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| Galetacht sign near Cill Charthaigh, Co. Donegal |
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A Gaeltacht is an area recognized by the Irish (Éire) government where the Irish language is the primary language of the community. These boundaries were drawn a long time ago (the last time was the 1950s) and are not completely accurate now. In all Gaeltachts you will hear English spoken, the amount of Irish you will hear varies from place to place. In addition, there are many areas (especially in the Six Counties) where a lot of Irish is spoken but are not officially recognized as Gaeltachts. Most official Gaeltacht areas are also in the most naturally beautiful areas of Ireland. Because of this, they are attractive places for holiday homes which has led to an increase in residents that are not capable of speaking Irish. According to the 2011 Census, 68.5% of Gaeltacht residents can speak Irish.
Where are the Gaeltachts?
County Galway
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| Galway Gaeltacht courtesy of udaras.ie |
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| Map courtesy of www.galway.ie (An Dara Sceim Deiridh) |
The largest Gealtacht is terms of size and number of residents, Galway is often considered to be the healthiest of all the Gaeltachts due to the belief that more people are likely to use Irish in shops, restaurants and in regular conversation. If you look at the map above you can see that depending on which village you are in, daily Irish usage could range anywhere from 10% of the village to 90% of the village.
 courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Galway has 10,085 Daily Irish Speakers, Galway City has 636.
County Donegal
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| Donegal Gaeltacht courtesy of udaras.ie |
Donegal is home to the largest Gaeltacht in terms of area, but does not have as many people as the Galway Gaeltacht. The strongest Gaeltachts today are the Gweedore (Gaoth Dothair) area and the northern coast. The other areas, where Irish is not the dominant daily language usually have Summer Schools for either adults, children or both that make Irish more commonly used in the summertime. The scenery in these Donegal Gaeltachts is rugged, striking, and sometimes frankly breathtaking. For this reason every July sees an influx of people from the Six Counties who are avoiding the "Marching Season". This floods many villages with non-Irish speaking tourists.
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| COMPARISON between 2002 census data and SLG data 2003/4 in the Donegal Gaeltacht Districts courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Donegal has 7,047 Daily Irish Speakers.
County Kerry
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| Map courtesy of udaras.ie |
The Kerry Gaeltacht is in many ways the Gaeltacht that is most in danger. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Ring of Kerry, that Peninsula is always swarming with non-Irish speaking tourists. Of course, the reason for this is the fantastic scenery. The heart and soul of the Kerry Gaeltacht is the Dingle Peninsula. Here the language is definitely alive and well, but also dancing on the edge of a precipice.
In recent years, Dingle Town (An Daingean) has been the center of quite a bit of controversy. In 2005, the Irish Government abolished the name Dingle and began enforcing that only Irish language names appear on maps and road signs in areas designated as Gaeltacht areas. Some of the locals were sure that the tourists that keep the place fiscally alive would be confused by not having "Dingle" on the road signs. In 2011, the government decided to allow the names: Dingle in English and Daingean Uí Chúis in Irish. While Irish is commonly heard away from the town, from my brief observations it seems that in the town it is far less commonly used.
In many ways this Gaeltacht displays all of the pressures undergoing the language. The Dingle Peninsula is absolutely beautiful and thus the destination for countless tourists which is great for the population, but not for Irish. The money is in being able to speak English, French, German or Italian. This still is a popular destination for people attending Irish language summer schools as well. There is money in both, hopefully both the language and tourists continue to coexist.
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According to the 2011 Census, County Kerry has 2,501 daily speakers.
In recent years, Dingle Town (An Daingean) has been the center of quite a bit of controversy. In 2005, the Irish Government abolished the name Dingle and began enforcing that only Irish language names appear on maps and road signs in areas designated as Gaeltacht areas. Some of the locals were sure that the tourists that keep the place fiscally alive would be confused by not having "Dingle" on the road signs. In 2011, the government decided to allow the names: Dingle in English and Daingean Uí Chúis in Irish. While Irish is commonly heard away from the town, from my brief observations it seems that in the town it is far less commonly used.
