A “surge of interest” in learning the Irish language across the island of Ireland has prompted the development of new degree programmes and evening courses, although sector leaders say more concrete action is needed to boost Irish-medium higher education.

At Queen’s University Belfast, new degree pathways will be available from the 2026-27 academic year, language support officer Mark Harte told 51�Թ�, including law with Irish and broadcast production with Irish.

Queen’s has also expanded its provision of Irish language evening classes, Harte said: “We’ve had to, for the first time ever, develop new levels. [At Queen’s], language classes can run from level one to level seven. Up until a couple of years ago, the offering for Irish was levels one and two,” he explained. By early 2026, he said, “we plan on having the full one to seven levels available”.

The university’s Irish language residential scheme, which enables students to live in accommodation with Irish as the language of use, is now in its fourth year. “It’s been full to capacity each one of those years, so we’re delighted with that,” Harte said.

51�Թ�

Across the Republic and Northern Ireland, the Irish language education system has expanded over the past half a century, Harte said, with Irish-medium primary and secondary schools – gaelscoileanna and gaelcholáistí – enabling “young people [to be] educated through Irish, which is definitely adding to their confidence and abilities”.

Nevertheless, far more Irish-medium provision is needed at the higher education level, said Pádraig Mac Brádaigh, vice president for the Irish language at national student union Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ). “Thousands of children attend Irish-medium education at primary and secondary levels only to be forced to do everything in English at third level,” he said.

51�Թ�

While institutions like Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge (The Academy of Irish-Language University Education), established by the University of Galway, and Dublin City University’s Fiontar “do fantastic work”, Mac Brádaigh said, “their initiative must be expanded across their own universities and the island at large if there is any hope for the creation of a bilingual workforce”.

Students and academic staff have established the alliance (The Alliance for Irish-Medium Universities) to campaign for improved Irish-medium higher education, he noted. Among its goals are the provision of “a module through Irish available to every student in every year of their degree” and the “establishment of an organisation independent of any particular university, responsible for steering and monitoring higher education through Irish, and which will provide accurate, transparent, and current data”.

Pop culture has often been credited with the recent rise in interest in Irish: Harte pointed to films such as An Cailín Ciúin, which become the first Irish film to be nominated for best international feature film at the Oscars, and artists like Kneecap, whose 2024 self-titled biopic was submitted in the same category.

While high-profile films and music have “hugely benefitted the language's international profile”, Mac Brádaigh said, “they and many others are a result of decades of tireless work by the Irish language community fighting for everything we have today,” from Irish-medium schools to Údarás na Gaeltachta, the regional authority “responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of the Gaeltacht”.

51�Թ�

The rise in interest in the language, he said, “will be completely meaningless unless action follows” to improve competency.

The recently inaugurated president Catherine Connolly has pledged to make Irish the working language of Áras an Uachtaráin, the office and official residence of the presidency, which “can only be very encouraging for others to use it and gives it an incredible platform”, Harte said.

Last month, Northern Ireland appointed its first Irish language commissioner, Pól Deeds, who Harte said Queen’s “will be working very closely with to make sure best practice is put in place in terms of Irish language on campus”.

“I think that any minority language needs assistance, it needs investment, it needs promotion,” Harte said, pointing to improved funding and the expansion of available degree pathways as means of support.

51�Թ�

Mac Brádaigh called for Irish universities to “follow international best practice for minoritised languages”, citing Wales' approach to Welsh-medium education as a potential model.

“We need urgent legislation to amend the Higher Education Authority Act and the Universities Act, which make vague, abstract references to ‘promoting’ Irish, as well as to amend the Technological Universities Act, which makes no reference to the Irish language at all except in TU names,” he said.

51�Թ�

The Official Languages Act 2021 sets a target for 20 per cent of public sector workers to be “competent” in Irish by the end of 2030 – a target Mac Brádaigh fears will not be reached. “No action has been taken to provide the language training to the current workers or the workers of the future,” he said. “The hard truth is that the Irish language is not and never will be a priority unless higher and further education institutions are held legally responsible.”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com