Read about your rights regarding the Irish language and how to start exercising them.
Irish in the South #
Human and civil rights protect our right to choose the language we use in the public sphere. Language rights safeguard our right to use Irish when dealing with official bodies in the state, helping preserve the language’s official status.
You have the right to use Irish or English when dealing with the state. State services, including essential services such as health care, must be available in and through Irish. Thanks to the Official Languages Act 2003, there are many more services now able to provide their services through Irish.
If you have trouble getting accessing a state service through Irish, contact Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga for help and advice.
How to start exercising your rights
A good place to start is to start using your name in Irish.
You have the right to use your name in its Irish form in this country, on some or all documents, as you wish.
Irish in the North #
A significant step forward regarding the statutory status of Irish in the North was the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022, which included the provision for the Office of the Irish Language Commissioner.
The Act provides official recognition of the status of the Irish language in Northern Ireland, by providing for:
- the appointment of the Irish language Commissioner,
- the development of standards of best practice relating to the use of the Irish language by public authorities, and
- a requirement upon public authorities to have due regard to the standards.
The Act also acknowledges other ways that the Irish language is given official recognition, for example through the NI Executive’s commitment to adopt a strategy to enhance and protect the development of the Irish language, through the work of the North-South Language Body (Foras na Gaeilge) and through provision relating to Irish-medium education.
