Sixteen Irish speaking students at University of Galway have been awarded special scholarships and dedicated on-campus accommodation under the Irish Language Residential Scheme.
The students will share Teach na Gaeilge in Corrib Village for the 2022/23 academic year, and receive €1,000 to support them with their accommodation costs.
The Irish Language Residential Scheme was first established in the university in 1991 and was relaunched for the current academic year, with the aim of creating dedicated accommodation for Irish speaking students and to further develop the Irish speaking community on campus.
Applications for places in Teach na Gaeilge were received from students around the country hoping to secure accommodation with fellow Irish speakers studying in the university.
“I was raised in a vibrant Irish speaking community and that is where I am most comfortable in my own skin,” said Cliodhna Ní Mhianáin, one of the students to have secured a place. “I feel that the Irish language community share a friendship, craic, and the same raison d’être which you just don’t get within monolingual communities.
“I believe, with the university being so central, that a great mix of Irish speakers from each corner of the country will come together to study, along with the Connemara community, and that this will ensure a diverse range of dialects. The Irish Language Residential Scheme provides students like me with the opportunity to meet these Irish speakers, and I couldn’t be more excited for the year ahead.”
Deputy president and registrar of University of Galway, Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh, added: “The creation of Teach na Gaeilge and the scholarship support shows this university’s true dedication to the promotion of the Irish language among our students. It also highlights how much we value and respect the Irish language and how committed we are to strengthening and reinforcing its use on campus.
“These students are ambassadors for the Irish language. They will be a central part of the university’s Irish language community and that of the city. This socialisation is of the utmost importance in terms of language practices and use. Teach na Gaeilge and the Irish Language Residential Scheme also shows the university community that the Irish language is central to all aspects of life here in University of Galway.”
For more information about the scheme visit www.universityofgalway.ie/gaeilge/cursai-focheime/conaitheacht
