Minister Calleary publishes Action Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2026-2028

• Action Plan for 2026-2028 launched in support of the National Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2024-2030
• Cross-Governmental actions set out under five strategic themes
• New initiatives focusing on capacity and awareness building, skills development, technology and a suite of supportive measures
• Important step towards a bilingual public service

The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today (Tuesday, 20 January 2026) announced that the the Action Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2026-2028 has been approved by Government.

This Action Plan, which is published on the Department’s website, looks to take a holistic, measurable and practical approach to the implementation of the National Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2024-2030, which was published in October 2024.

Overall responsibility for the preparation of both plans fell on the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee, which was established in June 2022 under the Official Languages Acts 2003 and 2021, with a wide range of organisations from across the public sector represented at a senior level on it including Government Departments, the Local Government Management Agency, HSE, An Garda Síochána, and the recruitment provider publicjobs.

Preparation of this action plan involved extensive consultation and engagement across Government and beyond– particularly as it relates to core public services and Gaeltacht areas.

It also built on the invaluable research carried out for the National Plan itself, which demonstrated a clear interest in increasing Irish language competence among public sector staff and positivity towards the language in general.

Cross-cutting initiatives contained in the action plan look to enhance the provision of bilingual public services across the country – particularly in Gaeltacht areas, through a range of various measures. It focuses on developing the supportive structures and includes measures focused on capacity and awareness building, skills development and technology.

The plan places a particular emphasis on measures to be undertaken to achieve the overarching recruitment target that 20% of recruits to public sector bodies will be competent in Irish by the end of 2030.

Ultimately this will enable the normalisation of the Irish language as an integral part of the public service and will also empower speakers of the language to use it when accessing services.

Minister Calleary said:

A copy of the Action Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2026-2028 can be found here

A copy of the National Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2024-2030, together with information on the plan can be found here – GA/EN

Information on the Irish Languages Services Advisory Committee can be found here – GA/EN

Information on the Official Languages Acts 2003 & 2021 in general can be found here – GA/EN

Recent announcements under the Act can be found here – GA/EN

Information on FÍS’26, the new Irish language conference being hosted for young people in the Convention Centre in Dublin on the 12 March 2026 can be found here – GA/EN

The PR regarding the Independent review of the Language Planning Process and response of the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht can be found here – GA/EN

Highlights of the Action Plan

1.Broad Initiatives and Structural Strengthening

• Carry out feasibility studies on:
  • the establishment of service hubs/clinics to provide core services through the medium of Irish to Gaeltacht communities and Irish speakers outside the Gaeltacht;
  • the permanent establishment/relocation of public service units, operating through Irish, in/to the Gaeltacht;
  • the establishment of a Shared Translation Service for the public sector, considering various operating models for same.
• Effectively draw on the Official Languages Officer mechanism through:
  • developing a series of specific supports, training and resources for Official Languages Officers;
  • establishing an Innovation Fund on a pilot basis and developing an awards system and ceremony to encourage innovation around the implementation of the Act;
  • developing a dedicated network for Official Languages Officers, issue quarterly newsletters and host regular information seminars.

2. Provision of Public Services through Irish

• Ensure public services provided through Irish are on par at least with those provided through English through:
  • developing Irish language supports and resources as part of the overall work being undertaken under the Government’s Action Plan for Designing Better Public Services;
  • public bodies with significant public-facing responsibilities assessing their internal capacity to support implementation of the Act and strengthening existing structures or assigning clear ownership within their organisation to ensure effective delivery;
  • rolling out the Dublin local authorities' Gaeilge365 language innovation programme to all local authorities across the country in line with Programme for Government commitments.
• Take steps to ensuring bilingual provision of services of a sensitive nature (e.g. healthcare, policing and social welfare), particularly in Gaeltacht areas, through developing current pathways into roles.
• Develop supports for public bodies to embed the concept of the active offer (where a service is provided in Irish/bilingually without having to request it).
• Resolve issues relating to Irish Language Addressing in the Eircode system through proactive engagement of key stakeholders, utilising existing structures and, where necessary, supporting the establishment of new structures.
• Develop a unified multi-touchpoint identification system for staff with Irish in the public sector as well as a unified system to signify the availability of Irish language services.
• Develop various awareness raising measures for staff of public bodies around language rights, organisational culture change, the language planning process, obligations under the Act together with technological and other available Irish language support tools.
• Public bodies to facilitate the provision of feedback from the public on their Irish medium/ bilingual public services in a readily accessible, transparent and confidential manner under the language standards.
• Public bodies to stipulate compliance with the Act as it relates to the delivery or design of public services and associated systems as part of procurement processes.

3. Technology

• Embed the Irish language into AI developments
• Develop a scholarship work placement scheme in the area of AI and the Irish language.
• Carry out a feasibility study on the potential for citizens to register their language choice (Irish and/or English) in one place for use across common public services, taking into account models already in use.
• Where available, public bodies to make Irish language proofing tools and Irish language interfaces proactively available to their staff on both computer and mobile phone devices.
• Develop professional and simple videos for public sector staff (and indeed the public) around the various online Irish language dictionaries, resources and tools.
• Establish a technical working group to oversee implementation of various technical aspects of the Act and National Plan as it relates to key services as well as establish best practice for sharing with other public bodies. (To note, this group has already been established, in October 2025, and has held 3 meetings to date at time of writing. Insofar as possible it is intended for this work to tie in with other digitisation work being undertaken across the public sector under, for example, the recently published Digital Public Services Plan.).

