State Papers: Aideen McGinley advised ‘no hard and fast rules’ for Irish and Ulster-Scots translation

That’s according to state papers from 2001 newly-released under the 20-year rule.

Dr. McGinley, who would go on to serve as Chief Executive of Ilex, Derry’s urban regeneration company, was Permanent Secretary at DCAL at the time.

In a letter to David Cargo, Chief Executive of the Belfast Education and Library Board, she noted that policy development on language was on-going, following the GFA and the UK Government’s signature of the Council of Europe Charter on Regional or Minority Languages in March 2000.

McGinley wrote: “We are still at an early stage in developing translation policy and services...There are as yet no hard and fast rules on which documents should be translated and we judge each case on its merits.”

She advised that DCAL aimed to produce key documents such as ‘corporate strategy, annual report, Charter etc, in Irish and Ulster Scots with Chinese offered on request’.

"The Department uses trilingual letterheaded notepaper and Linguistic Diversity Branch also uses trilingual fax cover sheets,” she added.

Dr. McGinley went on to serve as Ilex Chief Executive from 2009 to 2012, a pivotal time in the regeneration company’s history which saw Derry awarded the UK City of Culture site in 2013, the publication of the One Plan, the opening of the Peace Bridge and Ebrington Square, and the development of the Science Park at Fort George.

President McAleese pledged to help promote Ulster-Scots culture in Republic