Hopes of North powersharing deal hit by Irish language row

PROSPECTS of an imminent breakthrough in talks to restore powersharing at Stormont appear to have receded after an impasse over the Irish language deepened.

The DUP and Sinn Féin set out public positions yesterday that suggested a meeting of minds on the crucial Stormont sticking point was still a long way off.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said she would not sign off on a standalone Irish Language Act, a key Sinn Féin demand throughout the 13 months the North has been without devolved government.

She also ruled out any legislation that would see road signs in Irish or workforce quotas of Irish speakers within the civil service. Stormont’s former first minister moved to temper expectations that a deal to restore devolution was likely this week.

‘I am hopeful that we will move toward devolution again,’ said Mrs Foster. ‘Whether it is this week, whether it is in a couple of weeks or whether it’s in a couple of months, what I must ensure is that we have an accommodation that everybody feels content with.’

But Sinn Féin insisted an Irish Language Act was a prerequisite of any deal. Party president Mary Lou McDonald told the DUP to show leadership and ignore the hardline critics opposed to any settlement.

She said the region’s main unionist party had to make up its mind whether it wanted to do a deal or not.

Mrs McDonald told RTÉ: ‘The DUP know, like the rest of us, what is required to reach a deal: Acht Gaeilge [Irish Language Act] and indeed other rights are clearly part of that.’

Sinn Féin wants a standalone Irish Language Act to protect speakers but the DUP has long insisted that any new laws must also incorporate other cultures such as Ulster Scots.