NORTH OF IRELAND: THOUSANDS MARCH FOR LANGUAGE ACT

Thousands of people marched through Belfast city centre on Saturday 11 October to show support for an Irish Language Act in the British controlled area of northeastern Ireland.

The march was organised by Pobal, which is the umbrella group of Irish language organisations in the northeast of Ireland.The march was composed of three parts which united just off of Belfast's main shopping street, Donegal Parade.

The largest section of the march set off from outside An Cultúrlann on the Falls Road in the west of the city. A smaller group set off from the north of the city and another group joined the main body from the south of Belfast.

Altogether the marchers numbered several thousand. They were joined by Assistant Secretary General of the Celtic League, Seanán Ó Coistín, and Celtic League Éire branch member, Caoimhín Ó Cadhla. There was a wide mix of people amongst the marchers including men and women, children and adults, working class and middle class, rural and urban.

People from areas beyond Belfast came to show support to the Belfast marchers including a contingent of ten who travelled by bus from Dublin especially to be part of the march.

The marchers walked through the city centre on a very busy shopping day with balloons, banners, masks, costumes, flags and musical instruments. It was a very light hearted march and there were smiles and waves all round on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Some people on the path stood and clapped as the march passed by. School girls got drivers to sound their car horns when they were near the march. There was no unionist reaction at all during the march in the city centre despite all the official fury of the unionists in their public pronouncements against the Irish language.

The march returned to the small square in the city centre where it started off. There was a stage set up with musicians playing and Janet Muller, the head of Pobal, thanked all for participating. The media were very interested in the march and many photographers, camera men and reporters could be seen mingling amongst the crowd doing interviews and taking photographs.

Amongst the people present in the crowd were the Stormont Minister for Education, Caitríona Ruane of Sinn Féin and former Belfast mayor, Alex Maskey.The only negative note of the day was when a British police landrover drove straight into the middle of the crowd for no apparent reason at the end of the march and parked in the middle of the square. It was not obvious why this was done as there was no public order problems evident.

(Report prepared for Celtic News by the Celtic League Assistand General Secretary)

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

15/10/08