Foras Gaeilge is delighted to announce that there will be 86 summer camps running throughout the island during the summer. The Summer Camps Scheme 2018, which was announced earlier this year, will give the opportunity to young people between 3 and 18 years of age to attend sports, drama, dancing, music and filming activities as well as trips. Grants worth €174,712, each a maximum of €2,500 or £1,750, have been approved for 86 different camps this year.

Foras na Gaeilge Chief Executive, Seán Ó Coinn, said, “During Bliain na Gaeilge 2018 it is a source of hope for me that the number of camps to be funded by Foras na Gaeilge has increased by 20% since 2016 and we hope that this trend will continue in the future. The Summer Camps Scheme shows the continuous demand for opportunities for young people to use Irish outside of school. I have no doubt that the camps will have a positive influence on the use of Irish in different areas from west Belfast to Cork City, and that their experience will stand to the 3,883 children who will be attending the camps this year.”

€116,379 worth of grants have been approved for 46 festivals which will be run in 2018 through the Festivals Scheme. The Festivals Scheme provides funding to festivals which aim to foster and promote Irish language arts, indigenous arts and the Irish language heritage through the medium of Irish or bilingually, as an integral part of the festival. The festivals give a national and international platform to arts and they have a great influence on the Irish language community and on the wider community in general.

€208,896 in total was approved for 18 drama companies, including amateur, professional and newly established companies, which aim to foster, develop and provide Irish language theatre to the arts sector, the Irish language community, the general public and the education sector.

Foras na Gaeilge Chief Executive, Seán Ó Coinn, said, “The 46 festivals and 18 drama companies which funding has been approved for will have a significant impact. These festivals are important not only for Irish speakers in the community, but for providing a platform for performers to present their art. As well as that, it is important to recognise that audience communities must be developed for Irish language theatre, which will be an aim for the drama companies for which grants were approved.”

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Further Information:

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

Tel: 0035387 673 6175     email: adavitt@forasnagaeilge.ie