A Council of Europe Advisory group has called on the authorities in the north of Ireland to: 'Develop comprehensive legislation on the Irish language in Northern Ireland and take resolute measures to protect and implement more effectively the language rights of persons belonging to the Irish-speaking community.' The recommendation from the independent Council of Europe (CoE) monitors from the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities came following the publication of their report into the Irish language in the north of Ireland. The CoE monitors met with representatives of the umbrella organisation POBAL last year to inform them about the situation of the Irish language in the north since 2007. The report also criticised plans to cut the core funding of Irish language organisations and advocacy groups like the North-South Ministerial Council, Foras na Gaeilge and POBAL. The Chief Executive Officer for POBAL, Janet Muller, said:
This is the latest in a series of important international judgements in which POBAL has been involved with regarding Irish language rights here and we are pleased that our work has had such an impact. There is a consultation currently underway on these proposals and it is crucial that the concern of international experts be taken extremely seriously by all those responsible for the current process. The report is also critical of the lack of Irish language signage and broadcast funding. Link: A copy of the CoE report can be downloaded be following the link below:
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