IRISH language advocacy group Conradh na Gaeilge have lodged judicial review proceeding against the Executive, including Communities’ Minister Gordon Lyons, on their failure to bring forward and adopt an Irish Language Strategy. Conradh na Gaeilge has brought two previous Judicial Review cases before the High-Court against the Executive in 2017 and 2022 and on both occasions received declarations that the Executive had been in breach of its statutory duty to adopt an Irish language Strategy. The most recent judgement from Justice Scoffield in August 2022 declared “it was incumbent upon the Executive to act with alacrity”, ruling that a delay of 12 months was not “reasonable”. Dr Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh from Conradh na Gaeilge said: “An Irish Language Strategy will set out the Executive’s plan to promote and develop the language over the coming 20 years. The original statutory duty was imposed in law in 2007. We have had two very decisive High Court declarations since then calling for the Executive to act with urgency.
