Many of us may have been able to speak fluent Irish in secondary school or after a trip to the Gaeltacht, but if you don’t use it, you lose it. However, once you know the grammar and basic principles, it is easy to get back into the swing of speaking and writing in Irish again.

With the demand for Irish speakers increasing across different areas and sectors, we look at the courses available to help develop your Gaelic.

Professional Irish

The Certificate in Professional Irish (TGG) is a part-time programme aimed at public sector employees who deal with the public regularly and who are required at times to provide a service through Irish.

It is available at Levels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Delivered across three months, prices for the course start at €745.

Gael Linn

Founded in 1953, Gael Linn is a national organisation, and their remit is to foster and promote the Irish language and its heritage as a living language and as an expression of identity at policy and community level.

Operating on an all-island basis, with offices in Dublin and Armagh, their current programme includes language classes for adults and teenagers. They offer learning support materials and opportunities to use the language through Irish-speaking events.

Gael Linn’s summer colleges for teenagers are organised in three major Gaeltacht areas – two in Donegal and one in west Cork. Courses in these centres are run during June, July and August each year.

Gael Linn’s Gaeltacht courses for adults are held in Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal, which is one of the largest Irish-speaking areas in the country. There are seven levels to choose from and the courses follow the TEG levels. The fee is €250 and participants make their own accommodation arrangements during the course.

There is a 10% discount available for anyone with a valid student card, those receiving a pension, and for jobseekers.

Postgraduate diploma

With the Irish language now an official working language of the European Union, there are plenty of Irish translation jobs available for those who possess the necessary skills. The Dioplóma Iarchéime san Aistriúchán programme is aimed at those who already have a good standard of Irish, but who wish to learn translation skills or to enhance the skills they already have.

It is also ideal for those who work through Irish daily – teachers and journalists, for example – who wish to improve their standard of writing in the language.

The diploma lasts three semesters or 15 months in total, starting in mid-September and ending in December of the following year.

It involves blended learning, a combination of online study and live online lectures/classes.

It is a Level 9 of the National Framework of Qualifications and is worth 60 ECTS credits. The tuition fee per semester is €1,495. Tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners (revenue.ie).

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