'Once-off' funding for cross-border Irish group

Cross-border Irish language agency Foras na Gaeilge is to receive a "once-off" funding package of €630,000 (£547,000) from the Irish government.

It will allow the language body to "reverse" cuts it announced earlier this year, the Dublin administration said.

The announcement follows a meeting on Thursday of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC).

The Ulster-Scots Agency is also receiving a one-off funding adjustment of £137,500, most of which is from Stormont and the rest from the Irish government.

The NSMC was set up under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and involves ministers from both the Irish government and Northern Ireland Executive.

Foras na Gaeilge, one of the all-island bodies which reports to the council, welcomed the funding announcement.

"This approval will enable us to reverse the cuts to funding schemes and grants announced by Foras na Gaeilge at the beginning of 2025," a spokesperson said.

"This work will start immediately with the aim of supporting projects and schemes that have been cancelled or cut back for the year, where possible.

"We will be in contact with grantees and organisations that receive funding from us as soon as possible."

In February Foras na Gaeilge said it had to make savings of more than €800,000 (£669,000), which would mean cuts to some groups operating in Northern Ireland.

Irish government minister Dara Calleary said the "once-off payment" of €630,000 related to "historical pension costs".

Foras na Gaeilge receives around a quarter of its funding from the Stormont executive and three-quarters from the Irish government.

The Irish government has previously said extra money has been available in its budget, but this must be matched "according to the funding ratio" by Stormont's Department for Communities before any budget increase can be made.

There have been proposals to change the funding arrangements for the NSMC's cross-border bodies.

But Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the lead parties in Stormont's power-sharing executive, have been at odds over the idea.

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, president of the Irish language campaign group Conradh na Gaeilge, said the funding provided "much-needed, but temporary, respite".

"If the much-needed reforms are not made to that funding model then we will be right back in the same funding crisis in January 2026, and every January thereafter," he said.

The NSMC meeting on Thursday was also attended by Stormont's Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, of the DUP, and Junior Minister Aisling Reilly of Sinn Féin.

Calleary thanked Lyons for his "cooperation in this matter".

Stormont's Department for Communities will provide £103,000 to the Ulster-Scots Agency "through a targeted reallocation" within his department.

Described as being among "one-off funding adjustments for 2025," Lyons said this would "unlock an additional £34,500" from the Irish government under existing cross-border funding arrangements.

"This funding boost reflects our clear commitment to supporting the Ulster-Scots tradition and ensuring it continues to thrive as part of the rich cultural fabric of Northern Ireland," the communities minister said.

He added the funding will allow the agency to expand its projects.

"It is vital that all traditions are respected and supported through balanced and responsible investment," he said.

Ian Crozier, chief executive of the Ulster-Scots Agency, welcomed the funding.

"This in-year funding will be vital in helping us to address financial pressures and ensure that we can continue to direct support to local communities where it is needed most," he said.