The Irish language lobby group STÁDAS is expecting some 5,000 people to attend a demonstration in Dublin tomorrow to pressure the Government into seeking official EU status for the Irish language.
The group is hoping the march will increase pressure on the Government while it still holds the EU presidency. Marchers are expected from Cork, Kerry, Galway, Waterford, Derry, Tipperary, Belfast, Donegal, Meath, and Clare, as well as the Pikers from Wexford.
Mr Panu Petteri Hoglund, the author of an online petition signed by 80,000 people calling on the Government to ask that Irish be included as an official EU language will fly to Dublin from Finland to present the signatures to the Taoiseach at the end of the march.
The march starts at 2.30pm at the Garden of Remembrance and will go down Parnell Square, O'Connell Street, passing the GPO, and onwards to the Dáil.
A cross-party motion calling for the recognition of Irish by the EU was passed by Dáil Éireann in February.
There have been many calls for the inclusion of the Irish language on the list of official EU languages as it complies with all requirements and is used in official business at all levels of public administration in Ireland - including the judicial, parliamentary and public administrative systems.
