DUBLIN — If you want to accuse someone of telling lies in Ireland’s parliament, Prime Minister Micheál Martin has just shown the way — by saying it in Irish.
Ireland’s official language is Gaeilge (a.k.a. Irish Gaelic), known simply as Irish here. The trouble is, only a minority of citizens can confidently speak Irish in what is, overwhelmingly, an English-speaking country.
As a consequence, Martin — a fluent Gaeilgeoir, as native speakers are called — enjoys speaking at length in Irish when replying to questions from the leader of the opposition: Mary Lou McDonald of the nationalist Sinn Féin party. That’s because, usually, she can’t understand him until he switches to English.
It’s become a greater advantage for Martin in Ireland’s new parliament. Unlike her predecessor, speaker Verona Murphy can’t speak enough Irish to adjudicate disputes over use of the language in Dáil Éireann, Ireland’s parliament, where Gaeilge is supposed to be encouraged.
This strange situation was highlighted Wednesday when Martin, replying to a McDonald barrage of criticisms of government housing policy, began his Irish remarks by telling her: “Tá an Teachta Dála ag insint bréaga arís.”
It took a largely uncomprehending Sinn Féin bench seven full minutes to mount a protest, once party lieutenants and Irish speakers Pearse Doherty and Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire supplied McDonald the translation of what Martin had said: “The Dáil deputy is telling lies again.”
Under Ireland’s parliamentary rules, members aren’t supposed to use the L-word — but Murphy wasn’t clear what to do about Martin’s deployment of the B-word, “bréaga,” meaning lies.
Murphy admitted she hadn’t heard, or understood, what the prime minister had said. Turning to Martin, she asked: “I would like you to withdraw, if you made those remarks, I am not aware that you — did you call Deputy McDonald a liar?”
This set the Sinn Féin benches ablaze with indignation as a Mona Lisa smile crept across Martin’s face.
Doherty refused to take his seat as Murphy — whose official title is Ceann Comhairle, meaning “head of the council” — banged her deskside bell in vain.
“He cannot accuse the leader of the opposition of ‘ag insint bréaga’,” Doherty said of Martin. “He took advantage of the fact that the Ceann Comhairle has no Irish. And it’s an absolute disgrace!”
Murphy told Sinn Féin to file a written complaint and, if the official transcript and translation ultimately confirmed the offense, she would ask the prime minister once again to withdraw the remarks.
Even though Sinn Féin is the most aggressive promoter of rights for Irish speakers, particularly in neighboring Northern Ireland, McDonald has struggled with the language, even when saying the Gaelicized name of at least one of her own party comrades.
Doherty posted an edited clip of Martin’s comments and Sinn Féin’s eventual protests — all thankfully subtitled.
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