20-year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030
- Published on: 14 January 2020
- Last updated on: 10 March 2026
- 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030
- Policy on Gaeltacht Education
- Policy on Irish-Medium Education Outside of the Gaeltacht
- Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools
- Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Pilot Project
- See also
20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030
The 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 outlines an integrated approach to the Irish language, in which nine areas of action are specified, including education, the Gaeltacht, family, community, media, technology and the economy. The relevant actions under the strategy are being implemented by the various stakeholders, including this Department.
The Government’s 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 is available from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media here.
The Department of Education actions are outlined in the implementation plan below
Progress Reports
Action Plan for Irish 2018-2022
An Action plan to implement the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 was published by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Progress reports for the Department of Education’s implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 since 2018 are contained in the Progress Reports for this Action Plan on the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media webpage
Policy on Gaeltacht Education
The main aim of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education is to support and promote the use of the Irish language in Gaeltacht communities through strengthening Irish-medium educational provision in Gaeltacht language-planning areas. The policy is the strategic response to address the linguistic challenges facing Gaeltacht language planning areas. The uniqueness of the Gaeltacht as an area of significant linguistic, cultural and economic importance is recognised in the policy. The aim of the implementation of the policy is to secure the vitality of Gaeltacht areas as the home of Irish-speaking communities.
Policy on Irish-Medium Education Outside of the Gaeltacht
The Department of Education and Youth published the Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht in November 2025. The policy sets out the department’s vision that:
- High-quality Irish-medium education will be available to all, in inclusive and multicultural educational settings
- A particular affinity with and love for the Irish language and culture will be fostered in children and young people so that they will continue to use the language competently and with pride throughout their lives.
- An ecosystem of appropriate supports and resources is available to Irish-medium education settings and their communities.
A wide range of actions are being implemented, in conjunction with stakeholders across the Irish-medium sector, to support the realisation of this vision.
Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools
The Department of Education and Youth published the Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools in November 2025. The two-year plan (school years 2025-2026, 2026-2027) is designed to assist teachers in teaching the Irish language curriculum and to make the teaching of Irish more rewarding and more enjoyable, with a strong emphasis on developing the oral language skills of pupils and students.
Four pillars form the basis of the action plan:
- Fostering positive attitudes towards Irish
- Increasing the use of Irish
- Supporting access by all children and young people to learning Irish
- Integrating supports for Irish
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Pilot Project
CLIL is a dual-focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for the learning and teaching of both language and content.
A CLIL approach provides for the delivery of aspects of the curriculum through a language that is not the medium of instruction in the school.
Additional information and resources for primary and post-primary schools are available on the Oide website - www.oide.ie/irish-medium/baile/fcat/
The deadline for expressions of interest for Post-primary schools in participating in the project in the 2026/27 School year is Friday 17 April 2026
The deadline for expressions of interest for Primary schools in participating in the project in the 2026/27 School year is Friday 24th April 2026