Microsoft has announced the launch of the first ever spell-checking application licensed by Microsoft, specifically designed for the Irish language.

The Proofing Tools 2002 Win32 Irish Spell Checker was designed in association with Trinity College Dublin and the Linguistics Institute of Ireland.

The product, which can be run through Office XP applications, is aimed at all users of the Irish language, from learners and occasional users to academics and professionals.

Welcoming the launch of the spell checker, Irish Minister for Education and Science, Noel Dempsey, TD, said: "This product could not have been completed and distributed effectively among those who write in Irish, without the cooperation of the experts in Irish, computational linguistics and the major global experts in new technology, Microsoft, who are now providing this facility free of charge to all".

Ian Taylor, chief software architect, Microsoft Ireland, added: "We believe that, in offering this product to our customers, we are highlighting our commitment to Ireland, at both a technical and cultural level. Technically, we believe this represents a major advance in the design of this type of application".

Donncha Ó Cróinín, ITÉ/Linguistics Institute of Ireland, said: "This is a unique step in the growth of the Irish language in this country. We hope that its use and feedback from users will support the development of a wider range of computer applications for speakers and writers of Irish".

The Irish Spell Checker has evolved over six years of research into computational linguistics. The main theoretical issues which had to be considered in the course of the research were the development of efficient algorithms over compact data structures for large amounts of information.

The Irish Spell Checker may be downloaded from the Microsoft Ireland website at //www.4ni.co.uk/link-error.aspx

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