Significant funding announced to support Gaeltacht families
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Jack Chambers TD, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport, today (13 May 2021) announced approval a grant of €1,600,522 over a three-year period for the organisation Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta. This allocation will be used to enable the organisation to continue providing practical supports to Gaeltacht families who are raising children through Irish or who wish to do so.
This 3-year allocation for the period of 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023 follows on the heels of an allocation of €1,027,613 fund approved by the department for the organisation in 2018. As a result of the increase of almost €573,000 in the allocation being approved, the organisation (which employs six) will be able to expand the range of activities and supports it administers in the various Gaeltacht areas as additional support for the implementation of both the language planning process and the policy for Gaeltacht education.
Under the allocation announced today, Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta will be able to:
Minister Martin said:
“This funding is a reflection of the government’s commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the language planning process as an integral part of the implementation of the Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018 –2022 and the overarching 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030. With this additional allocation announced today, Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta will have the opportunity to build on the important work done over the past three years with the ongoing assistance of my department."
Minister of State Chambers said:
"Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta has been doing very important work for the last three years with the continued assistance of my department in supporting Gaeltacht families to raise their children through Irish. The fund announced today will make a significant contribution to the successful implementation of the language planning process which is now gathering momentum across the Gaeltacht.”
Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta was established in 2011 in Galway and a branch was established in Donegal in 2014 to support Gaeltacht families who are raising their children through Irish or who wish to do so. The organisation is headquartered in An Cheathrú Rua (Splanc) and organises a range of activities with the assistance of the department to help young Gaeltacht families overcome the challenges of raising a family through Irish.
As a result of the assistance provided to Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta under the last work programme covering 2018 - 2020, the organisation was able to appoint a team of six and acquire office space for the organisation in Gaoth Dobhair, and in the south in Daingean Uí Chúis.
Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta is a Company Limited by Guarantee. The organisation employees six people with the assistance of the department. In addition, one person is employed part-time on a Community Employment scheme.
Under the recently concluded work programme - with the assistance of the department, Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta organised a wide range of events and activities for Gaeltacht families for the overall benefit of the Irish language. This was done as a specific measure of the Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018-2022.
Nearly 600 families regularly participate in the organisation's activities; 2,725 children/young people benefited from the organisation's events last year. Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta welcomes participants from all Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas and the organisation has made a significant contribution to its activities around the Gaeltacht in the period 2018 – 2020. It is intended that Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta will continue that work under the new work programme that is being announced and will indeed be built upon.
It is understood that they have 3,874 followers on Facebook, 3,087 followers on Twitter and 1,624 followers on Instagram. The organisation's website is available at www.tuismitheoiri.ie.