Edwin Poots leads Seachtain na Gaeilge celebration at Stormont

Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots hosted a Seachtain na Gaeilge celebration at Stormont on Tuesday, with the president of Conradh na Gaeilge describing the occasion as something that “wouldn’t have been imaginable for our community only a few short years ago”.

The DUP Speaker welcomed pupils from Bunscoil and Naíscoil na Seolta an Irish-medium integrated school in East Belfast, who performed songs and poetry through the medium of Irish. It marked the seventh consecutive year that Seachtain na Gaeilge has been launched at Stormont.

Speaking at the event, Mr Poots said the Irish language and culture was “intertwined with the identity of many in the Assembly and the wider society,” adding that speakers’ events were used “to reflect different cultures and traditions from across society and to recognise them with respect.”

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, president of Conradh na Gaeilge, said the significance of the occasion should not be underestimated

“It’s incredibly significant that we had the Speaker of the Assembly, Edwin Poots, who addressed the event, who chaired the event, who arranged for the event to take place here at Stormont,” he said.

“I think all of that tells you just how far we have come. Some of those things wouldn’t have been imaginable for our community only a few short years ago.”

“What we have achieved over the last number of years is nothing short of a miracle. Today is a day for celebration.”

Mr Mac Giolla Bhéin said an estimated one million people engage with Irish language events during Seachtain na Gaeilge, with thousands of events taking place across Ireland and internationally throughout the 17-day festival.