https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2025/0225/1498831-irish-language-courts/

UK govt to repeal law banning use of Irish in NI courts

Irish language campaigners have welcomed the decision by the UK government to repeal an almost 300-year-old ban on the use of any language that is not English in the courts in Northern Ireland.

Provision to repeal the Administration of Justice Act 1737 was part of the Identity and Language Act introduced by the British government in 2022 but not enacted.

Irish language campaigners have long campaigned for the repeal of the penal law, laws which were removed in Wales and Scotland in the 1800s.

Conradh na Gaeilge President Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin said the repeal of the law marks "an incredibly historic moment for the Irish language community here in the north".

He added it is a "major victory against centuries of exclusion and discrimination that is testament to the power and resolve of our community".

"Whilst similar legislation was repealed in Wales, Scotland and the south long, long ago, once again, Irish speakers here in the north were, as always, left behind, as an ongoing legacy of colonial policy designed to eradicate the Irish language from all vestiges of public life.

"The Irish language must have equal status in all of our public and shared spaces. That is what equality looks like. Now that this penal-era ban has finally been repealed, it is up to the executive to ensure the provision underpinning Irish speaking rights in our legal arenas are based on best-practice and equality."

Irish-speaking solicitor Niall Murphy of KRW Law said it now falls to Justice Minister Naomi Long to introduce "robust guidelines that recognise the ever-growing community of Irish speakers across our society and facilitate their inclusion in our legal services and spaces".

"This announcement from the British government is a major milestone in the ongoing journey towards comprehensive language rights for Irish speakers here in the north," he said.

Sinn Féin MLA Aisling Reilly welcomed the news that the legislation is to be repealed, saying it marks a "hugely significant moment for Gaels in the north".

"This was one of many measures introduced into legislation in the Assembly to strengthen the Irish language and ensure it is accessible to all.

"For Irish speakers, this is another positive step in the right direction as the energetic revival of the language continues at pace."

by vague_intentionally_

3 comments

  1. Crazy that some colonial nonsense like this was still in effect.

  2. I wonder what this means in effect? Irish isn’t commonly understood, so you could say the words but they won’t convey much

  3. It’s amazing that the dup called this regressive

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