A famous language and cultural centre in south west Donegal has just launched their 2022 summer programme.
Oideas Gael, founded in 1984, brings hundreds of people from all over the world every year who come to the county to learn about the Irish language and culture.
Minister of State, Jack Chambers, visited the centre to launch the new programme.
During his visit, Minister Chambers also announced a funding allocation of €65,000 to support Oideas Gael in running Irish language courses for adults in the Glencolmcille, Tory and Glenfin Gaeltacht areas.
Announcing the grant, he described the work being carried out by the organisation as ‘meaningful.’
“The work being carried out by the Oideas Gael organisation for many years to provide opportunities for adults throughout Ireland and the world to learn Irish in the beautiful surroundings of Gleann Colm Cille is widely recognised,” Minister Chambers said.
“Hundreds of people are attracted to the area every year as a result of Oideas Gael’s work, which adds greatly to cultural tourism and the economy of the area.”
Minister of State Jack Chambers and Oideas Gael Director Liam Ó Cuinneagáin.
This marked the Minister of State’s first visit to Oideas Gael and he had the opportunity to observe the organisation’s work. Meeting with Oideas Gael staff and teachers, they discussed challenges and opportunities as regards the promotion of the Irish language and cultural tourism as the public health emergency period comes to an end.
Rónán Ó Dochartaigh is the Language Director at Oideas Gael.
He said that, over the past two years, throughout the pandemic, Oideas Gael has had great success in providing online Irish language and cultural courses to 1,100 participants per year.
“That said, it was a source of pride to see the return of our in-person Irish language courses over St Patrick’s Weekend 2022,” Ó Dochartaigh added.
“We are happy to offer a full programme of Gaeltacht courses over 14 weeks this year, as well as our online classes, and hope to attract nearly 1,000 individuals to the Donegal Gaeltacht in the coming months.”
Dr Aisling Ní Churraighín, Language Planning Officer for the southwest Donegal region, was also in attendance to discuss the language planning initiative Béal an Phobail.
She detailed a significant programme of work completed over the past two years to make the Irish language visible, and encourage the speaking of Irish in all aspects of daily life, and referred to the strong co-operation between Oideas Gael and Béal an Phobail.
Their new programme is now available on www.oideasgael.ie
Tags:
