Foras na Gaeilge is pleased to announce that spending of €5,405,000 has been approved at a Foras na Gaeilge board meeting today at Oireachtas na Samhna in Killarney today.

Welcoming the board decision today, Foras na Gaeilge Chief Executive Seán Ó Coinn said, “We are pleased to announce this large sum of money approved today. This is the largest portion which will be approved from the 2018 budget and the funding covers wide range of grants including the budgets of the Irish language Lead Organisations, for which €4,646,547 was approved. The grants approved today depend on the sponsoring departments deciding on funding for Foras na Gaeilge in 2018; the departments have given confirmation that that funding will be made available to the cross-border body to fulfil its statutory duties in 2018”.

As well as the Lead Organisations’ grants, grants were approved for St. Mary’s University College for the Irish-medium Áisaonad (£272,486), for Gael Linn for the Irish Language Flag project (€120,000), and to the Irish language media sector through Rua Media (NÓS)(£68,700), Comhar Teo (€120,000) and Tuairisc.ie (€126,285).

The Board of Foras na Gaeilge approved the Scheme for the two Cultúrlanna in the North 2018-2020, which will provide an opportunity for funding to Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in Belfast and Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin in Derry City from January 2018 to December 2020. A fund of a total budget up to £672,000 will be made available through this scheme over a three year period; an annual budget of £222,400.

Foras na Gaeilge Chief Executive, Seán Ó Coinn, said, “Foras na Gaeilge wants to emphasise the development of the Irish language at community level, and partnership with other interested parties in the community, something which is vitally important to influence the community.  All Foras na Gaeilge schemes provide the public with opportunities to foster and consolidate the Irish language, and all information on schemes in the various areas, as well as our first online scheme, Groups with Irish, is available on the Foras na Gaeilge website.”

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Note to the editor:

Breakdown of the grants approved at the Foras na Gaeilge board meeting, 3 November:

Further information:

Anna Davitt, Programme Manager: Communications, Marketing & Awareness, Foras na Gaeilge

Tel: 0035387 673 6175    

Email: adavitt@forasnagaeilge.ie