Where will I hear Irish spoken day to day, and what is a Gaeltacht?
A Gaeltacht is a district where Irish is still the language of daily life, officially recognised and supported by the State. The Gaeltacht covers parts of seven counties: large areas of Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Kerry along the west coast, and smaller pockets in Cork, Waterford and Meath. Connemara and the Aran Islands, both in County Galway, form the biggest block. Road signs inside a Gaeltacht are in Irish only, shops and pubs may open in Irish, and summer colleges bring teenagers to learn in local homes. Everyone also speaks English, so you will never be stuck, but let a conversation in Irish finish before you join it.
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Sources
- Foras na Gaeilge and Udaras na Gaeltachta: the Irish language, Gaeltacht areas and language guidance, forasnagaeilge.ie and udaras.ie
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