evidence: One year ago, on 26th October 2022, the House of Commons passed the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act, recognising Irish as an official language in Northern Ireland. Six weeks later it received Royal Assent, the final step to becoming law. Introduced in May 2022, the Act followed commitments that were made in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Good Friday Agreement), a significant foundation of the peace process in Northern Ireland. These commitments were reiterated in the New Decade, New Approach Deal 2020. The Identity and Language Act (the Act) came as an important development for those who have been seeking standalone recognition for the Irish language, akin to the status afforded to Welsh and Scots Gaelic. Language rights have long been a significant and divisive issue in Northern Ireland, with allegiances to both Irish and Ulster Scots entrenched along sectarian lines. These languages are also a representation of cultural and political identity.