My day in court......as gaelige

mikemac

Ah no, I don't have a court appearance. This threads reminds me to pay my TV licence though

Currently doing a night course on Irish just for my enjoyment.
And I do ask questions here now and again so I'd like to know if in court, we'll say for a TV License as an easy example can I insist my case is as Gaelige?

Irish being the first official language of the state.
Solicitors do a language test and gardai used to do one though I don't know if they do anymore. Forgotten what you've learned? Not my problem as you passed a competency test so where is your competence?

And someone working for An Post should definitely have some knowledge seeing I could use my address as Gaelige if I wanted and letters would still get to me here in Contae Tiobraid Árann

It's not something I've done so not legal advice. I'm sure the courts system have come across this before.
Oh and I'm not trying to be a nuisance defendant but if Irish was your first language at home and face possible imprisonment sure wouldn't you everything as clear as possible to you?

r14

The Courts aren't too happy if they think you're just insisting on Irish to waste their time;

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0205/1233713219470.html

It's like stories I've heard of people insisting the gardai deal with them through Irish so they bring them to the station and make them wait for hours and hours until the one fluent Irish guy can be found.

If Irish was your first language they'd have to make accommodation for it but I'm not sure what that would look like.

Our man in Havana

There have been criminal cases dismissed over this point.
I remember where a disgruntled motorist insisted that the Gardaí issue a speeding notice in Irish, the Gardaí did not, case was dismissed.

It is a very serious issue. It can be costly for the state if they seek not to accommodate the states first language.

Jo King

The case referred to below decided by the Supreme Court in 2001 describes the rights of a defendant to deal with the courts through Irish. Providing facilities to do so was described as a constitutional imperative. Séamus Ó Beoláin Iarratasóir v. Mary Fahy Breitheamh den Chúirt Dúiche [2001] 2 IR 279

http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ie/cases/IESC/2001/37

Our man in Havana

http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IESC/2001/37.html

Victor

Interesting.

In Irish: SÉAMUS Ó BEOLÁIN (3 fadas)
In English: SEAMUS O BEOLÁIN (1 fada).