It has been revealed that fewer than four per cent of social media posts from most government departments are available in Irish.
The Government has been accused of not doing its bit in helping the language survive.
Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said each government department uses the likes of Facebook and Twitter to inform the public, so “one would expect routine posts in Irish” from these accounts.
In most cases fewer than four per cent of social media posts from departments were available in Irish, while there were none from the departments of Social Protection or Further and Higher Education, according to the Irish Examiner.
Ms Cairns said she was “extremely disappointed” after receiving the information after parliamentary questions she submitted.
She said the data should be a “wake-up call” for the Government.
“Just 0.5 per cent of the 1,223 Twitter posts from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment were in Irish,” Ms Cairns said.
“Meanwhile, just 0.28 per cent posts, across all of the social media channels of the Department of the Environment, were in Irish.”
“The Department of Finance could not even provide a figure,” she added.
The Department of Education is an exception with 44 per cent of its tweets posted bilingually and 40 per cent of its Facebook posts available in Irish.
“While a number of ministers assured me they would improve their level of social media communication in Irish, others gave little indication there were any plans to improve — or, indeed, any perceived problem,” Ms Cairns said.
“Contrast these low numbers with social media from Welsh government departments, which have nearly 50 per cent Welsh or bilingual posts.
“It is a central element of their communications policy for all posts to be in both Welsh and English.”
