Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
39. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the way in which the Irish language is being promoted and prioritised in the development of an enterprise hub (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53316/26]
View answerThe campus referred to by the Deputy acts as a digital hub and enterprise centre geared towards accommodating start-ups and established companies, with offices, hot desks and meeting/training rooms available to clients from both the private and public sectors. It will provide training facilities for Irish-language and cultural courses to third level students, and also serve as a cultural facility for the Gaeltacht area in which it is situated.
The refurbishment work on the building was fully completed in May 2026 and Údarás na Gaeltachta has informed me that certain staff of an tÚdarás and a number of client companies have moved into the offices in recent weeks.
Údarás na Gaeltachta also advises me that Irish is the working language of the campus and that a key priority for its administrators is promoting the use of Irish, both in the workplace and at all training and cultural events held on site. As is the case with all Údarás na Gaeltachta facilities, a language plan is in place to ensure the visibility of the language, to promote the use of Irish by the staff of client companies/organisations, and by hot desk users, and to create opportunities to broaden the use of Irish for the local community, as well as for visitors.
In addition to providing much-needed office space in this Gaeltacht area, the facility is now a valuable community resource and Údarás na Gaeltachta has relayed that local community groups have held events and meetings on the campus. Údarás na Gaeltachta also state that an Irish-language course for adults will be held at the facility in August and that another significant community event will take place there in early December.
