PRESS RELEASE

21 October 2026

Foras na Gaeilge has contacted the senior management team of BBC Northern Ireland seeking further information about the future of Irish-language services within the BBC, following the broadcaster's announcement that more than half of the staff currently employed to work on Irish-language matters are to be made redundant.

Despite the significant funding challenges currently facing the BBC, the Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge, Seán Ó Coinn, expressed his surprise at the scale of the proposed staffing cuts affecting BBC Irish-language services in Northern Ireland.

Speaking on the issue, Ó Coinn said:

"I am concerned about the long-term viability and future of Irish-language broadcasting in Northern Ireland if there is no dedicated team in place to develop and deliver Irish-language programming."

He continued:

"I acknowledge the progress that has been made in Irish-language broadcasting in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement and in the context of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This latest announcement, however, raises serious questions about the BBC's long-term objectives and ambitions for the Irish-language community in Northern Ireland within that wider framework."

Highlighting the stark contrast in the treatment of Irish compared with Welsh and Scottish Gaelic, he added:

"It is difficult to reconcile the proposed cuts with the BBC's expenditure of more than £40 million on Welsh-language content, not to mention the £95 million allocated to S4C through the licence fee, and the investment in Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, where BBC Scotland spends £10 million on BBC ALBA, £4 million on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, in addition to substantial expenditure on online content."

While precise figures for BBC Northern Ireland's expenditure on Irish-language services are not publicly available, Foras na Gaeilge understands that the broadcaster's annual expenditure on Irish-language content is in the region of £1 million.

As the BBC undertakes a review of its Royal Charter, Foras na Gaeilge, in its written submission, has called for a significant increase in investment in Irish-language programming across television, radio and online platforms.

Ends

More information:

A copy of Foras na Gaeilge's submission is available on request.

Questions:

Anna Davitt, Programme Manager: Communications, Marketing & Awareness, Foras na Gaeilge

Phone: 00 353 87 293 7686

Ríomhphost: adavitt@forasnagaeilge.ie