THERE is disbelief within the Irish language community at reports of major job cuts at BBC Gaeilge in Belfast. 

It has been reported that the BBC will be slashing sixty per cent of the full-time roles within the BBC Irish Language team in Belfast.

News of the cuts come when an ever-increasing number of people are using Irish in their daily lives.

President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, said: “We understand that of the five full-time jobs in the BBC’s Irish Language team, three of those are being cut.

"That is a sixty per cent cut to the Irish language workforce. At a time where the Irish language is going through phenomenal growth across society, between Irish Medium Education, adult classes, families using Irish in the home, it is difficult to comprehend any logic or rationale to cut sixty per cent of the BBC's Irish language team whilst the Irish language audience is growing and expecting increased provision.

`'Those levels of cuts, to what is an award-winning broadcast team within the BBC’s Irish Language Unit, will be devastating to the Irish language in broadcasting here in the north, and seem to be entirely disproportionate to the cuts taking place elsewhere within the BBC. We cannot imagine any other sector, team or unit is facing a 60 per cent staffing cut.”

Sinn Féin Chairperson Declan Kearney MLA expressed his concern at job losses at BBC Gaeilge. 

“The potential loss of jobs at BBC Gaeilge is concerning,” he said. “Irish language programming must be recognised as a core component for the BBC here in the north. Irish is a living language, with a growing community of speakers and learners, and public service broadcasting has an important role in supporting its development.

“BBC Gaeilge provides an essential service for Irish speakers and contributes to the cultural life of our society. It must be properly resourced and supported, not weakened by reductions in staffing.

“The BBC must demonstrate a clear commitment to the future of Irish language broadcasting and ensure that BBC Gaeilge has the resources and staffing needed to deliver for audiences across the north.”

Look out for our follow-up report.