In many ways this Gaeltacht displays all of the pressures undergoing the language. The Dingle Peninsula is absolutely beautiful and thus the destination for countless tourists which is great for the population, but not for Irish. The money is in being able to speak English, French, German or Italian. This still is a popular destination for people attending Irish language summer schools as well. There is money in both, hopefully both the language and tourists continue to coexist.
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| COMPARISON between 2002 census data and SLG data 2003/4 in the Kerry Gaeltacht Districts courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Kerry has 2,501 daily speakers.
County Mayo
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| Mayo Gaeltacht courtesy of mayococo.ie |
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| COMPARISON between 2002 census data and SLG data 2003/4 in the Mayo Gaeltacht Districts courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Mayo has 1,172 daily speakers.
County Cork
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| Cork Gaeltacht courtesy of udaras.ie |
The Cork Gaeltacht areas are small. There is Cape Clear Island off the southern coast and the Muskerry area located near County Kerry. Cork is not usually considered to be particularly strong Gaeltacht area, partially due to its popularity as a vacation destination.
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| COMPARISON between 2002 census data and SLG data 2003/4 in the Kerry Gaeltacht Districts courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Cork has 982 daily speakers.
County Waterford
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| Waterford Gaeltacht courtesy of waterfordtourism.com |
The County Waterford Gaeltacht, known as Ring is trying to hold on to the language. It's location on the southern coast has made it popular with English speakers on vacation. In addition, the last few years have seen a rise in English speakers buying housing in Ring. New houses (very expensive houses) have brought in non Irish speakers that have greatly reduced the amount of Irish used here. There is a popular Irish summer school that helps keep the language going, but this Gaeltacht is definitely under siege. It's a shame because many non-native speakers find this dialect to be much easier to understand than the other native dialects.
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| COMPARISON between 2002 census data and SLG data 2003/4 in the Kerry Gaeltacht Districts courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Waterford has 438 daily speakers.
County Meath
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| Meath Gaeltacht courtesy of udaras.ie |
Meath is the smallest of the Gaeltacht areas. It is comprised of two communities, Baile Ghib and Ráth Cairn. Both communities began with people transplanted from the Connemara, Mayo and Kerry Gaeltachts. The two villages are very different though. There isn't much in Ráth Cairn, but there is a pub/community center that you could visit and Irish is the dominant language. Unfortunately for the visitor, there isn't much of a town that will enable you to engage with the locals.
Nearby in Baile Ghib, you will find the opposite of Ráth Cairn. Baile Ghib does have some sign posts as Gaeilge, but most people that now live there do not routinely use their Irish.
In the map below, Baile Ghib is the northern most community and Ráth Cairn is the southern most community. As you can see, Ráth Cairn has a higher proportion of Irish knowledge, usage and grants received.
In addition to the "Official Gaeltacht" areas (those recognized by the Republic) that are listed above, there are some areas of the island that either are or are attempting to be communities where Irish is the language of the community. These are usually referred to as neo-Gaeltachts. The oldest such area is in Belfast.
Belfast City (Béal Feirste)
The original Belfast Gaeltacht is located on Shaw's Road (Bóthar Seoighe). This area began when five families decided to build houses together in order to create an Irish speaking community and has now expanded to 22 houses. The area is home to Northern Ireland's first Irish medium school. This is the only of the "neo-Gaeltachts" where Irish is currently the community language.
The Falls Road has been rechristened, the Gaeltacht Quarter (An Cheathrú Gaeltachta). Some signs on shops and most street signs here are bilingual. At the heart of the Gaeltacht Quarter is An Chúlturlann, an all encompassing cultural center. All services are conducted in Irish if you wish. The facility includes a cafe, an Irish language radio station (Raidió Fáilte), a book shop (largely Irish language), a performance space and some classrooms. If nowhere else in this neighborhood, you can definitely operate entirely in Irish within this building. People say that some of the other nearby shops are also bilingual and the local school is an Irish medium school. They are obviously making an effort to encourage the use of the language here.
