Pol Deeds defends comments on language and Irish unity as ‘parody’

The Irish language commissioner has insisted he was “trying to distance” himself from a group’s decision to work towards a united Ireland.

In February, Conradh na Gaeilge voted to amend its constitution to “work towards a united Ireland for the benefit of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht”.

Shortly afterwards, Northern Ireland’s Irish language commissioner, Pol Deeds, criticised hostility towards Irish and was quoted as inviting people to reflect “that every word spoken against the Irish language could be seen in one sense as another blow struck in the cause of Irish unification”.

The remarks were criticised by some unionists as straying into constitutional issues and evoking a Troubles-era phrase attributed to a Sinn Fein official that “every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom”.

On Wednesday, Mr Deeds said he was “parodying” the original phrase and “turning it on its head”.

He told Stormont’s Executive Office Committee that he had been inviting people to “reflect on that possibility” as a response to Conradh na Gaeilge’s decision, which he said was made by young activists who were “radicalised by ongoing hostility to the Irish language”.

Mr Deeds previously canvassed on behalf of Sinn Fein but said he had left the party about five years ago.

Asked by DUP MLA Philip Brett if he believed it was his role to give out constitutional advice, the commissioner said it was “absolutely not constitutional advice”.

“The advice was for people to reflect upon the consequences of their actions, in terms of the ongoing hostility towards the Irish language and towards my office.”

Mr Deeds told the committee his response was “appropriate” but it had “snowballed” when “people were encouraged to react to reaction”.

He said that several unionists had told him what he said was right and questioned whether some of the offence expressed was legitimate.

Asked by Mr Brett why some in the Protestant, Unionist, and Loyalist community were suspicious of Irish, the commissioner said issues around identity and language had previously not been dealt with well and that past conflict had been “partly related” to identity and language.

Asked how the Conradh na Gaeilge decision would help unionist understanding of the Irish language, Mr Deeds said: “When I gave my comments, I was actually trying to distance myself from their decision.”

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston accused Mr Deeds of “continuing in the vein” of his former party, Sinn Féin, and “politicising” the Irish language.

He said the commissioner showed “no self awareness” and a lack of understanding of unionist concerns.

Mr Deeds said: “I would love to ask you, do you honestly not get the point I was making?”

The commissioner accused Mr Gaston of “attacking” him and “politicising” his office.