Group claims that Irish was spoken today in Belfast court proceedings for the first time in almost 300 years

It said that, during a civil legal action it is involved in, a number of witnesses introduced themselves in Irish.

The group said that this is “likely this is the first time witnesses have officially used Irish in courts in Belfast since the introduction of the Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737”.

Whilst it describes this act as a “ban on the use of Irish” in court, the law does not mention Irish; rather, it states that court proceedings “shall be in the English tongue and language, and not in Latin or French, or any other tongue or language whatsoever”.

In other words, it renders English the sole language for use in courts, to the exclusion of all others.

The act states this is because “many and great mischiefs do frequently happen to the subjects of this kingdom from the proceedings in courts of justice being in an unknown language”.

It goes on to state that the law exists “to remedy those great mischiefs, and to protect the lives and fortunes of the subjects of this kingdom more effectually than heretofore from the peril of being ensnared, and brought into danger, by forms and proceedings in courts of justice in an unknown language”.

The fine for breaching the act? £20.

Conradh na Gaeilge said that John Larkin, in his time as Attorney General, “interpreted the 1737 Act to refer to written evidence / documents”, not speech, and therefore verbal Irish could be permitted.

However, it adds that written Irish remains forbidden (although provision to annul this list within the 2022 Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act, and has just never been used).

Conradh na Gaeilge is currently embroiled in legal wranglings over the display of Irish language at Olympia Leisure Centre in south Belfast.

The leisure centre is almost in the shadow of Windsor Park, and much of the surrounding residential area is loyalist-dominated.

The group said that in September 2021, a council committee passed a Sinn Fein proposal to erect bilingual external signs there.

The DUP then successfully ordered a review of this decision, and the council concluded based on legal advice that there could be an “adverse community impact”.

Conradh na Gaeilge is seeking sight of that legal advice.

It said that at a tribunal hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, several “members of the Irish-speaking community... all introduced themselves in Irish”.

The case is being supported by The Public Interest Litigation Support Project and the Committee on the Administration of Justice.