Charge Me In Irish

Woman claims she was held for speaking Irish

RTE. A Belfast teacher has contested a charge of disorderly behaviour at Belfast Magistrates Court and claimed she was arrested by the PSNI because she was speaking Irish.

Máire Nic An Bhaird, 24, from Woodside Walk in Dunmurry was detained by the PSNI after an incident on Belfast's Malone Road in May.

This morning's hearing was adjourned after Defence Solicitor Michael Crawford requested that all the papers in the case should be in Irish. Mr Crawford argued that his client was a native Irish speaker and her whole environment was Irish.

The Resident Magistrate, Fiona Bagnall, adjourned the case until 6 September, giving the defence three weeks to make written submissions in support of the application to have the papers translated into Irish and giving the prosecution a further three weeks to respond.

A large group of Irish language activists, including Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún, staged a protest outside the court.

Register

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