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IRISH WILL BE recognised as a full status official language of the European Union from tomorrow for the first time in its history as a member state.
On New Year’s Day, Irish achieves full status as an official EU language, ending a nearly 15-year derogation that limited how much of the bloc’s material was translated into Irish.
As a full official language, all documents published by the EU will be translated into Irish.
Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said he was “immensely proud that this derogation is ending and Irish is now a full, official EU language”.
“This reflects the tireless work that has gone into building up the capability of the EU Institutions to operate through Irish – and it is fitting that it is happening this year, a year when we will also mark the historic 50 year anniversary since Ireland signed the Treaty of Accession to the European Communities,” Byrne said.
He said the end of the derogation will “make the services of the EU more accessible for Irish speakers at home and abroad”.
“I would encourage everyone to make use of their cúpla focal, in every aspect of their life.”
When Ireland joined the EU in 1973, EU citizens had the right to correspond with institutions in Irish, but the only documents translated into Irish were treaties.
In 2005, Ireland requested that Irish become an official EU language with a restricted regime, and in 2007 Irish became a working language with limited status that meant only a small proportion of documents were translated.
A request was submitted in 2015 for full status for the Irish language, which is now set to come into effect tomorrow.
Between 2016 and the middle of 2019, the amount of documents available in Irish doubled, including legislation; website content; and political, communication, consultation and reporting material.
Now, more than 170 Irish-language staff are working in EU institutions to translate documents into Irish, which is expected to grow to around 200 by early 2022.
Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers said the end of the derogation is a “crucial step in the development and future of the language”.
“Irish is now on a par with other official and working EU languages and this will strengthen the relationship between citizens and European administrative systems.”
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Ok there’s a few errors here. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. But stood in Chicago for election. Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. Joan Cusack was born in New York but raised in Evanston, Illinois and her brother, John, was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. Seriously, who does your research for these articles? Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago though if you want to to run with that.
Can’t argue much of that! Although Evanston is more a less Chicago, just a suburb of Chicago, but that aside. BILL MURRAY!!! was also from there. Billy fecking Murray, how could you leave that man off any list. Wouldn’t wish Gary, Indiana on my worst enemy, horrendous place.
You could have give us Home Alone, Kenan & Kel, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Married with Children, Al Capone, Steve Carell, Cindy Crawford, Walt Disney or Michael Flatley but you decided to give us the Cusacks :(
They could even have said Kanye West.
@Eugene Molloy: If it has not clicked yet, I think the Cusack connection is about the Irishness of it all…….
@William Kavanagh: The Irishness of Deep Dish pizza, Chewing gum, House music and Jackson must be at a stretch then, probably like the Tom Cruise connection
Smashing Pumpkins
Goose Island beer!
@The Magnificent Wat a band. Siamese Dream still in my top 5 albums of all time.
@Eugene Molloy: Cusack…. I said Cusack…. And Cruise is Irish, the church of scientology ordered it and held a shotgun to my head while typing this.
@Jonny. Absolutely rockin!
Michael Jackson was born in Gary Indiana
Micheal Jackson is from Gary Indiana
Deep dish pizzas are just wrong.
and Fall Out Boy guys.
And radioactive man
They can hold on to the deep-pan pizza. It’s like a mix of pizza and apple tart. Brutal!
Wrigleys did not invent chewing gum. They weren’t even the first manufacturers in the States.
Michael Jackson is not from Chicago. Barack Obama is also not from Chicago. Do you people do any research before you vomit this stuff all over your screen?
How on earth did BILL MURRAY!!! not get on that list, from a suburb of Chicago but Chicago all the same. Chicago Bulls of the 90′s were pretty spectacular too and not to mention The Blues Brothers, The Chicago Outfit, run by non other them Al Capone. Someone half asleep doing this one!
The blues brothers
The Blues Brothers! Shiiiit! They still owe you money fool!
Broad shoulders and excellent chop houses
Dion O’Bannon
have your say