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It is deeply concerning that overall State expenditure on the Irish language amounts to just 0.17% of public spending. Given such limited investment, it is remarkable that the language remains as resilient as it is after decades of neglect and indifference.
The same pattern is evident in Irish-medium education. Currently, only around 6% of primary school pupils and 3% of secondary school students are educated through the medium of Irish. Yet research consistently indicates that demand is far greater than the provision available.
Recent ESRI research, for example, found that 23% of parents would choose a Gaelscoil if one were available nearby, while other surveys suggest that figure could be as high as 26%.
Despite this clear demand, the Department of Education has stated that it has no plans to establish new Irish-medium schools during the 2026–2031 period. At a time when more families than ever wish to access Irish-medium education, this represents a significant missed opportunity.
The extraordinary growth of Gaelscolaíocht since the mid-to-late 1970s has not been the result of sustained Government policy. Rather, it has been achieved through the vision, determination and persistence of parents and local communities who established Gaelscoileanna themselves, often in spite of official reluctance rather than as a result of State support. One of the greatest educational success stories in modern Ireland has been driven from the ground up.
The Tallaght area illustrates what can be achieved when Irish-medium education is allowed to develop. Today it is home to three primary Gaelscoileanna – Scoil Santain, Scoil Chaitlín Maude and Gaelscoil na Giúise – as well as the secondary school. Coláiste de hÍde. As a direct consequence of these schools, thousands of people in the area have developed a strong command of Irish, giving rise to a vibrant and self-sustaining Pobal na Gaeilge.
That vitality extends far beyond the classroom. Initiatives such as ‘Aon Scéal?’ Café, ‘An Sciobóil’ theatre, together with organisations including Feachtas Thamhlachta, Ógras and Aisteoirí Thamhlachta, demonstrate how Irish-medium education creates thriving cultural, social and community networks.
The success of Tallaght is not unique. Across Ireland, Gaelscoileanna have repeatedly demonstrated that Irish-medium education produces confident bilingual speakers while enriching the cultural life of their communities.
This reality was reflected at SEAS26, Conradh na Gaeilge’s annual Irish Language and Gaeltacht Advocacy Day, where more than sixty TDs and Senators met with community representatives to discuss the future of the language.
INCREASED STATE SUPPORT NEEDED
Among the central demands were an additional €57.7 million for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht in Budget 2027 and a commitment to increase State expenditure on Irish from 0.17% to 0.4% over the next five years.
The education proposals discussed at SEAS26 were equally significant. The IMEASC campaign has called for legislation to place Irish-medium education on a sustainable statutory footing and to increase participation from the current 6% to 20% of students by 2050.
Such legislation would, for the first time since the foundation of the State, provide a coherent legal framework for the expansion of Irish-medium education across the country.
These proposals are neither unrealistic nor excessive. They represent a practical response to clearly demonstrated public demand. Every year, families are denied access to Irish-medium education simply because there are too few schools and too few places available. Rather than planning for expansion, the State has chosen to stand still.
The experience of communities like Tallaght demonstrates what sustained investment can achieve. Given the opportunity, Irish-medium education creates bilingual citizens, strengthens communities and supports a vibrant cultural ecosystem. It is one of the most effective language-planning tools available.
If the State were to match the commitment shown by parents, educators and local communities over the past fifty years, by expanding Irish-medium education, investing properly in Irish-language infrastructure and supporting the recommendations advanced by organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge and the IMEASC campaign, there is every reason to believe that the Irish language would flourish.
A genuinely bilingual Ireland is not an unattainable dream. It is an achievable national objective. The question is not whether the public appetite exists; the evidence shows that it does. The question is whether the State is finally prepared to match that ambition.
Léigh an leagan GAEILGE den alt seo anseo:
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