Co. Derry
In 2009, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin was opened on Great James Street with the hopes of creating a Gaeltacht Quarter in the city of Derry. Bilingual signage has been posted and the city is hoping that this area will continue to develop around Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin in the same manner as the Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast.
In 2008, some residents decided to start their own Gaeltacht centered around Slaghtneill (Sleacht Néill) and Carntogher (Carn Tóchair) near Maghera. The goal of the community is to become a bilingual community. There are already Irish medium schools as well as a handful of businesses. In 2012, they announced plans to launch a bilingual radio station in which 50% of the programming would be in Irish. I have not visited this area, but look forward to watching them progress.
Future additions?
There have been rumors that Clare Island off the coast of Westport could become a new Gaeltacht as well as the Ballymun section of Dublin. In both cases, it's hard to tell if any progress has been made however.
Here you can see the results of the 2011 Census results:
Nearby in Baile Ghib, you will find the opposite of Ráth Cairn. Baile Ghib does have some sign posts as Gaeilge, but most people that now live there do not routinely use their Irish.
In the map below, Baile Ghib is the northern most community and Ráth Cairn is the southern most community. As you can see, Ráth Cairn has a higher proportion of Irish knowledge, usage and grants received.
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| COMPARISON between 2002 census data and SLG data 2003/4 in the Kerry Gaeltacht Districts courtesy of www.ahg.gov.ie |
According to the 2011 Census, County Meath has 331 daily Irish speakers.
Neo-Gaeltachts
In addition to the "Official Gaeltacht" areas (those recognized by the Republic) that are listed above, there are some areas of the island that either are or are attempting to be communities where Irish is the language of the community. These are usually referred to as neo-Gaeltachts. The oldest such area is in Belfast.Belfast City (Béal Feirste)
The original Belfast Gaeltacht is located on Shaw's Road (Bóthar Seoighe). This area began when five families decided to build houses together in order to create an Irish speaking community and has now expanded to 22 houses. The area is home to Northern Ireland's first Irish medium school. This is the only of the "neo-Gaeltachts" where Irish is currently the community language.
The Falls Road has been rechristened, the Gaeltacht Quarter (An Cheathrú Gaeltachta). Some signs on shops and most street signs here are bilingual. At the heart of the Gaeltacht Quarter is An Chúlturlann, an all encompassing cultural center. All services are conducted in Irish if you wish. The facility includes a cafe, an Irish language radio station (Raidió Fáilte), a book shop (largely Irish language), a performance space and some classrooms. If nowhere else in this neighborhood, you can definitely operate entirely in Irish within this building. People say that some of the other nearby shops are also bilingual and the local school is an Irish medium school. They are obviously making an effort to encourage the use of the language here.
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| Percentage of people in Northern Ireland aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Irish in the 2011 census courtesy of wikipedia.com |
In 2009, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin was opened on Great James Street with the hopes of creating a Gaeltacht Quarter in the city of Derry. Bilingual signage has been posted and the city is hoping that this area will continue to develop around Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin in the same manner as the Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast.
In 2008, some residents decided to start their own Gaeltacht centered around Slaghtneill (Sleacht Néill) and Carntogher (Carn Tóchair) near Maghera. The goal of the community is to become a bilingual community. There are already Irish medium schools as well as a handful of businesses. In 2012, they announced plans to launch a bilingual radio station in which 50% of the programming would be in Irish. I have not visited this area, but look forward to watching them progress.
Future additions?
There have been rumors that Clare Island off the coast of Westport could become a new Gaeltacht as well as the Ballymun section of Dublin. In both cases, it's hard to tell if any progress has been made however.
Irish Across The Island
Here you can see the results of the 2011 Census results:
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| Percentage of people who said they can speak Irish (2011 Census) - courtesy of wikipedia |
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| Percentage of people who use Irish outside of education (2011 Census) - courtesy of wikipedia |
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