Tá an t-alt seo ar fáil trí Bhéarla agus trí Ghaeilge.
Seachtain na Gaeilge has been promoting the Irish language through an annual festival for over 120 years. From its origins as a grassroots campaign by Conradh na Gaeilge, it has grown into an international movement reaching over one million people abroad.
But beyond these two weeks of celebrations, what does living with our native tongue really mean for a young person in 2026?
Following interviews with eight young Gaeilgeoirí, SIN explores the reality facing young Irish speakers today.
These answers have been translated from Irish. To see the originals, and this whole article in Irish, please see here
Róisín Ní Neachtain from An Spidéal described her childhood clearly; “I can’t think of a time when Irish wasn’t all around me as I was growing up, and I’m extremely grateful for that.”
When you grow up completely surrounded by the Irish language, just as others grow up with English, it feels like nothing to note.
“I didn’t understand the importance of the language,” said Luke Ó Floinne from Oileáin Árann, the Aran Islands.
Colm Ó hÓgáin, from Oileán Gharmna, or Gorumna Island, builds on this with: “I had no real awareness of Irish during my childhood. It was simply the language that was spoken in the shop, at school, at home, and everywhere we ever went.”
But the reality hit Colm when he grew older; “But now? I had to leave home before I understood the status of Irish in the country. It has a poor status, and all of us must be active on behalf of the language if we want to secure it for future generations. The legal protection it has is not enough without daily use and action.”
Treasa Ní Argáin, from Gaeltacht Mhúscraí in Cork, explained the freedom of expression Irish provides her; “Irish gives me the space to express myself in a genuine way […] In the arts especially, I feel that Irish is extraordinarily rich, musical, and flexible, and that it has the ability to express emotions and ideas in a truly special way, something that is challenging to do in English.”
When asked about what Seachtain na Gaeilge meant to them, many were quick to praise it. With initial remarks highlighting that “it gives the community a lovely opportunity to come together and use the language publicly and proudly,” as Treasa stated, and many feeling that “Seachtain na Gaeilge is amazing” like Róisín, who added “I highly recommend it!”
But a clear belief was felt amongst many, with Ally Nic Cearáin from Monaghan town explaining, “It feels as though every week is like Seachtain na Gaeilge for me, as I work and study entirely through Irish,” a sentiment common among many of our respondents.
This reality left others questioning the messaging and motifs surrounding Seachtain na Gaeilge.
“I don’t understand the idea of placing a strange emphasis on Irish for a fortnight. Why isn’t the language just as visible every single day of the year? And what exactly is so special about a miserable fortnight in March?” Colm Ó hÓgáin asked honestly.
“Ireland would be far better off if people were just as committed to the visibility of Irish every day,” he added.
Stacey Ní Ghríofa, from An Cheathrú Rua in Connemara, offers another perspective on the issue: “Seachtain na Gaeilge is an opportunity to celebrate the language, but the media are not paying attention to the struggles and challenges facing Gaeltacht communities today… The language is still in danger if the Gaeltacht is not protected.”
Once Seachtain na Gaeilge ends, life through the Irish language will continue, and we must look at the very real issues that will continue to face these young people and the Gaeltacht.
The overwhelming response from our interviewees centred on the severe issues surrounding housing and planning permission in the Gaeltacht.
“There is a major shortage of housing available at an affordable price for local people, and because of this the young people are leaving the Gaeltacht,” Róisín Ní Neachtain said.
“If young people are to remain there, they must be able to create a sustainable life within their own communities,” added Treasa Ní Argáin.
Eoin Mac Cléire strengthened this point with “essential infrastructure and services are lacking in Gaeltacht areas, which prevents people who grew up there from settling back there with their own families.”
While the whole country is experiencing a housing crisis, the challenges felt in the Gaeltacht are influenced by several clashing factors, all more intense, intricate, and pressurized than other areas of Ireland.
Bánú na Gaeltachta, established in Connemara in 2023, as a pressure group to tackle the housing crisis, recently led a march of approximately 25,000 people in Dublin on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.
John Prendergast, an organiser and spokesman for the protests, representing the Tinteán group, stressed how the housing crisis was “disproportionately affecting Irish-speaking areas”.
He warned of the impact seen from holiday homes and short-term lets in the Gaeltacht areas with the “rate of growth in Airbnbs, for example, at twice the national average in the last six years”.
“There’s 112 places in and around west Kerry available on Airbnb, and there’s zero to rent on daft.ie,” he added, stressing that young people and those returning home from abroad cannot find places to live.
The marchers have four main demands for the government including that Údarás na Gaeltachta, the authority responsible for Gaeltacht areas, be given housing powers.
Furthermore, they wish to see the planning guidelines promised by the government in 2021 be published “without any delay,” and further grants “to provide support for Irish speakers who would like to build or renovate a house in the Gaeltacht”.
A housing strategy tailored to the unique demands and needs of each individual Gaeltacht area around the country is also requested.
The issue is not only around housing supply, but also the delay and difficulty in receiving planning approval for building in the Gaeltacht.
