She maintained she was arrested for speaking in Irish to an officer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI),[2] and was acquitted on appeal in September 2007.
[3] Nic an Bhaird was arrested after leaving a public house on the Malone Road in south Belfast with friends after a night out.
In February 2007, the presiding magistrate ruled that Nic an Bhaird had consumed a "substantial amount" of alcohol, and "continued to address police officers in a loud and aggressive manner", and was guilty of disorderly behaviour.
Irish-language organisations, including Na Gaeil Óga ("the Young Gaels") of which Nic an Bhaird is a member, have condemned her case as victimisation based on language, and have charged that she was assaulted by the arresting PSNI officer.
[1] The Good Friday Agreement does provide for some official accommodation for the Irish language in Northern Ireland,[5] but the required level of support is not precisely specified.