Some companies - including government departments and semi-state bodies - may curtail advertising in Irish on RTÉ due to stringent new guidelines imposed by the station, writes Nicola Byrne.

The national broadcaster has provoked anger among actors and advertisers after issuing a list of just 30 people it recommends to voice ads in Irish on its channels. The list excludes many well-known Irish-speaking actors and voiceover artists.

An Irish language 'Clearance Translator' - Clíodhna Ní Mhíanáin - must now also vet all advertising scripts and recordings of ads before they are broadcast on RTÉ.

Most of the people on RTÉ's official list are not actors, and include a mixture of teachers, presenters, radio producers and singers.

Advertising executives have also questioned the "arbitrary" nature of the new Irish-language rules and said "perfectly good" Irish speakers and their pronunciations have been rejected by RTÉ's commercial department.

After the Irish Mail on Sunday first highlighted the issue last week, a group of Irish-speaking actors are now preparing to write an open letter to RTÉ to voice their dismay at what they described as an attack on their income and "integrity".

The actors had sent demo tapes to be considered for inclusion on the list but did not make the broadcaster's final cut.

Advertising agents have also expressed frustration. Two executives representing a government department and a semi-state body this week said they would reconsider placing ads with RTÉ in the future if the situation persists.

One executive said: "We use an actor who speaks the most beautiful Irish. He is a native speaker. He is not on the list.

"Semi-state companies have their own Irish language officer who pass the script of the ads and who sit in on the recording, but then they get to RTÉ and they are rejected. I am a patient person, but I am tearing my hair out."

The executive continued: "It is costing us money, costing the studios and the clients money.

"It's a no-brainer that companies will stop advertising with RTÉ if this persists.

"If this continues, will clients want to bring their [Irish language] ads to RTÉ in the future? The answer is no.

"It's no secret that most of the companies who advertise in Irish are semi-state bodies and government departments who are required to do so by law.'

They added: "If it comes to a situation where they are avoiding using the services of the national broadcaster, then that's a farce.

"RTÉ needs to sort this out."

Another frustrated advertising executive also told the MoS of their incredulity that native Irish speakers were not deemed good enough by RTÉ, despite speaking the language every day.

They said: "It's not like we're sending people who can't speak Irish in to do these ads.

"I've had one client who's told me, "just record the ad and we'll use it elsewhere".

"But it's difficult. Media space or slots are usually bought by one or two big companies, and they're bought months in advance.

"But if this situation at RTÉ persists, we won't be looking to run Irish-language ads there again.

"And let's be clear: everybody wants the best standard of Irish. But when you have RTÉ quibbling with native speakers' pronunciations, what can you do about that?"

It is understood ads were rejected by the station in recent months over the pronunciation of everyday words such as ceann (head) and uisce (water). The ads then had to be re-recorded at "considerable expense".

In both cases, the person voicing the ad was a native Irish speaker.

In response to queries, RTÉ insisted the response to the new measures "from ad agencies has been very positive overall, as has the demand for RTÉ's Irish-language advertising slots".

However, an ad agency executive described the statement from RTÉ as "laughable".

They told the MoS: "This isn't just about the list. It's about RTÉ deciding who does and who doesn't speak good Irish. Is Ulster Irish better than Munster Irish?

"Who is their commercial department to decide?

"They may take people who aren't on the list but then they pull their Irish to shreds."

The MoS has also spoken to actors affected by the new measures over the past two weeks who have declined to go on the record due to fears of being "blackballed" for future work.

However, some actors are preparing an open letter voicing "a groundswell of discontent" over the controversial new measures.

An actors' agent told the MoS: "It is very demeaning to be queried about your ability to speak the language you speak every day of your life.

"There are an awful lot of very upset people who feel their integrity has been attacked by RTÉ.

"Actors don't want to speak out individually as they fear they'll be blackballed but RTÉ. But the publicity around this has given them courage.'

The agent also questioned RTÉ's assertion that Raidió na Gaeltachta has received numerous complaints from listeners about the standard of language used in Irish-language advertising over the past two years.

The agent said: "Let's be clear: the people who were put forward for these ads all speak Irish on a daily basis. They are not just people who have good Leaving Certificate Irish or a degree in Irish."

They asked: "I would very much like to know exactly how many complaints they have received. Is it 10? Is it 20? The standards seem to be impossible.'

RTÉ said it had worked closely with the office of the Irish language Commissioner (An Coimisinéir Teanga/OCT) and Foras Na Gaeilge (the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland) to ensure adherence by advertisers to the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, and that appropriate standards are achieved and maintained.

The station said the list of 30 approved speakers was agreed between its commercial department and Foras Na Gaeilge.

The OCT clarified this week that it had no involvement in compiling the list of voiceover artists.

OCT communications officer Páidí Ó Lionáird told the MoS: "OCT had no involvement in compiling, or contributing to the compilation of, the list of voiceover artists referred to in your article.

"It is solely the responsibility of each public body to develop and implement their own systems and measures to ensure that they comply with the language legislation, including in this instance, commissions to produce advertising content," he said.

"OCT can, and does, only provide advice to assist public bodies to comply with the legislation, advice which is provided to all public bodies and advertising sector representative bodies alike."

He added that the provision that requires public bodies to place advertising in Irish is contained in the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, and not in the Broadcasting Act, as previously reported.

Foras Na Gaeilge did not respond to repeated requests by the MoS for comment regarding its input into the list.

(Pic: RollingNews.ie)