Consistory Court of the Diocese of Coventry decision on the Margaret Keane memorial stone
Birmingham Irish • June 5, 2020
Birmingham Irish Association are aware of the judgment of the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Coventry regarding the inclusion of an Irish language phrase on a proposed memorial stone.
We are very disappointed by the decision reached by the Court and are particularly dismayed by references in the judgment suggesting that the inclusion of words from the Irish language (without translation into English) could be seen as a political statement.
The Irish language is officially the first language of the Irish state and is internationally recognised as such by the United Nations and the European Union. Furthermore, the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998, to which the UK and Irish governments are co-guarantors, recognised “the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity” and further acknowledged that the Irish language is “part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland”.
We hope that common sense will prevail and that the relatives and friends of Margaret Keane who died in July 2018 are provided with a satisfactory outcome following their appeal against the judgement.
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