At a Foras na Gaeilge board meeting on 11 June, grants worth €81,350 were approved for the Mentoring Scheme 2021-22, which is run by Foras na Gaeilge through Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge.

This scheme gives a valuable opportunity to writers at the start of their writing career to get advice about their writing and the craft of writing in general from recognised writers. Máire Zepf, Alan Titley, Anna Heussaff, Áine Ní Ghlinn and Gabriel Rosenstock will be among the writers working closely with twenty writers in training who qualified for the scheme this year.

Réaltán Ní Leannáin was appointed as coordinator of the scheme. Réaltán Ní Leannáin was an apprentice with the Tutors Scheme some years ago, under the direction of Dermot Somers. She has much experience in writing circles for many years. She was a resident writer in DCU during 2019, where she helped young writers develop and facilitated workshops.

Speaking in relation to the additional funding Foras na Gaeilge has allocated to this scheme this year, Foras na Gaeilge Chief Executive, Seán Ó Coinn, said, “We were encouraged by the large number of applications from writers (43) for the Mentoring Scheme this year, and that there are five new mentors on the recognised list of mentors under the scheme: Sadhbh Devlin, Meadhbh Ní Eadhra, Róisín Sheehy, Joe O’Donoghoe and Philip Cummings.”

Grants worth €257,672 were approved for the Youth Events Scheme 2021-22. The scheme will give opportunities to young people to use Irish outside of school and it will encourage the speaking of Irish in an enjoyable way.

The grants will enable sixty-three groups to organise twelve sessions during the school year period, focused on young people between three years and eighteen years old. It is estimated that more than 5,300 children will have an opportunity to take part in the activities in 2021 and 2022.

Further information

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

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