Séamas Ó Concheanainn proposed for role of Coimisinéir Teanga
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From: Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Published on: 25 July 2023
- Last updated on: 21 August 2023
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Patrick O'Donovan, have today (25 July 2023) announced that government approval has now been obtained to recommend Mr Séamas Ó Concheanainn for appointment in the role as Coimisinéir Teanga. This follows the conclusion of the competition run by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) for the role.
Mr. Ó Concheanainn is a native of An Spidéal in Co. Galway and has extensive experience in senior leadership roles in various sectors over the past 25 years: language legislation, higher education, language planning, and community development amongst other things. He is currently working as the Director of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga and his current duties involve directing all aspects of the Office's role towards implementing statutory language rights lawfully due to the Irish language community under the Official Languages Acts 2003 to 2021. He was also previously in various leadership positions at the University of Galway.
In accordance with paragraph 9 of the Second Schedule to the Official Languages Act 2003, the functions of Coimisinéir Teanga have been delegated to Mr Ó Concheanain, as Director of that Office, since 12 February 2023. The former holder of the post announced his resignation earlier this year to take up the role of Media Development Commissioner with Coimisiún na Meán.
In addition to the powers previously held by the Coimisinéir Teanga, he will also have some additional powers as a result of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021. This includes monitoring compliance with any other enactment by public bodies related to the status or use of official languages.In addition to that, specific duties are laid down in the Act regarding the submission of the Annual Reports of the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee to the Coimisinéir and that the Coimisinéir is to prepare a commentary on same and submit it to the Minister.
Speaking today, Minister Martin said:
"I am pleased that the government has accepted the recommendation that Mr Ó Concheanainn be appointed as the new Coimisinéir Teanga. He is highly respected by the Irish language and Gaeltacht community because of the work he has done as Director of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga since he was appointed there in 2020 as well as his previous work with the University of Galway and I am sure that this experience will stand to him as Coimisinéir Teanga.”
Minister of State O'Donovan also had this to say:
“This competition was for an extremely important position, particularly in the coming years as the provisions of the amended Act come into force. Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga will have additional duties in terms of monitoring and giving advice, guidance and assistance to public bodies and the public in general. I am absolutely confident that Mr Ó Concheanainn is the best person for this role and that he will continue to undertake his work with dedication and energy for the benefit of the language rights of the State's citizens."
In line with Section 20(3) of the Official Languages Act 2003 (amended by the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021), a resolution will now be run in the Dáil and the Seanad regarding the government’s recommendation once they return in the autumn and, based on that, a recommendation will be made to the President of Ireland to make the appointment.
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Biography – Mr. Séamas Ó Concheanainn
Séamas Ó Concheanainn has extensive experience in senior leadership roles across various sectors over the past 25 years: language legislation, higher education, language planning and community development. Séamas is presently working as Director of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga. His current duties involve directing all aspects of the Office's role towards implementing statutory language rights lawfully due to the Irish language community under the Official Languages Acts (2003, 2021). The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 further strengthens the language rights of Irish speakers.
Before Séamas was appointed Director of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga in 2020, he held various leadership roles in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, University of Galway. He led academic, research and community development initiatives in the Gaeltacht and nationally. Séamas played a central role in developing an tAcadamh's network of Gaeltacht Centers. He has considerable experience in language acquisition and preservation strategies, regional development, and rural revitalisation activities, and establishing and managing collaborations with government departments, state agencies and higher education institutions in Ireland and internationally. He was also the principal investigator of Fios Físe, a national research programme on Irish language broadcasting for TG4 and RTÉ.
Séamas has significant experience in advocacy and governance issues in the public and not-for-profit sectors due to his voluntary roles over many years in community development companies (Comharchumann Shailearna Teo.), language organisations (Coiste Pleanála Teanga Chonamara Láir) and tourism promotion agencies (Cósta Gaelach Chonamara).
Séamas is an alumnus of the University of Galway (Gaeilge & History) and Maynooth University (Computer Science). A native of an Spidéal, he continues to live there with his wife Vicí.