Foras na Gaeilge, the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, says it has contacted the senior management team of BBC Northern Ireland seeking further information about the future of Irish-language services within the BBC.
Last week, BBC Northern Ireland shared an update on its plans to "deliver approximately £4.1million in savings by the end of 2027/28."
Of the plans, the media company said in part: "A significantly increased % of Irish language programming (across the BBC’s radio and digital platforms, including learning resources) will be sourced from the independent sector, with a consequent reduction in BBC staffing in this area.
"BBC expenditure on Irish and output totals on BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle will remain unchanged.
"And these plans include the retention of senior in-house staff roles for Irish language services and their integration within a single, cross-platform strategy."
Now, Seán Ó Coinn, the Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge, said that despite the significant funding challenges currently facing the BBC, he is surprised at the scale of the proposed staffing cuts affecting BBC Irish-language services in Northern Ireland.
"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," Ó Coinn said in a statement on Wednesday.
"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, Ó Coinn 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."
Foras na Gaeilge noted that while precise figures for BBC Northern Ireland's expenditure on Irish-language services are not publicly available, it understands that the broadcaster's annual expenditure on Irish-language content is in the region of £1 million.
Foras na Gaeilge said that in its written submission to BBC NI's senior management, it has called for a significant increase in investment in Irish-language programming across television, radio and online platforms.
Foras Na Gaeilge's sentiments on Wednesday mirror those expressed by Conradh na Gaeilge last week.
Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, President of Conradh na Gaeilge, said in part that the cuts "will be devastating to the Irish language in broadcasting here in the north, and seem to be entirely disproportionate to the cuts taking place elsewhere within the BBC."
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