Irish language channel to be available in the North?

The Irish language channel TG4 is to be extended across the Six Counties by the end of the year, the British government has promised.

However, such promises have been made before.

Under a commitment in the Good Friday Agreement, the British and Irish governments pledged to make TG4 - which currently reaches 54 per cent of homes in the north - more widely available.

Sinn Féin assembly member Barry McElduff said that he had raised concerns over the length of time it was taking for coverage to be extended across the north.

“There is a huge growth of interest in the Irish language and this is reflected in the widespread desire for TG4 to be completely available throughout Ireland,” he said.

British minister with responsibility for culture in the North, Angela Smith, told Mr McElduff that the British and Irish governments were “working to overcome the technical and other difficulties involved in increasing analogue coverage of TG4 in Northern Ireland”.

“I expect the outstanding issues to be resolved toward the end of the year,” she said.

A British official claimed that technical difficulties “relating to frequency allocation and topography” had held up the extension of TG4 throughout the north.

“These are being overcome and we hope to be in a position to make TG4 available across Northern Ireland as soon as possible.”

Urgent Appeal