The speaking of Irish in the House of Commons yesterday for what is believed to be the first time since partition was an important symbolic moment for which the Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts deserves full credit.
Ms Saville Roberts called on the British government to introduce an Irish language act if the Stormont institutions are not restored within six months, and said that, with similar legislation already long established in Scotland and Wales, Irish speakers were entitled to equality.
The DUP's objections to such a move appear particularly feeble after the party's recent strident demands for Northern Ireland to be treated in precisely the same way as Britain in any new Brexit arrangements.
An Irish language act could play a central role in breaking the political deadlock here, and, given that it was agreed by the British government during the St Andrews negotiations of 2006, it is high time that it was delivered.
