Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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175. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department continue to promote and develop the use of the Irish language in all Gaeltacht areas throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24535/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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In the context of my Department’s role in coordinating the implementation of the Government’s Action Plan for the Irish Language (Plean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2022), the fourth annual progress report on its ongoing implementation on behalf of Government was published in December 2023.

The plan itself was first published in 2018 in order to accelerate and better co-ordinate implementation of the Government’s overarching 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 which represents Government policy in relation to the Irish Language and the Gaeltacht regions.

Key achievements in 2022, as reported in the fourth annual report included the following:

• A number of significant provisions of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 were brought into force in 2022, namely the establishment of the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee and the important work it will undertake regarding the preparation of the first National Plan for Irish Language Public Services. Also commenced in 2022 was the provision (Section 10A) which places additional responsibilities on public bodies regarding advertising in the Irish language and on Irish language media and which has contributed greatly to the visibility of the language across every media platform used by state organisations.
• A fund of more than €4.3 million over three years was approved for the Irish Language Network Development Scheme, which commenced in January 2022. This is a major Foras na Gaeilge support scheme aimed at 36 Irish language community and voluntary committees through which a network of 28 Irish language development officers are employed in local areas.
• The Digital Plan for the Irish Language, 2023-2027, was published in December 2022. The publication of the Digital Plan is the result of years of academic research and development, and can be considered a roadmap which sets out the way in which Irish will be kept relevant into the future in the context of the role of technology in our day-to-day lives.
• Foras na Gaeilge began two new dictionary projects, an Irish-Irish dictionary and an Irish-English dictionary
• It was announced in September 2022 that dedicated funding was being provided to establish a television station specifically for children - Cúla4.
• 945 new jobs were created in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies in 2022
• 6 new language plans were approved in 2022 and by the end of 2022 a total of 36 language plans had been approved and 34 Language Planning Officers and Assistant Language Planning Officers had been employed.

I am confident that the additional financial allocation for the Irish language announced in Budget 2024 will enable my Department and relevant stakeholders to take further significant strides in advancing implementation of the plan and continue to support and develop greater use of the Irish language both within Gaeltacht regions and nationally.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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176. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department continue to monitor the use of the Irish language throughout the country, its potential in non-Gaeltacht areas and the encouragement of its use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24536/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to promoting and supporting the Irish language outside of Gaeltacht areas where the language has huge potential to flourish. A fund known as ‘Scéimeanna Tacaíochta Gaeilge’ (‘Irish Language Support Schemes’) has been established and in place for many years with the aim of encouraging the use of the Irish language outside the Gaeltacht.

The projects for which funding has been provided under this scheme include initiatives in the fields of education, business, culture and the arts. My Department works closely with Irish language organisations to identify opportunities for the promotion of the language outside of the Gaeltacht and indeed overseas. The following are examples of some of the initiatives supported by this fund:

Raidió Rí-Rá

Raidió Rí-Rá is a national Irish Language radio station aimed at young people. Raidió Rí-Rá is already broadcasting online and part of the year on FM. The station has been funded by the Department since it was established in 2008 and is gradually growing and developing. My Department recently approved an increased funding package for the station to enable it to provide a more complete service to its listeners and to increase its reach to young listeners all over Ireland. This funding is important in the context of the results of the research commissioned by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (as it was at the time) in the second half of 2022. This research examined the interest and the potential for a full-time hybrid (FM/online) Irish radio service that would target the audience between fifteen and thirty-four (15-34) years of age in Ireland. The research results demonstrated that young people nationally still listen to audio content, and that radio remains very popular, with almost 90% of respondents listening on a weekly basis. The research also showed that respondents whose first language is English were interested in a new national Irish language station, and are open to engaging with such a station.

An Ciste Spreagtha

Conradh na Gaeilge’s Ciste Spreagtha is a support fund linked to Seachtain na Gaeilge which gives local community groups the opportunity to apply for funding to hold an Irish language event in their local community. The aim of the fund is to encourage community groups inside and outside the Gaeltacht to organise community events that promote the Irish language during Seachtain na Gaeilge in March each year. The Department has funded An Ciste Spreagtha since 2022. In 2023 one hundred and eighty groups received funding to hold Irish language events in every corner of the country. The success of this initiative meant that a longer-term agreement was reached with Conradh na Gaeilge which will see the fund in place each year until 2026.

