88-707: The Road Safety Authority ( RSA ; Irish : Údarás Um Shábháilteacht Ar Bhóithre ) is a state agency of the Irish Government to promote road safety within Ireland . The agency has functions devolved from the Department of Transport . The Road Safety Authority was established in September 2006, charged with the task of improving safety on Ireland 's roads, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, in response to
176-540: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
264-530: A "crucial conflict of interest", with the majority of its funding coming from income generated by cars and drivers. In July 2024, it was reported that there would be a "major overhaul" of the authority with a separation of the driver and vehicle testing services from the public interest role in road safety advocacy, with some functions moving closer to the Department of Transport In August 2024, Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan confirmed that "major changes are on
352-516: A "tyre safety" week. Two days later the RSA issued a fresh announcement distancing itself from the practical demonstration of vehicle stopping distances it had earlier endorsed after it was alleged that one of the test vehicles used in the tyre safety demonstration had had its ABS braking system disabled. In 2012, the RSA, having been consulted to offer an opinion on a TV advertisement for Meteor (a mobile telephone service provider), concluded that "they were of
440-636: A National Car Test Centre for inspection before being registered in Ireland. In October 2009, it was announced that the RSA had struck an agreement under which the disqualification of drivers in Ireland and in the UK will be mutually recognised. The accord, which was the first such deal between two EU member states, this came into effect in February 2010. In June 2011 Ireland's improvement in reducing road safety fatalities enabled it to be ranked in sixth place for road safety in
528-697: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
616-560: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
704-472: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
792-478: A decade, with 184 people killed on the roads, a 19% increase on the previous year, and that pedestrian fatalities were the highest since 2011. In April 2024, in response to a continued increase in road fatalities, a coalition of around 30 community groups from around the country issued a statement expressing no confidence in the Road Safety Authority, declaring the authority "not fit for purpose". They cited
880-541: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
968-560: A fatal collision than a female driver". The RSA was mentioned in relation to public agencies continuing to operate outside of the remit of the Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner , in a speech delivered by Emily O'Reilly in 2010. In 2011, some controversy was caused when Gay Byrne was shown travelling in a car with Terry Wogan when Byrne appeared not to be wearing his seatbelt. Byrne has also admitted to drink driving in
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#17328694926821056-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
1144-574: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
1232-554: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
1320-611: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
1408-582: A report in the Sunday Times about the legacy of the authority, said that "the failures of the organisation are evident from the report, from the statistics and from what’s been happening for the last three years. Ultimately, the buck has to stop somewhere, and generally stops at the executive of an agency". On 5 November 2024, the Government approved a plan to split the Authority into two independent agencies and
1496-612: A request by Green Party chief whip, Marc Ó Cathasaigh citing concerns about the sharing of collision data. The Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley noted that the RSA is accountable to the Comptroller and Auditor General and that "It needs to be brought in here and it will come in here." The committee agreed to request that the RSA appear before the committee on 27 June 2024. On 15 May 2024,
1584-537: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
1672-486: Is a former broadcasting authority which regulated both public and commercial broadcasting sector in Ireland . It was established in 2009, effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ( BCI ) ( Irish : Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann ). It was dissolved in 2023 and its staff and functions were transferred to a new body entitled Coimisiún na Meán . The BCI was responsible for arranging
1760-448: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
1848-558: Is charged with making our roads safer, but doesn’t see the need for it to advocate for the protection of the most vulnerable people on our roads. It should be the most vocal advocate of all". In May 2024, Social Democrats TD, Catherine Murphy described as "incredible" a decision by the RSA not to appear before the Public Accounts Committee . RSA CEO, Sam Waide, had claimed that the RSA had "limited availability due to immediate road safety priorities". The invitation came on foot of
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#17328694926821936-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
2024-515: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
2112-529: Is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022 was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within the education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on
2200-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
2288-659: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
2376-548: The Garda Síochána enforce the licensing provisions of the Road Transport Acts: "As well as a fine, if you are an unlicensed haulier you can expect the RSA to look closely at your compliance with other laws, such as those covering: Drivers’ hours rules, Road traffic requirements, Roadworthiness of your vehicles and trailers." The RSA is also responsible for monitoring progress of The National Road Safety Strategy. In 2021,
2464-611: The Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as a result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish
2552-603: The Irish Banking Federation . Brett was succeeded by Moyagh Murdock who took over as CEO in 2014. In 2020, Murdock stepped down to take up a role as head of insurance industry lobby group, Insurance Ireland. Sam Waide was confirmed as her successor in June 2020. Amongst the functions of the RSA are the promotion of road safety, research on accidents and road safety, driver testing and licensing, as well as establishing vehicle-related and other safe driving standards. The RSA and
2640-619: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
2728-598: The high number of deaths on Irish roads. It assumed the road safety function from the National Safety Council, established in 1987, which in turn had incorporated the functions of the National Road Safety Association, established in 1974. The organisation's headquarters are located at Primrose Hill, Ballina, County Mayo. The most recent chairperson of the RSA was former TD Liz O'Donnell who succeeded veteran TV and radio celebrity, former host of
