Late DUP leader Ian Paisley would have been ‘deeply interested’ in Irish language history, son says

The son of the late DUP leader Ian Paisley has said his father would have been “deeply interested” in an Irish language event he took part in at a Free Presbyterian Church.

The Rev Kyle Paisley, a minister in the church his father founded in 1951, spoke at an event in Antrim to showcase the history of Presbyterianism in Ireland and its links with Gaelic.

The Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge event, organised by the Pastor of Antrim Free Presbyterian Church, Rev Paul Thompson, was also attended by DUP founding member Wallace Thompson, and Sinn Féin South Antrim MLA Declan Kearney, among others.

Mr Paisley, who ministers at a church in England, said the gathering was a “time of learning”, and speaking to the BBC, added: “I have a lot to learn about it.”

“You don’t get anywhere by ignoring history, and you don’t get anywhere certainly by ignoring religious history,” he said.

“That’s the purpose of tonight’s meeting, to highlight something that is often forgotten in the midst of arguments over other things.”

In 2014, Rev Paisley hit out at his late father’s DUP colleague Gregory Campbell, after the Foyle MP and then-MLA mocked the Irish language while speaking in the Assembly.

Rev Paisley accused Mr Campbell of “shaming unionism” with his “curry my yoghurt” remark, which he made as an imitation of “go raibh maith agat” - Irish for “thank you” - used by Sinn Féin MLAs.

Thursday’s event in Antrim follows DUP opposition to the planned installation of bilingual signage with English and Irish at Belfast Grand Central Station.

In an email to party colleagues, leader Gavin Robinson said Irish appearing on signs at the new station was a “controversial matter”, and said the DUP would “put a marker down” in the Executive on the issue.

Rev Paisley added at this week’s event: “People may tend to think that the Irish language belonged to one section of a community at a time, as opposed to another section, but there was an interest in it in Presbyterian and in Protestant circles, certainly way back then.

“We lose nothing by acknowledging that and we may learn some practical lessons for today.”