Roseanne told the story of a friend who “applied for planning permission for a house when she was barely 18, because her father knew she wouldn’t get it later,” and how she “knows many people from the Gaeltacht who didn’t get planning permission at all.”
The people of the Gaeltacht will always fight and adapt to preserve their way of life, but the need to apply for planning years in advance is making the possibility of building your own home near impossible for many.
According to Stacey Ní Ghríofa, the issue goes far beyond housing alone: “There is a lack of basic services in the Gaeltacht; housing, transport, healthcare, everything. Young people want to remain in their own communities, but planning permission and housing simply are not available to them.”
Furthermore, the question of the continuous use of Irish within these homes is also questioned by some interviewees.
When asked what the media fails to comment on, Colm Ó hÓgáin replied that “not enough is said about the number of people in the Gaeltacht who speak English and are raising their families through English. That itself must change.”
His answer to solving this issue was simple and clear, “Throw that person out.”
“If the number of native speakers in an area falls below 66%, it has been said that no minority language can be saved and that it will decline within two generations afterwards,” Colm added.
“The Gaeltacht areas are now at about 67–68%, I believe. That is the greatest danger facing us. If families are not raised with excellent Irish from birth, the language will be lost as a living language,” Colm stressed as his reasoning.
When one does finally find a house in the Gaeltacht, another problem becomes clear: the lack of services and social spaces needed for a person to live a full life in the Gaeltacht.
“One of the major things we don’t hear much about regarding Irish is the lack of social spaces where Irish speakers can come together. There has been improvement in this in recent years, but there is still plenty to be done,” Eoin Mac Cléire commented.
“More facilities and services should also be developed in those areas to attract people to live there and to strengthen strong Irish-speaking communities,” Treasa Ní Argáin added.
Eoin went on to describe his dreams for an Irish space in his hometown; “One of my greatest hopes for Irish in the future is that a Cultúrlann will be established in every major town, or at least in every county in the country. This is, of course, something personal to me. A Cultúrlann is urgently needed in Monaghan town. The Irish-speaking community in Monaghan is thriving at the moment, but more services and spaces are needed.”
These cultural spaces have proven extremely beneficial for the Irish language, and Treasa explains the future benefits they provide.
“If there were more investment in the arts through Irish, there would be more opportunities to create and produce new work, which would encourage the next generation to take pride in our language and to use it naturally in their own lives,” the Cork native argued.
When looking to solve these issues, Gaeilgeoirí look to the government. Unfortunately, the Irish language community may be a victim of its own success.
The success of Irish-language culture in recent years has been remarkable, not only in Ireland but internationally. The idea that a film completely in Irish would be at the Oscars, that a rap trio whose use of Irish and politics landed them in the British high court, and that CMAT could launch an international number one with the opening lyrics in Irish, all seemed unthinkable only a few years ago. Well, maybe not the Irish causing issues at the British high court part.
But this image of success can risk obscuring the real issues facing the Gaeltacht and allow the government to ignore the issues under a façade of accomplishment.
“A ‘language revival’ isn’t really happening, Irish is trending online. That’s nice to see, but the language is still in danger, and it will remain so until the media and the government start paying attention to the Gaeltacht,” said Stacey.
“I think the mindset of many people has changed now, but the government still isn’t doing enough for us. We need more funding, social spaces, resources, and so on. We have huge Irish-speaking communities, especially in Galway, and we should preserve that,” Roseanne spoke on governmental issues.
So, the marches will continue. But so too does the hope for the future.
Our interviewees were clear in their strong optimism for Irish today. Roseanne remarks on a recent interaction, “I met a man from America in a café in Dublin a few weeks ago and he had an interest in Irish. I told him to take classes and read books. More people are interested in the language now, and you see people wanting to learn it even when they are older. We must be confident that we can use our own language.”
Ally solidifies the strength of the Gaeltacht despite the opinions others may have, and the base they provide for the future, “The Gaeltacht areas in Ireland are alive and vibrant, with people speaking Irish there every day, and I spent a year in the Gaeltacht seeing this for myself. It’s often put out there that the language is dying and that very little is happening in the Gaeltacht, but people need to see just how active the Gaeltacht really is, and they would have a completely different perspective.”
Róisín’s opinion was clear, “I have a very positive sense of hope for the Irish language. It’s clear to see that the next generation has the same love for it as Irish speakers across this country, and I hope they will speak it at home and out in the wider world.”
Seachtain na Gaeilge provides us with a moment to celebrate and appreciate our native language, but hopefully it might cause us to reflect and examine the real lives behind it. The challenges and pressures facing the Gaeltacht and young Gaeilgeoirí today will continue long past these first two weeks in March. The impact on their lives, their families, and their communities will only grow larger as time moves on, unless our government acts now.
To close, and to appreciate the life of a young Gaeilgeoir, we must look no further than the words of Treasa Ní Argáin;
“Every time Irish is spoken, or every time a new piece of poetry is written, or a new play is staged, we are keeping the language alive and promoting it. Beatha teanga í a labhairt.”
