Most Gaeltacht gardaí lacking an cúpla focail

An investigation has found that eight out of nine gardaí in the Donegal Gaeltacht could not carry out their duties through Irish.

The probe by An Comisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, found the Garda Commissioner failed to comply with a provision of An Garda Síochána Act 2005 which requires that gardaí stationed in the Gaeltacht should be sufficiently competent in Irish to enable them to use it with ease in carrying out their duties. A further statutory provision of An Garda Síochána’s language scheme under the Official Languages Act was also found to have been breached.

The investigation arose from a complaint from a native Irish speaker unable to conduct his business through Irish with gardaí in Gweedore.