RTE Irish commentary decision welcomed

Derry's James McClean pictured after the Republic of Ireland secured their place in the 2016 European Championship finals in France on Monday with 3-1 aggregate win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Derry Sinn Fein Councillor, Kevin Campbell, has said the decision by RTE to broadcast Republic of Ireland matches at the European Championships in Irish is a sign of how popular the language has become.

Irish commentary will be available for the Republic of Ireland’s opening match against Sweden on Monday.

The competition kicks-off on Friday when hosts France take on Romania in the Stade de France at 8p.m.

“The announcement from RTE that commentary will be made available as Gaeilge for Ireland soccer matches during Euro 2016 is a welcome one,” said Colr. Campbell.

“It is a recognition of the continued growth of the Irish language across Ireland.”

Colr. Campbell said the high profile nature of the European Championships paired with the Irish language will help to elevate the popularity of the language.

“More and more people use Irish every day and this move will increase the visibility and public profile of the language.

“The fact that the official song of the Ireland team is ‘Seo Linn’ also sends out a positive message about Irish.

“Hopefully this will lead to more Irish language commentary and programming in the media,” added Colr. Campbell.