Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney says he remains in close contact with the Northern Irish Secretary of State on the issue. As co-guarantors of Good Friday Agreement, the UK and Irish governments have an obligation to uphold and protect the letter and spirit of that Agreement. “I have made it consistently clear that unionists will not countenance a stand-alone or free-standing Irish Language Act. "After the Assembly election, I embarked on an engagement exercise with those who love and cherish the Irish language. I respect the Irish language and those who speak it but in a shared society this cannot be a one-way street.

Source: Evening echo February 14, 2018 16:18 UTC