Irish language groups across the island are “rightly worried and concerned about the future of their projects and their staff” following funding cuts by all-Ireland agency Foras na Gaeilge.
The cuts are understood to have been announced on Friday at a board meeting of the public body, which was founded to promote the use of Irish in both the north and the Republic.
Irish language cultural organisation Conradh na Gaeilge has criticised the cuts, thought to amount to over €800,000, and warned that schemes across the island will suffer as a result.
They said projects including the Irish Language Community Network Development Scheme, that funds 28 local Irish language community groups, will be impacted.
Conradh na Gaeilge president Paula Melvin said her organisation was “bitterly disappointed” with news of the cuts, which she said are being implemented “at a time where local groups are already experiencing a longstanding funding crisis”.
She said the Departments of Finance in both the north and the Republic had been “on the verge of agreeing a new north-south funding framework to facilitate funding increases for the cross-border bodies”.
Foras na Gaeilge reports to the North South Ministerial Council, and is funded by both Dublin and The Executive Office at Stormont.
“We now understand that those framework proposals have encountered political frustration and delay,” she said.
“We are calling on both governments to work together to resolve that stalemate. They have proceeded, for over two decades, over the continued disinvestment in Foras na Gaeilge, and whilst this is ultimately a problem of their own making, they retain the power to resolve the situation very quickly.”
“Since this news broke yesterday morning, we have been contacted by numerous Irish language communities and groups right across Ireland who are rightly worried and concerned about the future of their projects and their staff. Before this latest announcement, those groups have made consistent representations north and south calling for adequate funding to allow them to pay staff, rent offices and heat their premises.
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“These cuts make those financial circumstances even worse.”
He added: “Conradh na Gaeilge will do all we can to fight against these cuts and to call on both Governments to ensure a permanent solution to a longstanding funding problem is finally agreed.”
Conradh na Gaeilge’s gneral secretary Julian de Spáinn said: “These cuts will heap even further pressure onto groups who cannot support their own basic financial demands and are in contravention of the core principles and vision of the Good Friday Agreement to support and develop the language.”
He added: “There are serious questions for both governments, which will have long term repercussions for the future of Foras na Gaeilge itself, which can only be remedied by an urgent solution to that north-south funding framework and long overdue funds for the Irish language community.”
The Executive Office and Dublin’s Department of Finance have been approached for comment.
