The Irish language should be featured on all food labels alongside English, according to Irish language activists.

Multiple parties have promised to introduce bilingual labels if elected to Government, including Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party.

On Lunchtime Live, Conradh na Gaeilge spokesperson Julian de Spainn said this would give Irish "more status".

“If you go to any bilingual country – say for Canada, for example – you find that the bilingual advertising or bilingual packaging is to be seen all over the place," he said.

“It raises awareness of the language, gives more status to the language and I suppose kids that are learning the language would see it more often.

“I think it would be a very positive thing that we could do – and we're talking about doing something that wouldn't cost anything else.”

Brennans Bread on supermarket shelves, 24-6-22. Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Mr de Spainn said this would add to efforts to use Irish in advertising.

“One of the things that's been very positive that we've seen over the last while as well is the public bodies now, when they're advertising, they do one in five ads in Irish,” he said.

“I think everybody would say that they've actually seen the language more and you hear the language more; and that helps to normalize the language.

“I’ve four kids at home and they love seeing and hearing these ads now because it just feels more normal to them.”

Costly

Sarah Furno of Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers disagreed with Mr de Spainn’s claim that the labels wouldn’t be of any cost.

“If you're introducing Irish language to an existing label, it does add in considerable cost,” she said.

“It would need to be phased in – you need redesign, re-origination, and that's going to come in at close to €2000 euros per label, which is actually a lot of money.”

Ms Furno said the costs could negatively impact small businesses.

“I love the idea of seeing the word im agus arán agus cáis on our labels,” she said.

“I know this was never the intention, but I don’t want it to impact on the diversity, and [be] yet another compliance for small businesses, who are really stretched."

Ridiculous

Show caller Olive, who is a former primary school teacher in Cork, said the idea is "ridiculous".

“Every child in junior infants knows that ‘im’ is butter and that ‘bainne’ is milk – but they still can't talk the Irish language,” she said.

“The reason they can't talk the Irish language is because Norma Foley and previous ministers don't listen to the teachers as regards how this Irish program could be changed.”

Olive said efforts should instead be made to update Irish language curriculums in schools.

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