Fewer than 4% of government social media posts available in Irish

Two government departments had not posted on social media in Irish at all in the last 12 months

All department posts about the Gaeltacht are available in Irish, but most other departments are falling down in posting in Irish, the new data has found. 

Fewer than 4% of social media posts from most government departments are available in Irish, it has emerged.

The Government has been accused of failing to ensure Irish survives as a living language with an ad-hoc approach taken to the use of the language online.

Social Democrats TD, Holly Cairns, said each government department uses the likes of Facebook and Twitter to inform the public, so "one would expect routine posts in Irish" from these accounts.

However, in most cases, fewer than 4% of posts in the past year were either in Irish or bilingual. Two departments — Social Protection, and Further and Higher Education — had none.

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Ms Cairns said she was "extremely disappointed" to learn of the lack of Irish posts through parliamentary questions she submitted. 

She hopes the data will now act as a "wake-up call" for the Government.

“Just 0.5% of the 1,223 Twitter posts from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment were in Irish," Ms Cairns said. 

"Meanwhile, just 0.28% posts, across all of the social media channels of the Department of the Environment, were in Irish."

The Department of Finance could not even provide a figure.

The Department of Education is an outlier, however, with 44% of its tweets posted bilingually while 40% of its Facebook posts were available in Irish.

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media also fared better than most; it confirmed that departmental posts relating to the Gaeltacht, or the Irish language, are always posted in Irish.

“While a number of ministers assured me they would improve their level of social media communication in Irish, others gave little indication there were any plans to improve — or, indeed, any perceived problem," Ms Cairns said.

“Contrast these low numbers with social media from Welsh government departments, which have nearly 50% Welsh or bilingual posts. 

"It is a central element of their communications policy for all posts to be in both Welsh and English."

She said encouraging the everyday use of Irish will ensure it survives as a living language.