- Céad Míle Fáilte is an innovative and exciting initiative, which focuses on new communities in Ireland to give them an Irish language experience.
- Participants are provided with classes, workshops, awareness events and scholarships to the Gaeltacht
- In 2024, participants in the scheme came from backgrounds all over the world, including people from Ukraine, Sudan, Turkey, Palestine, America and Nigeria, among many other countries
Today (Thursday 18 September 2025), the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, announced that he is approving funding of up to €467,772 for Conradh na Gaeilge’s ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ initiative for the period 2026 and 2027. Céad Míle Fáilte focuses on the benefits that new Irish communities can derive from the Irish language – in terms of the importance of the language, the additional opportunities associated with it and in terms of integration into Irish society.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage new Irish communities in Ireland to learn and use
the Irish language as a way of fostering a stronger Irish identity for themselves. This is done by providing a series of language classes and workshops of special interest to groups of new Irish people around the country and by providing them with language resources to help them learn and use the language.Speaking about the increased funding package, Minister Dara Calleary said:
“I am extremely proud that my Department is able to support Conradh na Gaeilge in progressing this exciting initiative. When people come to live in another country they have to deal with a new society and culture – including the languages of that country. This initiative will give those new to Ireland the opportunity to gain an insight into the importance of the Irish language to our culture and identity. ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ will give new Irish the opportunity to strengthen their Irish identity and play a fuller part in the life of the country as a whole.”
President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, said:
“We are delighted that Céad Míle Fáilte will have the opportunity to continue the important work we have been doing for the past 3 years. Thanks to further funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, this innovative scheme by Conradh na Gaeilge will be able to actively support more new communities in Ireland. Céad Míle Fáilte provides classes, workshops and Gaeltacht scholarships to immigrants settling in Ireland, which helps with social integration and cultural inclusion for new communities. With this additional support for the next two years, the team will be able to continue the work they are doing to bring the Irish language experience to more of our new neighbours.”
The ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ campaign was launched to encourage people from diverse backgrounds now living in Ireland to learn Irish. Conradh na Gaeilge received one-off funding from Foras na Gaeilge in 2022 to run the initiative that year. The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht has been funding it since then. In 2024, participants in the scheme came from backgrounds all over the world, including people from Ukraine, Sudan, Turkey, Palestine, America and Nigeria, among many other countries.
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