A Sinn Féin MEP has been described as having “egg on her face” after she was unable to speak Irish after complaining about a non-existent ban on the language. AdvertisementWhen Ms Boylan was then informed that she could indeed speak in Irish if she wished, the Sinn Féin MEP said she had not been aware of this and had only prepared to speak English. On The Hard Shoulder, Dónal Lynch of the Sunday Independent described the Irish language as a “national bluff”. “TikTok accounts that have huge amounts of followers now where people speak Irish - so, it's not as if people don't have enthusiasm for it, they do. “I mean, people sing Olé, Olé, Olé - that doesn't mean they mean they speak Spanish.”