This campaign is now over. During January 2025, 1330 of you used this tool to contact Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael about Irish language and Gaeltacht priorities in the Programme for Government (PfG). Some positive outcomes were achieved:

  • Dara Calleary was appointed Senior Minister for the Gaeltacht, the first time a Senior Minister has been appointed in 14 years
  • There is an entire section about housing in the Gaeltacht in the PfG, an issue that got no mention at all in the 2020 PfG
  • A promise has been made to work towards aligning Irish-language curriculums to the Common European Framework of Reference

… but there are significant deficiencies also:

  • There is no mention of any significant increase of funding for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht
  • The clear, specific recommendations regarding housing in the Gaeltacht were ignored - and it is unclear from the promises that were included in this section what function they will have
  • The 2020 PfG set out a government aim of working towards doubling the amount of students in Irish-medium education - the new PfG promises only to “support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children”

There is plenty of work still to be done, so keep an eye out for the next action...

There is a summary of the implementation of each proposal from this campaign in the PfG available at this link.

Although a vibrant Irish-language community exists, and although the Irish language and the Gaeltacht are of huge importance to a vast number of people living here, the language and its community are continually marginalised in political and economic discourse.

A new government term is looming, and while it appears likely that the same parties will resume power, they will have a new Programme for Government to put together.

We want to take this timely opportunity to exert extra pressure on Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to make significant changes for the benefit of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht - and to include our demands in the new Programme for Government.

Fill in your details below and an email will be sent on your behalf to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs from your constituency, with their party Leaders and Deputy Leaders CCd.

The email focusses on the 4 commitments discussed with parties during the general election campaign: funding, education, housing in the Gaeltacht and a Senior Minister. It asks the TDs to discuss these issues with their party leader, and to advance them for inclusion in the Programme for Government.

You have the option to include each issue in the email, or to choose certain topics.

Select the issues you'd like to address in the email: