This February, Galway City Council launched their latest initiative to encourage the speaking of Irish in the corridors of City Hall. Staff of the council can receive a lanyard bearing the phrase “Tá Gaeilge agam” to wear around council buildings. This lanyard is meant to show that the wearer is open to a conversation in Irish, whether for official business or small talk over a cup of tea.
The 2022 census highlighted that Galway City remains above the national average for speaking Irish. According to the data, about 45% of the city’s residents aged 3 or older were able to speak the language. The national average, by comparison, is 39%. It is clear to see that the city is fertile ground for encouraging the language to flourish.
While participation in the language is higher than the national average, the fact that the country’s native tongue is spoken by less than half of its people shows that there is work to be done. That is where Galway City Council’s initiative becomes important, and it seems to be part of a wider phenomenon of Irish culture being embraced, both at home and abroad.
Media in Irish and Fused with Irish Iconography Driving Culture
The 2020s have been huge for the Irish language in popular culture. An Cailín Ciúin, the 2022 Irish-language movie about a child in County Waterford, was a box-office and critical success. In addition to achieving nearly $7 million in ticket sales, it was also honoured with a nomination for an Academy Award in the International Film category.
It is not the only Irish-language media to see success, either. Kneecap, the 2024 movie about the Belfast trio who rap as gaeilge, was shortlisted for the same Academy Awards category. It would sweep up awards elsewhere and establish the young musicians as bona fide global superstars, playing gigs all across the world. This sort of success for content in our language would have been unthinkable previously.
It is not only the language itself that has become a ubiquitous part of life, even outside of Ireland. Iconography from our national stories is being infused into many different elements of media. For example, at the live casino, in addition to the streamed game show titles, you can find slot games like Gods of Ireland. These titles tap into the history of the country to entertain players worldwide.
Similar Schemes Taking Place Across the Country
While the council’s initiative must be commended in its own right, it comes amid an increased number of schemes intended to improve the language’s uptake. You don’t have to look too far from Galway, either. County star and actor Seán Ó Maoilchiaráin has been named the GAA’s Irish language ambassador for 2026.
Elsewhere, TG4 and Údarás na Gaeltachta are working together to provide €1.2m annually to develop Irish-language media and encourage Irish-language speakers to enter the industry. Given that TG4 will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, it is fitting that the Irish-language channel continues to drive the growth of the language.
DCU is also doing its part to help ensure the language is not falling behind. It has announced a scheme to marry Irish with AI, so that speakers can use technology in their native tongue, without needing to default to English. It is initiatives like these – cementing Irish as a modern, evolving language – that will ultimately determine whether the number of speakers grows in the coming years.
The recent release of the 1926 census has shown us one thing. Ireland’s language is healing. When that data was collected, fewer than 20% of the population spoke it. Contrast that with today, when authorities see below 50% as something to be improved, and the importance of its reintroduction to everyday life is clear. Schemes like the council’s will hopefully continue that rediscovery of our collective national voice.
