Barry Heneghan
Ceist:532. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of Gaelcholáistí, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17179/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 3 March 2026
Ceisteanna (532)
Freagraí scríofa
Please find attached requested data. Data is collated from the 2025-2026 preliminary enrolments which can be found at the link below. Gaelcholaistí are those schools with an Irish classification of "all pupils taught all subjects through Irish" We expect to publish final enrolments for 2025-2026 in June 2026.
www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/post-primary-schools-enrolment-figures/
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.
In that context, on 6 November 2025, my department published a ‘Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht’. 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.
A Taskforce on Models of Provision for Irish-medium Education was established in November 2025 as a key action under the policy. The role of the taskforce is to provide a platform for collaboration between my department and key stakeholders to develop a pathway to increase provision of Irish-medium education.
The taskforce's work is expected to be completed within one year. It will make recommendations to my department on areas such as the criteria for Irish-medium education provision, how to support schools transitioning to Irish-medium education and mechanisms to facilitate expansion of provision.
|
Academic Year 2025-26 |
|
|
County |
Gaelcholaistí |
|
Carlow |
1 |
|
Cork |
6 |
|
Donegal |
5 |
|
Dublin |
10 |
|
Galway |
11 |
|
Kerry |
3 |
|
Kildare |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
|
Limerick |
2 |
|
Mayo |
2 |
|
Meath |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
1 |
|
Waterford |
2 |
|
Wexford |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
2 |
|
Grand Total |
50 |