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2816-415: The "development of a comprehensive implementation plan to progress this reform". It was also announced that Minister Eamon Ryan would appoint a new chairperson of the Authority to replace the outgoing chair, Liz O’Donnell. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ), is a Celtic language of
2904-611: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
2992-769: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
3080-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
3168-563: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
3256-620: The Broadcasting Act. The BAI was in charge of the Irish government's Broadcasting Fund which was taken from the TV Licence Fee. Since 2006 the BCI have given nearly €20million euro to Independent producers for TV, Radio and Film that meet the requirement of the scheme. They have provided funds to programmes and films such as Hunger ( Film Four ), Aifric and Kings ( TG4 ), School Run ( TV3 ) and Garage ( RTÉ ). The producer must have
3344-601: The Data Protection Commissioner. On the 29 April 2024, a spokesperson for the RSA was challenged by Matt Cooper on the Today FM Last Word programme about the Authority's silence in the face of opposition to proposed road safety interventions. The spokesperson claimed that speaking out on this would "politicise" the Authority. Fine Gael TD, Ciarán Cannon had previously been critical of this silence describing it as "disturbing" and noting that "the RSA
3432-403: The Department of Transport, Jack Chambers , confirmed that recommendations on the reform of the Road Safety Authority would be published in the summer. Also in April 2024, an investigation by RTÉ 's Prime Time found that over 24,000 drivers who had been disqualified by the courts between 2016 and 2022 had failed to relinquish their licences. The road safety advocacy group, PARC was critical of
3520-448: The Dáil passed a Private Member's Motion on Road Safety and Maintenance tabled by Labour TD, Duncan Smith calling for a new strategy from the RSA "that addresses the concerns of all road users including cycling and pedestrian groups" and for "the sharing of traffic collision location data covering both fatalities and injuries between the RSA and local authorities". In June 2024, Duncan Smith
3608-473: The EU. The RSA stated: "The number of Irish road deaths fell to 212 in 2010, the lowest level on record, down 26 from 2009. The Government’s road safety target of achieving no more than 252 deaths per annum by the end of 2012 was achieved three years ahead of schedule." On 5 October 2011, the RSA announced a joint venture with the Irish Tyre Industry Association with the intention of promoting
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3696-463: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
3784-1026: The Government of Ireland on the nomination of the Minister and a further four were appointed following the nomination of the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The five government appointees to the Authority were: In addition to the Authority, the BAI comprised two separate and independent committees: a Contract Awards Committee and a Compliance Committee. The Contract Awards Committee members included: The Compliance Committee members were: The Contracts Award Committee licensed independent commercial and community broadcasters including digital television providers. The Compliance Committee required all broadcasters, public or private, to comply with their licence conditions, broadcasting codes and rules. New codes in relation to children's advertising, among others, were introduced under
3872-536: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
3960-487: The Late Late Show Gay Byrne . Byrne had been the chairperson since its foundation and secured a second 5-year term in 2011. However, on 16 June 2014, he announced his intention to step down as chairman on 5 August 2014. O'Donnell fulfilled the role from 2015 to 2024. Noel Brett was the founding Chief Executive of the Authority. In 2013, he stepped down from his position to take up a position as chief lobbyist for
4048-455: The RSA and the Department of Transport launched a ten-year Road Safety Strategy with the aim of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 as part of a path towards Vision Zero . Under the banner of NDLS (National Driver Licence Service) the RSA is responsible for the issuing of driving licences in Ireland. In 2009 the authority announced it was considering a number of practical options to further its aim to cut death rates among
4136-415: The RSA's failure to provide the necessary data on road traffic collisions to local authorities and road safety auditors, their silence in the face of opposition to safe infrastructure delivery, and their focus on providing high visibility clothing to school children, "those with the least responsibility and the least capacity to make any difference to road safety" In an interview with RTÉ, Minister of State at
4224-597: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
4312-522: The Road Safety Authority received information from vehicle checking agency Cartell about the issue of written off cars from the UK being imported, repaired and registered for use in Ireland. The subsequent Irish Times article provoked an investigation by the Garda Siochána, Vehicle Registration Unit, Road Safety Authority and Revenue Commissioners. This resulted in a change to legislation so that from September 2010 all imported vehicles must be taken to
4400-493: The ad fearing that the "high production cost and media buying" would lead to further controversy for the Authority and be seen as a "waste of public money". On 1 October 2024 it was announced that the Road Safety Authority would become a Driver and Vehicle Services Agency with a focus on driver licensing and testing services. A new Road Safety Office is proposed to run road safety awareness, education and promotional campaigns. On 20 October 2024, Minister of State, James Lawless, in
4488-482: The authority continued in August 2024 with the launch of a new "Lose your Licence, Lose Your Independence" campaign. Ciarán Cannon, TD accused the authority of "over-promotion of driving", while campaign group I BIKE Dublin criticised the authority's "car-centric thinking", reiterating its calls for radical reform of the organisation to "break the links with the motor sales industry". Green Party TD, Neasa Hourigan described
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#17328694926824576-731: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
4664-489: The campaign as "ableist and offensive" and called for the Authority to be disbanded. The Irish Cycling Campaign also criticised the use of ableist language describing the campaign as "emblematic of the RSA’s persistent failure to create effective road safety education". It later emerged that a director of the RSA had dismissed the criticism as "silly season coverage", while the chaorperson, Liz O’Donnell had advised against withdrawing
4752-511: The country's young male drivers, including the possibility of a late-night driving curfew for all male drivers under the age of 25. Other initiatives include the recommendation of a number of changes to Ireland's National Car Test , which is supervised by the RSA, requiring vehicles older than ten years to be tested every year as opposed to biennially, while stricter controls will be introduced on non-functioning fault warning lights, overly noisy exhausts, and tinted windows and windscreens. In 2008
4840-468: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
4928-509: The fact that the RSA does not have a procedure to automatically inform the gardaí when a licence has not been surrendered. At a debate on Road Safety in Dáil Éireann on the 17 April 2024, Green Party TD, Marc Ó Cathasaigh said that the Road Safety Authority “perpetuates a system and culture that places the responsibility for the simple act of getting to and from school” on children who walk and cycle. Social Democrats TD, Catherine Murphy said in
5016-545: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
5104-698: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
5192-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
5280-472: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
5368-563: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
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#17328694926825456-686: The more channel spacious digital terrestrial television channel licensing that it will undertake once the commercial DTT contract is concluded with the current consortium. Under the Broadcasting Act 2009 the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) The Authority came into being on 1 October 2009. Until then, the BCI continued to operate under the terms of the Radio and Television Act 1988. The Authority comprises nine members. Five members were announced on 30 September 2009 and were appointed by
5544-497: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
5632-409: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
5720-522: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
5808-570: The number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to the 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
5896-448: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
5984-462: The past, but said it was "part of the Irish culture at the time". Also in 2011 RTÉ revealed that individuals in some of the National Car Testing Service centres could issue an NCT car safety certificate on payment of €100 for cars with serious safety defects. The tests are subcontracted to and conducted by Applus. In September 2024, it was reported that the RSA had breached public spending rules on five contracts worth €3.7 million. The report came in
6072-415: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
6160-467: The provision of television and radio services in addition to those provided by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). In addition, it was responsible for developing codes on advertising and other matters, which apply both its own stations and those of RTÉ. Its role has expanded following the statutory instrument signed by Minister Eamonn Ryan on 24 September 2009 to include Analogue terrestrial television switchoff in Ireland (aerial/transmitter system) and licensing
6248-436: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
6336-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
6424-625: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
6512-538: The risks of getting into cars with men they feel may not drive safely, came in for some criticism in the Irish media. The Broadcasting Complaints Commission also received a number of complaints from members of the public relating to the campaign. RSA Chief Executive Noel Brett defended the campaign as justified by accident statistics, saying that "women need to know that they are being killed through male-dominated driver errors such as speeding and drink driving," adding "male drivers are four times more likely to be involved in
6600-439: The same debate that “the authority is failing people who walk, wheel and cycle by focusing on the least effective road safety measures", while People Before Profit–Solidarity TD, Paul Murphy described the RSA as a "sick joke". Murphy was critical of the RSA's refusal, on data protection grounds, to release details of collisions to local authorities for the past eight years, describing the grounds as "spurious" and not supported by
6688-484: The support of a Free-to-air broadcaster, the UK's broadcasters are sufficient since they are available FTA via Satellite, Setanta have produced a discussion Sports Matter which is unencrypted when it airs on the channel. Under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, the Authority was dissolved on 15 March 2023. A new commission, titled Coimisiún na Meán , was established on that date under amendments to
6776-658: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
6864-458: The view that the advertisement promoted highly dangerous road user behaviour". The advertisement included a comedic segment showing a cyclist following a bus to receive free wifi. Whilst the cyclist depicted in the Meteor ad was wearing a helmet, he was using a mobile phone whilst riding a bicycle. The RSA's "He drives, she dies" campaign in 2008, which aimed to raise awareness among female drivers of
6952-419: The wake of ongoing criticism of the authority over its response to rising road deaths and ahead of meetings to discuss its future, and was described as "the final nail in the coffin of the RSA as currently constituted". In October of the same year it was reported that the Authority had spent €2.5m on public relations since 2020. In January 2024, the RSA reported that road deaths in 2023 were the highest in nearly
7040-456: The way" for the Authority which would likely see a separation of responsibilities, while Minister for State, James Lawless said that he believed the agency itself “needs change”, saying that it may need to go “back to basics”. Taoiseach, Simon Harris supported the proposal to remove the licensing and vehicle testing roles from the Authority saying "We do need an agency dedicated wholly and exclusively to road safety and advocacy". Criticism of
7128-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
7216-416: Was again critical of the Authority for its failure to fill two vacancies on its board that had been vacant since January of that year. Also in June 2024, a former Garda Chief Superintendent called for a Road Safety "Tsar" to act as a "single voice" for road safety. At the Public Accounts Committee meeting in June 2024, Deputy Ciarán Cannon described the funding of the authority as "fundamentally flawed" citing
7304-523: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
7392-590: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
7480-595: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland ( BAI ; Irish : Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann )
7568-465: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
7656-678: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
7744-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
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