Toe-curling moment Sinn Fein politician complains she's not allowed to speak in Gaelic in European Parliament - only to backtrack in English when she's told she can

Published: 09:24, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 09:28, 18 July 2026 A Sinn Fein politician who accused the European Parliament of stopping her from speaking Gaelic made an embarrassing climbdown in English after officials pointed out she was, in fact, allowed to do so.  Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan was addressing a committee on EU Foreign Affairs when she found herself in a tangle over the use of the Irish language.   In a clip of the awkward moment, Ms Boylan prefaced her question with: 'It is unfortunate that we can't use our own language in this committee, but I will continue now in English.' The committee's vice-chair Hana Jalloul Muro quickly interrupted the Dublin-born politician, saying: 'You can, you can.' Caught off guard, the Sinn Fein MEP responded: 'Ah, okay. We didn't know. Sorry.' 'I will continue in English because I wasn't prepared,' the 49-year-old politician admitted before continuing her address.  The incident exposed both Ms Boylan and her party to criticism, with arguments over Sinn Fein appearing to be more interested in 'weaponising' the Irish language for political points rather than genuinely promoting or using it.  The party has long positioned itself as a champion of the language, pushing for its use in official and everyday life in Ireland.  Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan (pictured) was addressing a committee on EU Foreign Affairs when she found herself in a tangle over the use of the Irish language, saying how 'unfortunate' it was that it couldn't be used  The committee vice-chair quickly interrupted the Dublin-born politician, saying: 'You can, you can' Caught off guard, the Sinn Fein MEP responded: 'Ah, okay. We didn't know. Sorry' Against this context, critics noted the irony of a Sinn Fein representative appearing unprepared to use it when the opportunity arose in an EU setting. Ms Boylan has since faced questions about her own proficiency in Irish following the incident, as well as her ignorance of the ability to use Irish within an EU committee - with a translation being readily available.   However, supporters noted the difficulty in translating English to Irish on the fly, even for strong speakers.  The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), a conservative party in Northern Ireland, described the incident as 'hypocrisy of Sinn Fein'. In response, TUV Strangford Assembly candidate Jonathan Jackson said: 'Unionists have long suspected that Sinn Fein are more interested in weaponising Irish and forcing it down the throat of communities who have no interest in it than genuinely promoting it because of love for the language.' It is not the first time Sinn Fein's use of the Irish language has come under scrutiny.  Earlier this month, the party appeared to vote against its own amendment to a government amendment in the Dail (Irish Parliament) during a cost of living debate.  Concluding the debate, Ceann Comhairle (speaker) Verona Murphy asked in Irish if they agreed to the amendment to which Sinn Fein's TDs (MPs) did not agree. Aontu leader Peader Toibin jumped in and said 'they're backwards there' pointing out that they had disagreed with their own amendment. Donegal TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn, a Sinn Fein politician, then added he has 'no fluent Irish'. Ms Murphy repeated the question in English. 'We'll do it in English as they say,' she said, triggering laughter in the chamber. The Sinn Fein TDs then agreed to the amendment. Ms Boylan was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency in July 2024. She is also the Chair of the EU Delegation for Relations with Palestine. Irish has been a working language within the EU since January 1, 2022. It is one of 24 official languages in the EU, which means speeches in the parliament and documents are translated to and from Irish.  The Irish language is recognised as the country's first official language.