Ten counties have no gaelcholáiste for pupils to complete education through Irish after gaelscoil

Gaelscoil Mhainistir na Corann in Midleton, Co. Cork. Figures released by the Department of Education show that the percentage of students attending gaelscoileanna in Cork during the current school year is almost three times the percentage at post-primary. File picture: Denis Minihane

Geography continues to play a role in whether a student can continue their education through Irish as large parts of the country remain without access to a gaelcholáiste.

In certain parts of the country, the percentage of students educated through Irish at post-primary level also falls far short of the percentage attending primary school through Irish, despite these areas having strong networks of gaelscoileanna.

Cavan, Clare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath remain without Irish-medium post-primary schools.

Figures released by the Department of Education show some counties have little to no students attending Irish-medium secondary schools, despite having relatively high numbers of students attending gaelscoileanna.

The percentage of students attending gaelscoileanna in Cork during the current school year is almost three times the percentage at post-primary; In 2025/26, 11.2% of students attended gaelscoileanna across the county, while 4.1% attend a gaelcholaiste.

In Meath, 7.9% students attended gaelscoileanna, while just 0.8% attended a gaelcholáiste. In Kildare, 8.7% of primary school students attended gaelscoileanna, while just 2.4% attended a gaelcholáiste.

In Donegal, 13.6% attended gaelscoileanna, while 5.7% attended a gaelcholáiste. In Galway, 17.9% of students attended gaelscoileanna, while 9.1% attended gaelcholáistí.

In Kerry, 11.2% of students attended gaelscoileanna, while 7% attended post-primary school through Irish.

Dublin, which has seen several schools protest in recent years to highlight the demand for post-primary education through Irish, has 7.5% of students attending gaelscoileanna, compared to 4.4% attending gaelcholáistí.

The figures were released to Fine Gael TD Barry Ward under parliamentary question. In his constituency of Dún Laoghaire, there are limited gaelcholáistí places locally, and not enough capacity to meet demand in other nearby schools, Mr Ward said.

“You have a situation where you lead families to a certain point, and then there’s no alternative for them but to go to an English language post-primary school. 

"I feel very strongly that if you go to a gaelscoil, you should be guaranteed access to a gaelcholáiste after to complete your education through Irish. That is not the case, and it's not just my constituency, its happening all over the place.”

In response to Mr Ward, minister for education Hildegarde Naughton said the Government is committed to “providing increased opportunities for children and young people to receive their education through the medium of Irish”.

• Jess Casey is education correspondent for the Irish Examiner