Protesters demand action on housing in Gaeltacht areas

National Gaeltacht housing campaigners took part in a protest outside Leinster House (Niall Carson/PA)

The housing crisis could lead to the “death” of the Irish language, protesters said outside Leinster House on Tuesday.

The demonstration was held by a coalition of campaign groups outside the Houses of the Oireachtas to highlight the “disproportionate” impact the shortage of affordable housing is having on Gaeltacht areas.

They called on the Minister for Housing, James Browne, to take measures to protect the areas’ unique communities.

Domhnall Ó Braonáin, who travelled from the Connemara in County Galway, said “people are leaving” the area because they are unable to find or afford housing.

He said there is also an “influx of people who can afford those houses, people not from Gaeltacht areas” meaning there are “fewer and fewer people in the area speaking Irish”.

He fears “the day might come” that there “won’t be many, if any, Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht”, adding “that’ll be the death of the language”.

Domhnall O Braonain joined calls for the Minister for Housing, James Browne, to take immediate action on the housing and language crisis in the Gaeltacht (Niall Carson/PA)

The 25-year-old said he is living with his parents and does not think it will be possible for him to find his own home in the area.

“My family doesn’t own any land – even if we did own land, it would be very difficult to get planning permission.

“And the options to buy are too costly, and as far as renting goes, they are not there at all.”

One of the protest’s organisers, John Prendergast, said: “As we’re all very aware that the housing crisis is all around Ireland, but it’s disproportionately affecting Irish speaking areas.”

The group, Tintean, have four main demands for Government.

They want Udaras na Gaeltachta, the regional authority responsible for the Gaeltachts, to have housing powers.

Housing and planning guidelines promised in 2021 should be published “without any delay”, they say, and a housing and population strategy should be created for each Gaeltacht. Also, a housing grant scheme should be reinstated “to provide support for Irish speakers who would like to build or renovate a house in the Gaeltacht”.

Mr Prendergast said holiday lets are also having an outside affect in Irish-speaking areas: “We see the rate of growth in Airbnbs, for example, as twice the national average in the last six years.”

He said people returning from emigration or university cannot find places to live: “In Dingle today, there’s 112 places in and around West Kerry available on Airbnb, and there’s zero to rent on Daft.ie.

“So, if you’re trying to increase the amount of people speaking Irish in an area, or if you’re trying to empower a community, you really need to have people able to stay in the area.”

Protesters are calling on the minister, James Browne, to take immediate action on the housing and language crisis in the Gaeltacht (Niall Carson/PA)

Fianna Fáil’s Naoise Ó Cearuil was at the protest and said: “The minister for housing has announced that there would be guidelines for housing in the Gaeltacht in the first half of 2027.”

The vice chair of the Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community said they will be dealing with “this specific issue” from April.

He said “the crux of the issue” is that Gaeltacht areas should not be treated as “another remote rural area” but instead as “areas of distinct heritage and language that need to be protected, and particularly, the younger community there need to be helped as well.”

Speaking about specific measures that could help, Mr Ó Cearuil said changes to planning guidelines should be put in place: “There should be exceptions for those that are fluent Irish speakers and from the area in relation to planning permissions.

“Obviously any planning permission needs to be in keeping with planning law,” he added, “but the guidelines need to be adapted in order that people from the Gaeltacht that speak Irish are able to actually build in their locality.”