The files show that the Northern Ireland Courts Service had set up a working group in 2004 to consider the use of Irish in courts and tribunals as part of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. Judith Gillespie was an assistant chief constable in the PSNI in 2004 (Paul Faith/PA)This included opening a consultation process including the judiciary, legal professional bodies, public bodies and Irish language groups. It added: “In terms of the use of a particular minority language, Irish, this may give rise to the question why other languages should not be accorded the same facilities. The response concluded: “In the balance of rights we would have to express concerns that the impact of such a demand will have an adverse impact on the provision of a legal process that is fair and timely. She said: “I feel that even for an Irish language court there would still be a need to use translators and interpreters for Irish to English to assist court officials and police officers who are not Irish speakers.

Source: The Herald December 30, 2025 00:22 UTC