The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and the Gaeltacht has announced approval of €900,000 in additional funding for students in Deis post-primary schools to attend coláistí samhraidh, or Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht, next summer.
Over 800 scholarships will be offered to students under the Deis Gaeltachta scheme, which was first launched in 2019 with an initial 50 scholarships. In recent years the number of scholarships has grown significantly, reaching 400.
Each scholarship, covering up to 85 per cent of the total course fee, is now valued at up to €950 for a three-week programme – an increase from the previous value of €850. The scheme will be administered on behalf of the department by the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board.
“This scheme is of considerable importance as it creates more opportunities for young people who might not normally have the opportunity to attend a summer course,” said Minister Catherine Martin. “This scheme not only benefits the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, but also the community as a whole as it strengthens and promotes social inclusion.”
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Coláistí samhraidh attract approximately 26,000 students each year, and contribute an estimated €50 million annually to Gaeltacht regions through both direct and indirect investment. Over a period of 10 summer weeks Irish-speaking Gaeltacht families host students from across Ireland, who attend two- or three-week courses designed to enhance their fluency in Irish.
Julian de Spáinn, general secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge, welcomed the announcement, but said the number of scholarships should increase to 10,000.
“It is good to hear that there will be an increase in the number of scholarships for students that do not have the funds at home to attend Gaeltacht courses in the summer. We believe, however, and as proposed in the Plean Fáis 2024-29 agreed by 130-plus Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations, that the numbers of scholarships should increase to 10,000 to ensure that children that are below the poverty line between the ages of 11 and 17 years would have the opportunity to attend a Gaeltacht course at least once during their time in school,” he said.
Courses typically range in cost from €800 to €1,200, which includes meals, accommodation, language classes, recreational activities and transport.
“The increase in the value of the scholarship is in recognition of the need to bridge the gap between course fees and the scholarship itself. Measures like this are particularly important in terms of accessibility, equality and inclusion,” said Minister of State Thomas Byrne.
This step is in accordance with a commitment in the Irish Language Action Plan 2018-2022 to develop a scholarship scheme to help post-primary students attending Deis schools to attend coláistí samhraidh. It is expected that the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board will start accepting applications for the Deis Gaeltachta scholarships from the beginning of next month.
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