merrion street

The Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dinny McGinley T.D., has announced today (Tuesday 16th April, 2013) that he is sanctioning a €63,000 grant to Coláiste UISCE, Co. Mayo, to enable them to undertake a range of initiatives which will further support the strengthening of Irish as a community and household language in the Belmullet Gaeltacht. Included in this grant is a specific allowance which will enable the college to provide an Irish course directed specifically at Gaeltacht teenagers and attendees of Irish post-primary schools with a high standard of Irish. The main objective of this course will be to develop language leadership skills among the attendees.

The Minister of State said: “When I launched the Family Language Support Programme in April 2012 it specified that the Department would be undertaking a number of initiatives aimed specifically at young people in the Gaeltacht. By funding this course Gaeltacht teenagers with a high standard of Irish will be offered the opportunity of attending a course which will strengthen their leadership skills, enabling them to influence the language behaviour of those around them.”

He also said that the allocation represents the Government’s commitment to the implementation of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language and his own Department’s commitment in assisting the strengthening of Irish as a community and household language in the Erris peninsula.