IRELAND: There was a broad welcome from Government and Opposition politicians to the European foreign ministers agreement to establish Irish as an official working language of the European Union.
Describing it as an "important decision", Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said it was "a very good day for the Irish language in the European Union". It followed nearly two years of discussions and lobbying by Irish politicians and officials.
He said he was grateful to the EU countries for the decision. "Their sympathetic approach to our request demonstrates the deep understanding, at the level of the Union, of issues of national identity." He said this strong support meant that technical and legal questions over the request "were resolved amicably through negotiation and by consensus".
Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said the decision presented a challenge to the Irish-speaking community to make use of the new status achieved for Irish. He said it presented a challenge to Irish organisations and educational institutions to ensure there were enough qualified translators to meet the demands for services.
"This is a big day for the Irish language, which will add greatly to the status of the language," he said. "When Conradh na Gaeilge was founded the Irish language had no official status whatsoever. The progress that has been made since then is wonderful." Most other political parties also claimed credit for the decision, and said they had raised it well before the Government decided to campaign for EU status.
Fine Gael spokesman on Gaeltacht affairs Dinny McGinley welcomed the decision but said it was merely correcting a previous "inexplicable oversight" by Fianna Fáil in 1972 when it did not seek recognition of Irish as an official working language when the State joined the EC.
He would also "advise caution, though, that we do not allow this news, while welcome, to lull us into a false sense of security about the fortunes of the Irish language.
"We must not be deflected from the challenges and difficulties facing the Irish language, as indicated by recent surveys and reports, and regardless of its status at EU level, preserving the language has to begin at home."
Labour Party Gaeltacht Affairs spokesman Brian O'Shea said the decision reflected what Labour had sought from the Government last year in a motion before the Dáil "There are still many more ways in which the Irish language can be developed to encourage people to speak it," he said.
"Today's announcement must be accompanied at national level by a renewed focus on getting people actually to speak the language rather than simply have it afforded official status in law."
Green party leader Trevor Sargent said he had been campaigning for this for many years and that it would provide employment opportunities for Irish people. He criticised Fianna Fáil for not addressing the issue until recently.
Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin described the move as "an important step forward for the Irish language".