Údaras na Gaeltachta

It is managed by a board of directors with 20 members. Seventeen are elected during elections held every five years. The majority of candidates come from mainstream political parties and hold seats on local county councils. The other three members of the Údarás board are co-opted on by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Over €35 million has been budgeted for Údarás this year in the budget estimates. This figure covers their administration costs (over €11 million per year) and capital costs, including grant-aid it offers to companies to attract them into the Gaeltacht.

The Gaeltacht has a population of 90,000 and covers areas in Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Meath. Only 20,000 people actually live in an Irish speaking community. Another 10,000 live in part-Irish speaking and the remaining population do not practice Irish as their first language.

Údarás offers grant-aid to companies to set up in the Gaeltacht, similar to the brief of the IDA in the rest of Ireland. Total full-time employment in Údarás assisted companies was 7,507 and 1,071 new jobs were created in 2004.

The clash between the economic development of the region and preserving the Irish language is one that Údarás have not managed well, according to the Gaeltacht Commission. In a bid to get industry and jobs into the area, the priority given to preserving the language has taken second place.

Hilary Curley