(Seo alt ónár bhfoireann nua Gaeltachta. Is féidir an bunleagan as Gaeilge a léamh anseo.)

GAELTACHT MINISTER DARA Calleary wants people to see that he is serious about the Gaeltacht and, speaking to the The Journal today, he pointed to the increase from €123m in Budget 2025 to €158.9m for 2026 as proof of his commitment. 

Sinn Féin and other Opposition parties remain to be convinced and have downplayed the €36m increase, saying that when capital projects are removed, the actual increase only amounts to €11m, €16.5m when the increase for TG4 which comes from the Department of Communications is included. 

According to the Gaeltacht Minister, the show of support that was evident on the streets of Dublin during the recent CEARTA protest certainly helped him in his bid for more money for the Department.

He also referred to the time he was appointed Minister and indicated to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste that he wanted to be the Gaeltacht Minister and that it was politically important for him to lead the Department.

I hope people understand how serious I am as Gaeltacht Minister when they see the Budget and the increase allocated to the Gaeltacht – I am also serious about the housing problems in the Gaeltacht. 

He also noted that his Minister of State, Jerry Buttimer, who is an Irish speaker, was negotiating with the former Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, who is now Minister for Public Expenditure.

• The overall allocation has increased by €36 million to €159 million in 2026 – and increase of 29% for the programme area as a whole. 
• This will allow increased investment in the linguistic, economic, cultural and social development of Irish-speaking communities both within and outside the Gaeltacht, and on our offshore Islands. Current funding increases include an additional €3 million for Language Planning initiatives, an additional €2 million for Irish Language Support Schemes and an additional €1.5 million for Gaeltacht Support Schemes.
• Increased current funding of €2 million is available for North-South co-operation on a number of fronts, including the work of Foras na Gaeilge, the Ulster-Scots Agency, Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge and Colmcille.
• Funding for Údarás na Gaeltachta will increase by €2.5 million which includes an increase of €1 million in its capital allocation.
• The additional capital funding will ensure continued investment in Gaeltacht and Island communities, and support the delivery of three infrastructure projects committed to in the National Development Plan: Inis Oírr pier in County Galway; an innovative Irish Language and Cultural Hub on Harcourt Street in order to serve the needs of the increasing numbers of Irish-speakers in the capital, and; the re-development of the Coláiste Lurgan site in Conamara as an Educational and Youth Hub for the region.
• Funding for island transport services will increase by €0.5 million to €11.5 million.

Sinn Féin has a different take on the increase received by the Gaeltacht Department, with the party’s Gaeltacht spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh suggesting that “there was some deception going on by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael ministers”.

In the party’s breakdown of funding for the Gaeltacht, they said that they found only €11m more was going to the Gaeltacht and the Irish language than the funding provided to the Gaeltacht Department.

The party’s breakdown included a €2.5million increase for Údarás na Gaeltachta, an additional €3m for language planning, an additional €2million for the Language Board (Foras na Gaeilge, Boord o’Ulster Scots), a €3.5million increase for other Gaeltacht schemes and, from the Department of Communications fund, an additional €5.4million for TG4.

According to Ó Snodaigh, only a little extra was being spent on the likes of Údarás na Gaeltachta which received an increased allocation of €2.5million and an extra €2million on Language Body (Foras na Gaeilge and Boord o’Ulster Scots) and this was really only a token effort. 

Therefore, it is strange that the Government is claiming an additional €36 million, unless they are repeating and re-announcing capital projects for which funding has already been committed under the National Development Plan (NDP), such as Harcourt Street.

“If so, it is not new money at all as they are saying, and what has been announced today for the language is a sham.”

Minister Calleary challenged the claim made by a Sinn Féin spokesperson that funding was being set aside for Céibh Inis Oirr, the Ionad Gaeilge on Harcourt Street in the capital and the Mol Óige at Coláiste Lurgan in Indreabhán in Cois Fharraige.

He explained that these projects were so large that money needed to be set aside over a number of years ‘until they were completed’ and that these projects were important.

There was sharp criticism from Sinn Féin and the Gaeltacht group, BÁNÚ, that, in their view, no money had been allocated towards housing in the Gaeltacht in the Budget.

“There was no reference to the Gaeltacht housing crisis in this Budget, no reference to Irish in the education system, no reference to the Irish Language Scheme or to a Rescue Package for Summer Colleges and Housewives, which were all emphasised by Sinn Féin,” said Ó Snodaigh.

Minister Calleary explained, however, that the lack of infrastructure, problems with water and sewerage, were the biggest obstacles to building houses in the Gaeltacht and he recalled that the Government had made available around €5bn to Irish Water to address this challenge.

He also said that the Government’s housing plan would be published soon and that the Gaeltacht would be included in this amount.

The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme