Ó Cuív: Use of Irish will help Lisbon ‘yes’ vote

USING Irish in the EU could help win a ‘yes’ vote for the Lisbon Treaty, according to Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív.

“It will be a huge advantage in the campaign. The question of the Irish language came up quite often with a certain percentage of the population before, and now that has been dealt with,” he said.

Mr Ó Cuív was in Brussels for a conference on multi-lingualism, where he had discussions about the use of Irish in institutions since it became an official working language in 2007.

He defended delays in initiating an Irish language translation service, due to a shortage of people willing or qualified to take up Brussels-based jobs. The EU insists on different qualifications to the more informal approach of the Oireachtas and needs translators trained in law, but this is being overcome, he said.

He also defended the translation of every legal document into Irish which, with the provision of translators for ministers and MEPs wishing to speak in Irish, cost 3.5m last year.

“It is not costing us a dime. The EU pays for it and we have been contributing to all the other languages up to now,” said Mr Ó Cuív.