Coveney: Irish language proposal not a threat

A proposal on the Irish language would not have “threatened” anyone in the North, Tánaiste Simon Coveney told the Dáil.

Announcing earlier this week that there was “no current prospect” of talks leading to an executive being formed, DUP leader Arlene Foster cited calls for a standalone Irish Language Act as being one of the key factors in the collapse of talks.

“I respect the Irish language and those who speak it but in a shared society this cannot be a one-way street. Respect for the unionist and British identity has not been reciprocated,” she said.