Almost a year ago to the day, Irish-language advocate Seán Ó Cuirreáin resigned from his role as an Coimisinéir Teanga. The language commissioner’s job is to officially safeguard the rights of Irish and English speakers in the country, and Mr Ó Cuirreáin left after telling an Oireachtas committee that th government had failed to promote Irish and implement its use by public bodies.

Today on the Right Hook, the current commissioner, Rónán Ó Domhnaill will join George live in studio, along with the Catalan Ombudsman, Rafael Ribó i Massó.

Tomorrow morning, a conference will discuss the ways in which the Irish state can promote the country’s first official language. One of the ways this can be done is through the derogation of Irish as an official working language of the European Union.

While Irish has been granted an official status, derogation means that the EU can choose not to translate certain documents into the language. In August 2013, the European Ombudsman found a case of maladministration against the European Parliament for failure to make its website available in Irish.

The current derogation status is scheduled to apply until 2017, when it might be renewed for another five years.

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