Thousands of Irish language activists took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday before culminating in the town hall, what organizers and attendees called the largest “one-generation” language rally.
the march, which had been planned for months, was organized by the An Dream Dearg group’s campaign.
It kicked off at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in West Belfast at 1pm, with the parade committee expecting up to 7,000 people to attend.
About 25 buses from across the island of Ireland took protesters to the city to challenge the UK government and NI Executive’s lack of movement on language legislation, despite promises made in the agreement for a new decade, a new approach two years ago.
An Irish language strategy, along with a commitment to a plan for Ulster Scotland’s language, heritage and culture, was promised as part of an agreement that restored power-sharing in January 2020 after a three-year stalemate, but implementation of the package stalled. against the background of ongoing political disputes on the issue.
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Thousands of supporters marched from Coulterlan on Falls Road to Belfast City Hall. Photo by Jonathan Porter / PressEye
Thousands of supporters marched from Coulterlan on Falls Road to Belfast City Hall. Photo by Jonathan Porter / PressEye
An additional guarantee for language legislation was announced in the Queen’s speech earlier this month, and Westminster was expected to introduce the new laws before the last Stormont election.
Last June, the UK government promised to pass legislation in Westminster to break the deadlock between Sinn Fein and the DUP on its introduction into the Stormont Assembly.
However, the government failed to submit a bill before the October self-imposed deadline.
During a visit to Northern Ireland on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also promised to complete the cultural package in the coming weeks.
The last public protest by An Dream Dearg was in May 2017, when 15,000 marched to Belfast City Hall demanding the Irish Language Act, which was pledged by both the British and Irish governments in St. Andrews in 2006
Five-year-old Daity McGaban was among those who addressed protesters at the town hall on Saturday. Other speakers included Katie Irvine, an Irish youth worker from Glor Mona, and Donal O O Kneimhsi of Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht in Co Donegal.
Protesters’ cries include a call for the Irish Language Act and recitals of Irish phrases such as “tir gan teanga, tir gan anam”, which translates as “a country without language is a country without a soul”.
Dream Dearg Conchur spokesman O Muadaigh said the network was “amazed” by the level of support shown and said it was “the largest demonstration of Irish in a generation”.
Dream Dearg built a movement of ordinary people that pushed the Irish language from the periphery to the very center of political and civic discourse both here and internationally, a movement that told the truth to the authorities and ensured that our community would no longer be treated as second-class citizens, marginalized or excluded. Those days are gone forever.
“The Irish language law is long, long ago. Our community cannot and should not be made to wait any longer for the same language rights that the citizens of these islands enjoy.”
Campaign activist Cliondhna Ni Mhianain said after being told in 2014 that they could not have a new Irish high school in Derry, a public campaign led to the opening of Gaelcholaiste Dhoire in 2015 with 13 students.
“Now almost 300 students have come through our doors and as a member of the group from the first year, I am now finishing my journey. None of this would have been possible without the Equality and Rights Community Campaign, without Irish-speaking people demanding better, demanding the Irish Language Act. “
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Photo by Jonathan Porter / PressEye
Photo by Jonathan Porter / PressEye
Many politicians and public figures attended Saturday’s protest, including members of Sinn Fein, former mayor of Belfast and now MLA of South Belfast, Kate Nickel of the Alliance Party and SDLP representative in West Belfast Paul Doherty, who said: “I was constantly inspired by the strength and determination of our Irish language community and their crusade to see the rights granted ”.
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