Conradh na Gaeilge is the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community and works on behalf of the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht community to promote the language throughout Ireland and worldwide.
Conradh na Gaeilge was established by Douglas Hyde, Eoin Mac Néill, and their colleagues on the 31st of July 1893. Since then, members of the Conradh have been actively promoting Irish in every aspect of life in Ireland, from legal and educational affairs to the development of new media and services through Irish.
Conradh na Gaeilge currently has over 200 branches and numerous individual members registered around the world, from Carntogher to Cúil Aodha and from Hong Kong to Canada. Every member of Conradh na Gaeilge works hard to promote the use of Irish locally within their own community.
Conradh na Gaeilge is an all-Ireland organisation that encourages the people of Ireland to respect and value our unique linguistic heritage, giving us a fresh perspective and understanding of our culture.
Organisation's Mission Statement
To promote the use of Irish as the standard common language in Ireland.
Main Areas of Work
- Advocacy
- Education
- Empowering Communities
- Entertainment / Festivals
- Raising awareness
- Representation
Advocacy
Conradh na Gaeilge is at the forefront of campaigns to protect and promote the Irish language whilst securing and strengthening the rights of the Irish-language and Gaeltacht community.
Conradh na Gaeilge continously campaigns for issues of importance for the Irish language by meeting with politicans, civils servants and other relevant personnel; lobbying; corresponding; submitting parliamentary questions; recommending amendments to Oireachtas bills; making submissions; seeking support from political parties; seeking support from the general public; organising conferences and information days for politicans; and more to achieve the following advocacy aims:
- To fully implement The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 – 2030 in the south and to ensure there is a structure with input from the community in place to support its implementation
- To lobby for a rights-based, stand-alone Irish Language Act in the north; to ensure legislation promised in agreements is implemented, and to strengthen those provisions consistently with international frameworks of language protection and development;
- To ensure the imlementation of a 20 year strategy in the north;
- To protect and strengthen Irish-language institutes
- To protect and promote the Irish language in the education system
- To protect, promote and/or advance the Irish language in our country’s legislation
- To promote the Irish language within the European Union and to do away with the derogation of the status of Irish therein
- To call for names in Irish only for new state companies
- To safeguard the prominence of the Irish language in the new postcode system in the south
- To safeguard the position of the Irish language in the public sector reform
- To oblige RTÉ and other state companies to fulfil their Irish-language obligations
- To increase the visibility of the Irish language on Irish road signs
- To develop and extend An tSeirbhís Saor-Chomhairle Dlí Náisiúnta, the national free legal advice service through Irish, in association with FLAC
Education
Conradh na Gaeilge has been teaching Irish to adult learners since its foundation in 1893, and our teachers have years of experience inspiring a love for the language and teaching it worldwide. Conradh na Gaeilge currently runs Irish courses in Dublin, Galway, Mayo, Tipperary and other places throughout the country. Conradh na Gaeilge classes follow the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) syllabus and the headoffice provides support to branches running their own local classes. The organisation's central booking system is available to access online at: www.cnag.ie/courses
Empowering Communities
As well as enabling the public to speak Irish with the help of classes, Conradh na Gaeilge also works to inspire and to empower the Irish-speaking community to use the language. We do this through a range of projects and partnerships, through our Seó Bóthair, through Gluaiseacht, community and youth workshops, and many other schemes and projects.
The Conradh also organised a series of community-building workshops in association with Irish-language and culture groups across the United States as part of the international initiative Cultúr Club which was developed and delivered between 2016 and 2019. More information: www.cnag.ie/culturclub
Conradh na Gaeilge provides continuous support to the organisation's membership - to branches and individual members alike - and the number of members is growing in recent years.
Conradh na Gaeilge's Is Leor Beirt network of conversation circles also inspires and enables the public to speak Irish across the country, and indeed around the world. This international network is constantly growing and we do our best to provide extra support to the groups running the conversation circles year after year, by providing posters, advice and booklets with talking points for example.
Entertainment / Festivals
Conradh na Gaeilge runs Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia, an international Irish language festival and one of the biggest celebrations of our native language and culture that takes place from 1 - 17 March each year in Ireland and in countries across the globe. Almost a million people took part in hundreds of events across the world last year. More information: www.snag.ie
Raising Awareness
Conradh na Gaeilge runs the Ár dTeanga Chomhroinnte | Our Shared Language scheme in schools in the north. The scheme helps children and communities look at the common heritage we share in the Irish language, and investigate the links between local place names and the Irish language; the connection between certain surnames and the Irish language; the links between Irish, French and Latin; and the influence of Irish on our spoken English and the Irish language in today’s modern world. More information: www.cnag.ie/sharedlanguage
