The Taoiseach says his new Minister for the Gaeltacht will take a “refresher course” in Irish.
It’s emerged that neither the senior Minister Heather Humphreys nor junior Minister Joe McHugh have fluent Irish.
Although new Culture Minister in the Department Aodhán O’Riordán is an Irish speaker.
The Taoiseach says Minister McHugh will be getting his head in the Irish books:
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil’s Éamon Ó Cuív says the fact that the new Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs is not a fluent speaker of the language, is a slap in the face for the thousands of Irish speakers in the country – and particularly for Gaeltacht communities.
The former minister for Gaeltacht Affairs said there’s no question that Minister Joe McHugh is a person of talent, decency and integrity.
But he insisted without fluency in Irish, he could not adequately carry out his duties in Gaeltacht Affairs.
Deputy O’Cuiv called on the Taoiseach to rectify the problem immediately.
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