Language Rights
Bunreacht na hÉireann, 1937
Article 8 of the Constitution states:
1.The Irish language as the national language is the first official language.
2.The English language is recognised as a second official language.
3.Provision may, however, be made by law for the exclusive use of either of the said languages for any one or more official purposes, either throughout the State or in any part thereof.
This means that every person has the right to speak Irish and use Irish in the State. This also enables citizens to use the language when dealing with state bodies and government departments.
Official Languages Act, 2003
The primary objective of the Act is to ensure better availability and a higher standard of public services through Irish.
This will be principally achieved by placing a statutory obligation on Departments of State and public bodies to make specific provision for delivery of such services in a coherent and agreed fashion through a statutory planning framework, known as a "scheme", to be agreed on a three-year renewable basis between the head of the body concerned and the Minister.
The Act provides for the preparation of guidelines by the Minister for public bodies in relation to the preparation of draft schemes. Schemes remain in force for 3 years and thereafter fall to be renewed.
The intention is that this renewal process will be used to secure a significant improvement in the level of public services available through Irish over time, as demand requires.
The Act also specifies some basic general provisions of universal applicability, e.g. correspondence to be replied to in the language in which it was written, providing information to the public in the Irish language, or in the Irish and English languages, bilingual publications of certain key documents, use of Irish in the courts, etc
Public bodies are required to seek the opinions of the piublic when they are drafting a new scheme. Such announcements are advertised on Gaelport.com here.
For information on how to submit your opinion or language submssion check out our guide to submissions and language schemes here.
Further information about the Act and language rightis available from the Department of Rural, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and An Coimisineir Teanga.