Lead Organisations sought for new Gaeltacht Service Towns

The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary TD has announced plans for comprehensive language plans to be drafted and implemented in four towns for those towns to achieve status as Gaeltacht Service Towns.

• Macroom, County Cork
• Donegal Town, County Donegal
• Navan, County Meath
• Athboy, County Meath

Foras na Gaeilge acts as a facilitator for the language planning process outside of the Gaeltacht. Under the Government’s langauge planning policy, 13 towns outside of the Gaeltacht have been identified as Gaeltacht service towns. Those towns have been identified by the Government as towns that are central to the lives of  Gaeltacht communities. These towns will prepare and implement a 7-year language plan to enhance the services that are provided through Irish to Gaeltacht communities. Language plans are currently being implemented in 8 Gaeltacht service towns. As these final towns begin the language planning process, Foras na Gaeilge welcomes applications from any organisations with an interest in preparing language plans for these towns and to act as lead organisations for the language planning process.

Seán Ó Coinn, Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge said:

“This is a significant step forward in the language planning process outside of the Gaeltacht, as each town that was recognised as a potential Gaeltacht service town in the 2014 consultation is now on its language planning journey. Foras na Gaeilge looks forward to working with the lead organisations to be appointed as part of this process to draft strong, comprehensive language plans for these towns and to provide assistance to them throughout the process.”

Any organisation that is interested in making an application to be recognised as a lead organisation for any of these towns should express interest by emailing bsg@forasnagaeilge.ie to request an application form.  The deadline for completed applications is midday, Friday 17 April 2026.

More Information:

• Foras na Gaeilge acts as a facilitator for the language planning process outside of the Gaeltacht and provides support to Gaeltacht service towns and to Irish Language Networks.
• A Gaeltacht service town is a town with a population of at least 1,000 that is located in, or near to, a Gaeltacht language planning area, and that has a significant role in providing social, economic and leisure services to people within that area.
• Language planning lead organisations are responsible for facilitating the language planning process in a particular area and for preparing a language plan based on the needs of the community that fulfils the language planning criteria as set out in the Language Planning Guidelines.
• The legislative provisions relating Gaeltacht service towns can be found in Article 9 of the Gaeltacht Act 2012. Following a consultation process in 2014, sixteen towns were identified as potential Gaeltacht service towns. More information on Gaeltacht service towns can be found in the Language Planning Guidelines.
• More information on the current work being carried out by Gaeltacht service towns under the direction of Foras na Gaeilge can be found here.