Céad Míle Fáilte

My Department has agreed a two-and-a-half-year grant agreement with Conradh na Gaeilge for their Céad Míle Fáilte campaign. The aim of the Céad Míle Fáilte initiative is to attract people from different national backgrounds who are now living in Ireland to gain a deeper appreciation of the Irish language and indeed to learn the language. The campaign focuses on the benefits that New Irish communities can derive from the Irish language – in relation to the importance of the language, the additional opportunities associated with it and in terms of integration into Irish society as a whole. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage the New Irish communities in Ireland to learn and use the Irish language as a way to build a stronger Irish identity for themselves. This is done by providing a series of language classes and workshops of special interest to groups of New Irish people around the country and by providing them with language resources to help them learn and use the language. Gaeltacht scholarships are awarded to some of the participants so that they can attend a course in the Gaeltacht.

Gaelbhratach

Gaelbhratach is a support scheme run by Gael-Linn for schools of all types throughout Ireland. Gaelbhratach focuses on the promotion of the Irish language in a structured, planned and enjoyable way throughout the school community in both primary and secondary schools.

The goal of the Gaelbhratach scheme is to encourage the use of Irish, not only within the classroom, but also as the spoken language of the school community. Emphasis is placed on communicative Irish and the importance of language awareness as a means of learning for children in particular. A Gaelbhratach flag is duly awarded in recognition of the efforts of the schools. The scheme officially began in the 2012/13 school year at primary level and a year later at post-primary level. Since then, the scheme has been implemented in 133 primary schools and 126 secondary schools around the country. My Department has granted funding for Gael-Linn to ramp up this scheme over the next 3 years which will see 479 schools all over the country having taken part in the scheme by the 2026/27 school year.

Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha

Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha is a support scheme run by Glór na nGael and the GAA for GAA clubs that wish to promote the Irish language in their clubs. My Department has funded the scheme since 2019. The aim of this scheme is to develop the use of the Irish language in the participating clubs on a measured and planned basis with Glór na nGael providing support and advice to enable the clubs to achieve goals in relation to the Irish language. This support includes grants for Irish language events in clubs and an awards scheme to recognise the achievements of the clubs for their work to promote the Irish language. In 2022, a total of 55 clubs were recognised for their efforts – an indication of the immense work being done by many in the GAA community in relation to the language. The 2023 awards ceremony took place on December 1^st 2023 in Croke Park. This scheme has grown significantly since the beginning of the first grant agreement, which covered the period 2019-2022. 140 clubs were involved in Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha initially in 2019, and over 200 clubs are now participants in the scheme.

An Straitéis do na hEalaíona Teangabhunaithe / Strategy for the Language-Based Arts

The research which formed the basis of this strategy, which my Department published earlier this year, identified the need to establish a structure under which comprehensive support will be given to the development of Language-Based Arts in areas outside the Gaeltacht. It is recognised that there is a need for more support for the language-based arts throughout the country and for Irish-language language drama in particular. To address this my Department announced a significant 3.5 year funding package for Oireachtas na Gaeilge to implement an action plan in this area that will benefit from the experience and expertise of Oireachtas na Gaeilge in this sector.

The implementation of the Strategy also encompasses a development plan for An Taibhdhearc in its role as the National Irish Language Theatre. An investment of €5.78m by the Department in the period 2024-2027 will result in a revived and blossoming national theatre space with major new productions, pantomime, international productions, youth theatre productions and drama festivals.

Cill Dara le Gaeilge, Gaillimh le Gaeilge, Baile Átha Cliath le Gaeilge & Gnó Mhaigh Eo

These organisations also have received funding under Scéimeanna Tacaíochta Gaeilge to promote the language in their cities and counties particularly amongst the business community, supporting them to have signage and other material available for their customers to use in Irish and encouraging the Irish language as a means to conducting business in these areas.

Foras na Gaeilge

In addition to projects funded under Scéimeanna Tacaíochta Gaeilge, my Department also provides funding to Foras na Gaeilge, one of the agencies of the North South Language Body, to fund and deliver various programmes on an all-island basis. Foras na Gaeilge work in a wide range of areas to include Language Planning, Education, Publishing (An Gúm), Lexicography, Terminology, the Arts, Community, Business and Media. Foras administers over 23 different support schemes each year in these areas, developing and promoting the language. In addition to these support schemes Foras na Gaeilge also provides funding to its 6 Lead Organisations (Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael Linn, Gaeloideachas, Glór na nGael, Cumann na bhFiann and An tOireachtas) to deliver comprehensive work plans.

As demonstrated by these examples, my Department remains actively committed to supporting communities in non-Gaeltacht areas in accessing the language in a variety of ways and is continually engaging with organisations working in this sector to identify opportunities to promote the language and to make it accessible to all.