The Courts Service has published its first Irish-language strategy, outlining its plans to transform the organisation into 'a genuinely bilingual organisation'.
It aims to achieve parity between English and Irish in all aspects of the courts service.
The strategy sets out 44 actions across six priority areas, over the next three years to 2028.
Nearly 25,000 (24,664) people in Kerry speak Irish at least weekly according to a socio-economic analysis of the county, commissioned by Kerry County Council.
Between August 2023 and August 2024, seven court cases were conducted in Irish across the Courts Service's Southern Region, which includes Kerry; 48 were held nationwide.
Gaeltacht court venues are to receive additional support to ensure that staff with Irish-language competency are always present and available during hearings.
The service's Irish language strategy manager (Bainisteoir Straitéise Gaeilge), Dónal Ó Gallachóir, will meet with managers and staff at each Gaeltacht courthouse, including Dingle, to assess their needs.
Similar focus will be given to counties with a high proportion of Irish speakers, namely Kerry, Cork, Clare, and Waterford.
These meetings are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2026.
The Courts Service also plans to establish a centralised Irish-language office.
The organisation will actively recruit staff with Irish-language skills and develop a comprehensive Irish-language training programme.
A framework will also be created to ensure Irish-language services are accessible online, in person, and by phone.
During the development of the strategy, several challenges were identified, including a shortage of court registrars proficient in Irish, and that some Irish-speaking staff lack the confidence to deliver the same quality of service in Irish as in English.
