Foras na Gaeilge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Foras na Gaeilge is the governing body of the Irish language, set up on 2 December 1999, which is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland. It assumed the roles of Bord na Gaeilge, An Gúm, and An Coiste Téarmaíochta, which had formerly been state bodies under the Irish Government.

The body comprises one half of The North/South Language Body which was formed as a north-south implementation body under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement to oversee the furtherance of the native languages of the island of Ireland. Foras na Gaeilge promotes Irish, and its counterpart Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch promotes the Ulster Scots language (the Ulster variety of the Scots language [1]) and affairs related to Ulster-Scots culture.

The body also serves an advisory role in matters pertaining to the Irish language in both the public and private sectors in the Republic of Ireland (where Irish is the first official language) and Northern Ireland (where Irish is a regional language).