AS THOUSANDS OF secondary school students return from summer residential courses in the Gaeltacht, many readers will recall their own teenage experiences in places such as west Kerry, Conamara or northwest Donegal.

The Gaeltacht course is often a rite of passage where hearts flutter or are broken for the first time and, for many students, it offers the first real-world encounter with the Irish language in areas where it is still spoken.

While some undoubtedly view the Gaeltacht as a way of boosting Leaving Certificate points, for others it sparks a life-long journey of engagement with Irish that allows them to become ‘new speakers’ of the language and incorporate it into their lives in a significant way.

However, Irish is increasingly threatened in the Gaeltacht due to the ongoing historical process of ‘language shift’, where there is no guarantee that the language will be passed on in the family and community. The situation is exacerbated by the housing and cost of living crises, with Gaeltacht youth progressively unable to find accommodation at home and moving away, increasing the vulnerability of Irish as a community language.

Keeping Gaeilge alive

The challenges of supporting the Gaeltacht and of learning a minoritised language such as Irish are not new, and this month, 17 August 2026, will mark the centenary of publication by the Irish government of the report of the first Gaeltacht Commission.

This body was set up in 1925 to investigate the extent of the Irish-speaking areas and to make recommendations about education, administration and the economy. While the new Irish Free State had already introduced key measures for Irish in education and public administration, the Commission was the first major intervention in favour of the Gaeltacht itself, which at that time was to be found in 11 counties mostly along the western and southern seaboards from Donegal to Waterford.

Carrying heather and furze, Great Blasket Island, Co. Kerry, c.1924. National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. University College Dublin University College Dublin

As was to be expected given the political and social context, the 11 Commissioners were representative of the middle-class,........

© TheJournal