Minister for Rural and Community Development and Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, has approved funding of almost €0.5m for Muintearas Teo to develop a youth services programme in the Gaeltacht
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From: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Published on: 28 October 2025
- Last updated on: 28 October 2025
Today, on Tuesday 28th October 2025, the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, announced that an allocation of up to €493,509 has now been approved for Muintearas Teo. to develop a youth services programme in the Gaeltacht in 2026.
Muintearas Teo is a subsidiary of Údarás na Gaeltachta with responsibility for youth development in the Gaeltacht.
This allocation will help the organisation prioritise the staff and key services that will be the cornerstone of the sector in 2026 and commence building towards the improvement of youth services in Gaeltacht areas. It will be used to employ a Youth Manager, a Training Coordinator and part-time youth workers and to develop QQI modules and courses.
Making the announcement, the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, said:
“This support will enhance the number and range of services available from Muintearas which will encourage the use and promotion of the Irish language among young people. It will also greatly enhance the organisation’s ability to develop employment and training opportunities for Irish speakers. The need for comprehensive youth services has been recognised for some time by language planners in the Gaeltacht and this is the first step in addressing this demand on a systematic basis in order to strengthen the language planning process.”
Notes
Muintearas Teo is a subsidiary of Údarás na Gaeltachta and has long-term responsibility for youth development in the Gaeltacht. Muintearas is responsible for promoting training, education, youth and early education projects, and administering the Summer Camps Scheme and the Language Assistants Scheme ón behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.
There are currently 42 youth clubs registered with Muintearas providing services to 1,534 young people throughout the Gaeltacht.
Youth Manager: This is an Assistant Principal Officer level position. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing staff and budgets, as well as planning and implementing a youth strategy as part of the Muintearas work programme.
Training Coordinator: This is a Higher Executive Officer level position. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development and maintenance of training courses, ensuring that they are of a high standard and meet QQI requirements.