Daithí de Róiste, the Lord Mayor of Dublin and a member of Fianna Fáil, proudly announced the beginning of the Dublin City Council’s first ever monthly meeting conducted entirely in Irish, marking an historic moment. The event was particularly momentous for native Irish speakers in the city, as English has traditionally been the dominant language of the council. This significant change came more than a century after Ireland achieved independence and after 354 lord mayors preceded de Róiste.
The Mayor emphasised the council’s crucial part in providing Irish language services considering a burgeoning generation of enthusiastic Irish speakers. He referred to the 2022 census, which recorded that 162,400 inhabitants of Dublin city, aged three years and above, have the ability to converse in Irish, signifying a rising demand for services in the language.
During the Council meeting, a bilingual agenda was presented, comprising 22 items such as property disposal matters, the granting of licenses and leases, along with the Lord Mayor’s official matters and social housing updates.
The night’s paramount discussion centered around the deputy chief executive’s report about promoting the use of the Irish language in the city. Several Irish language measures were highlighted including the community arts initiative, Spraoi na Sráide, and Gaeilge 365, a DCC endeavour aspiring to boost chances to converse in Irish tenfold by the year 2027.
“[ Understanding lesser-known aspects of the Irish language ]
Applauding the choice to conduct the meeting in Gaelic, Julian de Spáinn from Conradh na Gaeilge stated that a significant signal had been transmitted to the Gaelic-speaking community by the Dublin City Council.
“We wish that other municipal councils will take note of Dublin City Council’s initiatives and perhaps next year we’ll see numerous other local authorities adopting the same practice,” he expressed.
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