From 2 to 6 April 2026, a large delegation from Naziogintza Taldea visited the North of Ireland at the invitation of our international partner organisation, the ICEC (https://icec.ngo/). The purpose of this visit was threefold: to learn about the situation of the local language (Irish); to gather information on the current state of the process towards Irish unity through our contacts within the republican movement; and to take part in the events and the demonstration on 5 April, marking the anniversary of the Easter Rising.
On 3 and 4 April, we held three highly informative meetings in Belfast with prominent language activists: with Padraig Ó Mathúna, representing Conradh na Gaeilge / Fís an Phobail (3 April), and with Séanna Walsh and Bróna Haughey, Sinn Féin’s language officers (4 April).
These meetings provided valuable first-hand insight into the work being carried out to promote Irish in the Six Counties of the North of Ireland. Following a long campaign spanning many years, the Identity and Language Act was passed in 2022, granting Irish a status comparable to that of an official language, although not full official status, as is the case with Basque in the Western Basque Country.
Sinn Féin councillors Séanna Walsh and Bróna Haughey shared several key figures to help us better understand the current situation of the Irish language in the Six Counties. They noted that around 11% of the population report some knowledge of Irish, with approximately 3% speaking it fluently. In the education sector, Irish-medium immersion schooling comprises 30 schools, serving around 8,000 pupils (2.5% of the total). They also highlighted the growing social demand for Irish, with courses consistently oversubscribed and increasing everyday use in areas such as Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter.
However, as Pádraig Ó Mathúna explained to us—drawing on sociolinguistic research, including work by Conchúr Ó Giollagáin and Brian Ó Curnáin—the Irish government’s current approach to the language in the Republic prioritises symbolic support over the survival of Irish-speaking communities. While Irish is promoted as part of national “heritage” and culture, insufficient attention is given to its viability as a living social language. This helps explain the gap between widespread public support for Irish culture and the continued decline of Gaeltacht communities, which remain crucial to the language’s survival yet lack adequate power and support. As Ó Mathúna argues, a revival that ignores its native speakers is “a contradiction in terms.” Without meaningful measures to sustain these communities, their continued erosion remains a real risk.
In contrast to the Republic of Ireland, where the language movement itself currently lacks momentum, the struggle for the Irish language in the Six Counties remains very much alive, as colonial conditions continue to reinforce national consciousness. As we have often noted, the awareness of belonging to an oppressed nation strengthens individual and collective identity, and we were able to witness this directly in Belfast.
On the afternoon of 4 April, accompanied by veteran activist Robert McClenaghan, we visited Falls Road, a republican neighbourhood in West Belfast, where we took a guided tour of its well-known murals and received detailed explanations of their meaning and historical context.
Unlike in other parts of Belfast, street signs in this neighbourhood were bilingual and Irish flags were displayed throughout. We also spotted ikurriñas (the Basque flag) in different locations. Needless to say, our Basque group received a very warm welcome everywhere we went—a clear reflection of the longstanding ties and solidarity between the Basque Country and the North of Ireland.
In Belfast, we didn’t have to explain where the Basque Country is — “a nation in the western corner between France and Spain” — as we have often had to do on other trips. In the republican neighbourhood, people were already well aware of our struggle.
On 5 April, we took part in the Easter Rising commemorations at the invitation of our local contacts. Together with our friends from the ICEC, we marched through Belfast’s republican neighbourhood to the cemetery, where a commemorative ceremony and political rally were held in support of a united Ireland.
It should be recalled that, following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the North of Ireland was granted the right to freely determine its political future -a right recognised by the United Kingdom. When we asked local nationalists about the timing of a referendum on Irish unity, they pointed to a timeframe of around five years.
Will 2031 be the year of Irish unity? Let us hope so—and may that process also strengthen our own path towards national liberation.
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