Steering Committee

Davyth Hicks is a specialist on European territorial, minoritised and endangered languages, the regeneration and recovery of these languages, and on linguistic rights. As Secretary-General and one of the founders of ELEN he plays a key role in developing effective language policies and legislation at the international European, State and local level. He is ELEN’s chief advocate and representative to the EU, the Council of Europe, and the UN.

Tangi Louarn is President of the large Breton umbrella NGO Kevre Breizh, and leads on the ELEN France working group which gathers all the territorial language NGOs in the territories under French jurisdiction. He has been a renowned language activist since the 1960s and worked on the Steering Committee of EBLUL. Tangi acts also as ELEN’s representative to the UN and to UNESCO.

Idurre Eskisabel Larrañaga is the Secretary-General of Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua, the umbrella group of Basque language NGOs with over 30 member organisations.

Marga Payola is the international co-ordinator for Plataforma per la Llengua, the Catalan language NGO, and works as a political adviser in the European Parliament.

Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh is the Communications Manager for Conradh na Gaeilge, the Irish language NGO. Pádraig is one of the leading activists in the long-running campaign for Irish language legislation in the north of Ireland.

Dòmhnall has worked in broadcast journalism, primarily in Gaelic, with the BBC, STV and Grampian Television. Latterly he held the post of Gaelic Development Manager for The Highland Council, working towards the implementation of the authority’s Gaelic Language Plan, before becoming Comunn na Gàidhlig Chief Executive in early 2010.

Prof. Conchúr Ó Giollagáin was appointed to the Gaelic Research Professorship in the University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland in April 2014. He has led extensive research projects and post-graduate initiatives in language planning and minority language culture and sociology.