Brendan Smith
Question:176. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available for establishing a Gaelcholáiste. [50154/26]
View answerWednesday, 1 July 2026
Questions (176)
Written answers
I would like to thank the Deputy for his enquiry in relation to this matter.
Regarding supports for establishing a Gaelcholáiste, they are addressed on a case-by-case basis, at the appropriate time, taking account of the needs of the school.
By way of background, the Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, includes a commitment to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand and support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children.
Also, the Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht was launched in November 2025. The policy sets out my department's vision that high-quality Irish-medium education will be available to all, in inclusive and multicultural educational settings. I am committed to my department working with stakeholders to achieve that vision, and to make progress towards delivering on the commitments of the Programme for Government.
The Taskforce on Models of Provision for Irish-Medium Education, which was established under the Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht, is providing a platform for collaboration between my department and key stakeholders to identify a pathway to increase the provision of Irish-medium education. I look forward to the outcome of this taskforce to help strengthen and expand the provision of Irish-medium education
With regard specifically to the establishment of additional Gaelcholáistí, it is important to note that the creation of any new post-primary school, whether English-medium or Irish-medium, is determined primarily on the basis of demographic need. The available capital resources for school infrastructure must be prioritised to ensure that every child has access to a school place. My department’s approach is, in the first instance, to maximise the use and expansion of existing schools, in line with wider Government policy objectives under Project Ireland 2040, before considering the establishment of a new school entity.
As regards the process for a school to change from an English medium school to a Gaelcholáiste, the school must first obtain the approval of its patron. If the patron is in approval with the change the patron must submit a formal request to the department. The Board of Management (BOM) of the school should be notified of this request prior to the issuing of the letter.
It is advisable that the Principal and Board of Management of the school consult with relevant parent association bodies/representative groups and the wider school community beforehand. If there is a genuine wish or need for a Gaelscoil in the area, and the establishment of one will not impact negatively on other schools in the vicinity, then this should assist matters.
The school may find Gaeloideachas and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) useful sources of information on the overall Irish medium education topic.
Finally, my department is fully committed to supporting Irish medium provision and has invested over €500m over the last 6 years in building new school buildings and modernising existing facilities for Irish medium schools across the country. My department will continue to support Irish medium provision as part of NDP rollout during the 2026 to 2030 period.