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This policy is turning what was once a 10-minute process into a half-day ordeal, if you're lucky.

To actually grow their first cacao pod, the pair had to set up an environment that would mimic a half-day of lighting, construct an automatic watering system, keep the trees free of pests and then master the art of pollinating them.

Prosecution barrister Julian Christopher KC asked Mr Jones why he had taken a half-day off work on the Friday to visit the palace, rather than waiting until the weekend.

"As a result of that they have called a half-day action to encourage both governments to reverse these cuts and to make sure that we have a long-term solution to the sustainable crisis that we have."

The half-day strike has been prompted by cuts by the all-Ireland Irish language agency Foras na Gaeilge.