Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
504. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of Gaelscoileanna operating within the country, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28323/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra505. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the percentage of children attending Gaelscoileanna as a percentage of overall primary school children, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28324/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 505 together.
Please find attached requested data. Data provided is for academic year 2024-25, the latest year we have final enrolment data which can be found at the link below;
www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/primary-schools-enrolment-figures/
The Programme for Government includes commitments to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand, to support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children, and to continue to provide assistance to schools through the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme.
The Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht was published 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, that a particular affinity with and love for the Irish language and culture will be fostered in children and young people so that they will continue to use the language competently and with pride throughout their lives, and that an ecosystem of appropriate supports and resources will be available to Irish-medium education settings and their communities. A Taskforce on Models of Provision for Irish-medium Education has been established as a key action under the Policy for Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht to provide a platform for collaboration between my department and key stakeholders to develop a pathway to increase provision of Irish-medium education.
The Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme was established in 2017 to support schools in Gaeltacht language planning areas to provide high-quality Irish-medium education to their communities. Schools must meet specific language-based criteria in order to achieve official recognition as a Gaeltacht School, and targeted supports are provided to schools to help them achieve this. Three schools in Meath have achieved official recognition as Gaeltacht Schools through the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme and joined other Gaeltacht schools to celebrate this achievement at an event in October 2024.
|
County |
% of pupils in Gaelscoileanna |
Number of Gaelscoileanna |
|
Carlow |
6.1% |
1 |
|
Cavan |
2.1% |
1 |
|
Clare |
4.9% |
4 |
|
Cork |
11.1% |
28 |
|
Donegal |
12.8% |
37 |
|
Dublin |
7.6% |
41 |
|
Galway |
18.0% |
42 |
|
Kerry |
11.0% |
18 |
|
Kildare |
8.7% |
8 |
|
Kilkenny |
4.1% |
1 |
|
Laois |
4.3% |
3 |
|
Leitrim |
6.4% |
2 |
|
Limerick |
9.2% |
6 |
|
Longford |
2.3% |
1 |
|
Louth |
2.3% |
2 |
|
Mayo |
6.8% |
11 |
|
Meath |
8.0% |
9 |
|
Monaghan |
11.5% |
4 |
|
Offaly |
3.2% |
3 |
|
Roscommon |
1.8% |
1 |
|
Sligo |
2.8% |
1 |
|
Tipperary |
4.9% |
5 |
|
Waterford |
8.5% |
7 |
|
Westmeath |
4.9% |
3 |
|
Wexford |
3.1% |
3 |
|
Wicklow |
7.6% |
6 |
