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Irish Language Colleges Sector
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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Although the primary responsibility for the Irish language colleges themselves falls on the management of the respective colleges, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media and the Department of Education both have a central and supportive role in supporting the sector at large.
The overall objective of the two Departments in this remit is to encourage compliance with the relevant statutory responsibilites which fall upon the management of the Irish language colleges, as well as promote good practice in every other relevant area in the sector as much as possible – including in matters of teaching and learning in the colleges. The statutory responsibilities include:
The two Departments operate under the regulations and conditions laid out in the document entitled: Regulations for the recognition of Irish courses under the Irish Language Learners Scheme 2019 (amended) , as it relates to the system.
In that context, the Department of Education provides advice, as well as monitoring and reporting on matters relating to teaching and learning, teachers’ qualifications and the general quality of the courses.
In order to foster language acquisition and enrichment opportunities in the Gaeltacht outside of the post-primary education system for the young people of the country, the Department provides a subsidy under the Irish Language Learners Scheme (SFG) payable to qualifying Gaeltacht households who provide accommodation for those attending an Irish course in any one of the c. 40 Irish-language colleges operating under the scheme.
This subsidy is worth €13 a night (equivalent to €273 per student for a three-week course (21 nights)), from which more than 26,000 students benefit per year while staying with households across the Gaeltacht who are recognised under the SFG (Irish Language Learners Scheme). This represents a state investment worth more than €5m annually in the sector.
A household who wishes to apply for recognition under the SFG must take the following steps and send the relevant documents via email only to teaghlaighsfg@tcagsm.gov.ie .
1. Applying for recognition to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media - the form for this must be completed in full and sent back to the Department. It is not sufficient to send an email seeking information.
i. SFG 2 Foirm Iarratas ar aitheantas faoi SFG (Application Form for Recognition under the Irish Language Learners Scheme)
ii. SFG 3 Sainordú EFT – Sonraí Bainc (Mandate - Bank Details)
iii. SFG 3 (A) - Cruthúnas Cánach (e.g. Tax Credit Certificate)
2. Making an Application for Garda Vetting with CONCOS The recognition process cannot proceed until valid Vetting has been certified.
3. Households making the application must arrange a registration meeting/visit with the Department. A letter will be sent to the household shortly after this visit informing them whether or not their application for recognition has been successful.
4. Adapting the accommodation in order to accommodate students under the Irish Language Learners Scheme, as well as providing an engineer’s certificate for the property to the Department should not be taken until written confirmation is received from the Department that the household has been successful in their application for recognition under the Irish Language Learner's Scheme.
Along with this practical assistance, the Department administers three other funds under the scheme, for the benefit of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, namely:
• DEIS Gaeltachta - Under this initiative, which began in 2019, more than 800 scholarships are provided annually which are worth c. €950 each (for a three-week course) in order to provide unique opportunities to students of the country’s DEIS post-primary schools so that they can attend an Irish-language college in the Gaeltacht. This initiative is run by the Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) and more information on how to apply for a scholarship is available by sending an email to scolaireachtaideis@gretb.ie
• ERASMUS Gaeltachta – Under this initiative, which began in 2019, an annual fund worth €250,000 was created to give up to 175 third-level students, who are attending a qualified third-level course, the opportunity to live for a university semester with Gaeltacht households
• ÁRAINN Gaeltachta - Under this initiative, funding worth up to €195,000 annually is provided so that c. 30 post-primary students per year can spend a full school year attending any one of the three post-primary schools on the Aran islands.
Funding is also provided for the umbrella organisation Comhchoiste na gColáistí Samhraidh (CONCOS) to further assist the summer colleges sector.
The scheme is administered as part of the Community and Language Supports Scheme , for the benefit of the language planning process and overall implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030. Area of Action 2 of the Action Plan 2018-2022, which was published by the Department in June 2018, lays out what the Department is doing and what it has proposed in collaboration with other stakeholders as it relates to the sector.
More information is available from the Irish Language Colleges Section by sending an email to:-
colaistigaeilge@tcagsm.gov.ie - for queries relating to colleges, the ÁRAINN Gaeltachta Scheme and household payments
teaghlaighsfg@tcagsm.gov.ie - for queries relating to household recognition or registration under the SFG and the One-Time Start-Up Grant (Deontas Tosaithe Aonuaire)
Information Package and household registration
SFG 5 - Sábhailteacht Dóiteain i dTithe Gaeltachta (1)
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Start-Up Grant
Regulations and application forms for recognition of Irish courses
Irish language Colleges must seek recognition at least one month before the start date of courses. All documents relating to course recognition and classes can be found below. The relevant forms must be completed in full before sending them back to the Department via email only to colaistigaeilge@tcagsm.gov.ie
Rialacháin faoina dtugtar aitheantas do chúrsaí Gaeilge 2019 (leasaithe)
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Payment Claim Forms
In order for the Department (Irish Language Colleges Section) to process payments, colleges must have relevant forms completed in full before returning to the Department via email to colaistigaeilge@tcagsm.gov.ie
