of Europe fixed on Ireland during its EU Presidency, MEP Ní Mhurchú raised a critical question regarding the nation’s credibility:
“Given that the Irish language is classified by UNESCO as ‘definitely endangered’ making it the only official EU language at risk of extinction, how can we lead a European Union that champions linguistic diversity while failing our own national tongue at home?
The systematic failure of the Department of Education to legislate for Irish-medium education (IME) threatens to cause immense reputational damage to Ireland during this prestigious Presidency. We are actively ignoring our obligations, and it is time for Minister Naughton to intervene.”
To support her calls for immediate legislative action, Ní Mhurchú presented Minister Naughton with the findings of a landmark report by renowned economist Jim Power, titled “An Economic Analysis of Impact of Legislating for Increased Irish-Medium Education Provision,” which was recently presented to TDs and Senators in Leinster House.
The report outlines a stark contrast between official rhetoric and on-the-ground implementation.
Ireland remains one of a tiny handful of European countries that has failed to establish a primary legislative framework to guarantee immersion education. Ní Mhurchú pointed to the outstanding successes of Wales and the Basque Country as proof of what political will can achieve.
Ní Mhurchú did not hold back in her criticism of the internal culture within the Department of Education, accusing officials of interpreting the historical lack of explicit legislation as a license to ignore the Irish language.
“Because the State has never formally legislated for the statutory provision of Irish-medium education, officials in the Department of Education have operated as if they are exempt from this responsibility. This omission has resulted in decades of failure for Irish families.”
As the Irish EU Presidency begins, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP vows to keep this issue at the forefront of the political agenda.
