Sinn Fein councillor Kevin Campbell
SINN Féin Councillor Kevin Campbell has said an action plan is needed to promote and preserve the Irish language in the North.
He made the call after the Welsh government unveiled a plan to double the number of Welsh speakers to one million by 2050.
Cllr Kevin Campbell said: “The rights of Irish speakers and the Irish community need to be met.
“There is a growing demand for Irish especially in the education sector so an action plan needs to be drafted and put in place to protect and promote the language in the north and across the island.
“As Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure my colleague Carál Ní Chuilín launched the Líofa project, which was the first government-sponsored programme that encouraged people in the North to learn, teach and speak Irish.
“In the 26 counties a 20-year Strategy for Irish Language was introduced and has started to be rolled out.
“The progress made needs to be built on and new policies implemented.
“As part of the St Andrew’s Agreement the British and Irish governments signed up to support the introduction of legislation to protect the rights of Irish language speakers but Acht na Gaeilge has not been implemented.
“Sinn Féin remains committed to protecting and promoting the Irish language and the rights of the Irish speaking community,” added Cllr Campbell.
