Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have been up North the past two days with the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.We met with community groups there and I was blown away. It was the first time I got a good understanding of what is going on up there as a result of the fact the Stormont Assembly is not sitting. Meeting with community groups was an eye-opener for me, particularly on the issue of the Irish language and the passion there is for it, particularly in west Belfast. There are 6,000 children attending the Irish school in Belfast and that number will double in the next few years. It is a part of their identity.

We also met with the Shankill Road community group and when we talked about the issues that impact them, they spoke about unemployment, mental health issues and the impact of the legacy of the conflict. The impact is there are no jobs and very bad housing. Their passion is for regenerating their community. When they were asked about the Irish language they said they had absolutely no problem with it. The Shankill Road community leaflet says that in the PUL community, the Irish language is generally associated with nationalism and republicanism and thereby treated at best with suspicion.

It often comes as a surprise to many to learn that the Lower Shankill Community Association, LSCA, runs a weekly class in Irish language and history. One of the comments by a participant from the unionist community was that the first thing the person learned was that language is neutral and belongs to everyone. The person continued that it is how it is sometimes used that can make it appear political in some contexts.

Will the Tánaiste consider meeting the groups the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement met over the past few days? It is important the Tánaiste listens to the voices of the communities and what they are saying. What they are saying is not what we are hearing down here, particularly from the media. That is really important. What we are hearing down here is not the reality for the communities there. It would be fantastic if the Tánaiste and Taoiseach would meet the community groups that are really struggling and do not seem to be getting heard. The Tánaiste and Taoiseach are doing great work. I admire the fantastic work they are doing on the issue. I admire the fantastic work they are doing on Brexit in particular. It would be great for them to hear the voices of the people in the North.