4. Training, Recruitment and Language Competence

As it relates to Irish Language Training:

• Public bodies, particularly those with significant public-facing responsibilities, to have at least one staff member assigned as a language coach under the language standards. This staff member(s) will be provided with the appropriate training for such a role through an accredited course and will support those who are working in an Irish-language role as well as those who are learning the language.
• Public bodies to set up initiatives to promote the use and learning of Irish in the workplace among staff including identifying Language Champions on a voluntary basis.
• Increase the capacity of OneLearning/IPA in relation to the Irish language, put appropriate structures in place, and engage relevant stakeholders, to allow for the further development of:
  • appropriate Irish language learning pathways for civil and public servants;
  • modules relating to language awareness and working in a bilingual environment; and
  • core skills training being made available in Irish.
• Carry out a feasibility study on the inclusion of residential periods in the Gaeltacht as part of Irish language training courses.
• Consider the establishment of a secondment programme to give public sector employees the opportunity to spend time working in another public office where Irish is a working language (under the guiding principles of the Secondment Policy for the Civil Service).
• Public bodies to proactively offer Irish language training courses to their employees and look to remove any current barriers to attendance at these courses. An annual awards ceremony will also be organised for public sector employees who enhance their competency in the language and achieve CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) accreditation.
• Undertake research on models used internationally to encourage employees to increase their language competency.
• Develop and further support a wide variety of relevant programmes, modules/micro-credentials and structured work experience/internships/returnships in answer to the National Plan and the Act’s objectives.
• Establish and convene a sectoral working group to consider how the tertiary education sector can contribute to achieving public sector targets as set out in the National Plan and the Act.
• Develop and further support initiatives to ensure new-Irish communities have an opportunity to learn Irish.
• Develop a specific Irish terminology programme for the healthcare setting.
• Assess and strengthen if necessary the current capacity of CEFR aligned assessment/accreditation.
• Work towards aligning Irish language curricula with the CEFR to enhance spoken Irish at primary, post-primary and third-levels, in line with Programme for Government commitments.
• Publish and implement various new policies relating to Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht and Irish in English-medium schools and continue to support various other initiatives related to the teaching of the language. (To note, both new policies mentioned here were published in November 2025.)
• Expand and further develop the Irish Language Health Sciences Scholarship Scheme.
• Explore ways of developing and strengthening Irish as a campus language in third level education.
• Support relevant public bodies in transitioning to having Irish as the working language of public offices located in Gaeltacht areas, where this is not already the case.

As it relates to Recruitment:

• Public bodies to assess the potential to align the role of the Official Languages Officer, appointed under s.4B of the Act, with that of the Irish Language Officer and/or consider assigning a level of competence in the Irish language to the Official Languages Officer role – subject to appropriate recruitment and other processes.
• B2 level on the CEFR to generally be set under the language standards as the minimum level required for roles with Irish – although spoken and written competence may vary depending on the role. To note, a small number of exceptions may require C1 level minimum.
• Develop or further develop available resources and supports which provide guidance and information on professions, courses, pathways, scholarships and vacancies available for those with a competence in Irish.
• Public bodies to carry out proactive and local recruitment of those competent in Irish, particularly in Gaeltacht areas, through employing a range of various measures.
• Strengthen the Irish language capacity of publicjobs to enable effective management of competitions required under the Act’s recruitment targets.
• Strengthen HSE’s internal structures, guidance and processes to support effective implementation of the Irish language recruitment requirements of the Act and proactively engage relevant stakeholders in line with available funding / resources.
• Explore the potential to recruit/appoint people interested in working through Irish, with a current level of competence lower than a B2 on the CEFR, and support them to increase their competence to a B2 at least.
• Develop a pilot scheme to support teachers in increasing their competency in Irish, subject to DPER approval.
• Run largescale national and local awareness campaigns to highlight Irish language employment opportunities in the public sector. (The development of the first of these is at an advanced stage and is due to launch in September/October 2026, to align with other work under the National Plan and the Act).
• Run career fairs and discussion panels for young people on Irish language employment opportunities at a national and regional level, particularly in the Gaeltacht. (To note, FÍS 2026 – a brand new conference for young people that showcases our bilingual future in education, careers and community, will now be hosted in Dublin on the 12 March 2026 during Seachtain na Gaeilge).
• Public bodies to publicise their Irish language employment opportunities as part of any general recruitment publicity they carry out, under the language standards. Similarly for any public bodies offering education or training courses.
• Provide standardised interview board training through the medium of Irish to a wide range of people eligible to sit on interview boards, with such training to include clear guidelines around assessment of spoken Irish during interview in accordance with the CEFR. A list of such qualified people will subsequently be published.
• Issue a recruitment best practice paper regarding the running of Irish language recruitment campaigns/recruitment of personnel competent in Irish.
• All recruitment competitions to be advertised bilingually or in Irish only.
• Public bodies to include Irish language requirements of a job/role as part of internal forms seeking to fill positions under the language standards, under the following headings: Irish Essential; Irish learned in post; Irish Desirable; or No Irish language requirement at present (with the latter to be used sparingly).
• Develop a shared technology tool to assist public bodies in identifying the appropriate level of competence required on the CEFR to fulfil a role.
• Examine the development of an online tool to assess Irish language competence in accordance with the CEFR.

5. Data Collection

• Public bodies to include questions on the below in recruitment application forms and subsequently report on the relevant data in their annual report:
  • level of competence in the Irish in accordance with the CEFR;
  • interest in working through Irish;
  • interest in increasing competence in the language (if appropriate/necessary);
  • previous Irish language courses/accreditation undertaken, if any.
• Public bodies to also report annually in their annual reports on:
  • total number of staff recruited/newly appointed in previous year;
  • total number of staff recruited/newly appointed in previous year who were competent in Irish.
• Issue a template on public body reporting requirements under the National Plan, the Action Plan and the Act.
• Utilise other datasets (e.g. Census figures), structures and research to support evidence-based decision making in this regard.