Irish language legislation becomes law…

The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill has received royal assent. From the Irish News:

The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons back in May, completed its Westminster journey on Monday, receiving royal assent and officially repealing legislation from 1737 that among other outworkings banned the use of Irish in courts.

The new legislation grants Irish official status in the north and will lead to the appointment of Irish and Ulster Scots/Ulster British commissioners.

The posts are to be appointed by a Stormont first and deputy first minister, but the law allows for the appointments to be made by the Northern Ireland secretary in the absence of a Stormont Executive.

As always in Northern Ireland, the implementation is going to be the tricky part, still, it is a welcome victory for language rights activists.