Gaeltacht Summer Colleges
The Gaeltacht summer colleges are one of the most important and long-established language and economic projects in the Gaeltacht. Unfortunately, numerous challenges have come to the fore in recent years and must be dealt with urgently through a Strategy for the Gaeltacht Summer Colleges, as Conradh na Gaeilge have sought for a long number of years.
Among the recommendations that Conradh na Gaeilge have in relation to the summer colleges are the following:
A taskforce/high level working group should be established immediately with the relevant stakeholders in order to make plans regarding the significant development of the summer colleges in the Gaeltacht on a continuous basis during future years. The taskforce/working group must consider the following:
- Complete research in order to identity the short-term (2025), mid-term (2026-2027) and long term (2028-2035) problems / challenges
- Interim recommendations for the summer of 2025 and recommendations for the period between 2026 and 2035 based on the research which has been compiled for the Summer College Strategy
- The steps that must be completed and the extra resources that are required to ensure that current mná tí and fir tí remain in the sector, and in order to encourage new mná and fir tí to join in the sector. Clear information must be provided regarding the supports available for the mná tí, particularly for families who are just starting to accept students.
- The supports required by small colleges to enable them to continue running those colleges.
Identify extra developments for the sector, for example, to ensure that every post-primary student will have the opportunity to attend a Summer College at least once in their life - An opportunity to organise extra courses for school students during the year
- Opportunities to organise courses for groups other than post-primary students, for example skills development courses for people working in the state system, in particular to support the objective of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 to ensure that 20% of the people recruited to work in the public sector by the end of 2030 will be proficient in Irish
In terms of additional funding for the summer colleges, we recommend:
- Regular increases to the daily grant for the mná/fir tí, to deal with inflation
- That an annual capital fund be made available to help people who would like to refurbish their homes and adapt them in order to be able to accommodate students. Also, the fund would be available to help certain areas with specific needs in which it is intended to develop hostels to accommodate students who have particular requirements.
- That a fund for directors of small colleges be established to enable them to run short courses, deal with development, sustainability, primary schools, Easter courses etc. also.
Some relevant research on the importance of the Gaeltacht summer colleges:
In 2013 the Centre for Languages in OÉ Má Nuad undertook a comprehensive research report on behalf of COGG regarding the Summer Colleges. That research can be read in full here
In September 2021 Coiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge published a report on the current state of the Colleges and the support they need going forward: Todhchaí na gColáistí Samhraidh Gaeilge agus an Tacaíocht atá á hiarraidh ina Leith (Meán Fómhair 2021). This report can be accessed here.
All details of all the Summer Colleges welcoming students can be accessed online via https://www.colaistigaeilge.ie/
