(; plural ) is an Irish phrase meaning "woman of the house". With the rise of Irish language education in the ''

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

'', or Irish-speaking areas of Ireland, it has come to refer to a landlady who takes in students who wish to learn Irish in a family setting, providing lodging and meals as well as education.

Importance in regional economy

Students traveling to and living in the ''Gaeltacht'' and studying with ''Bean an Tí'' have become an important source of income in these mostly rural areas. On 17 September 2000 it was reported in ''

The Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marke ...

'' that Irish college sources said a small number of ''Mna Tí'' were then accommodating up to 30 students and earning up to £30,000 a year during peak holiday periods. On 20 February 2003,

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

''Gaeltacht'' spokesperson

Fergus O'Dowd Fergus O'Dowd (born 1 September 1948) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency since the 2002 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Frid ...

called for a reduction in the tax increases that ''Mna Tí'' faced at the time, saying that ''Mna Ti'' were the heroes and protectors of the Irish language and culture. Later that year ''Na Mná Tí'' were given total tax exemption under the Irish Language Learners’ Scheme. Under this scheme there is also a grant paid by the Department to ''Gaeltacht'' households that accommodate Irish language learners, which plays a huge role in the economic life of the ''Gaeltacht'' and is worth millions to the local economy. In March 2007,

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

councillor

Pearse Doherty Pearse Daniel Doherty (born 6 July 1977) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 general election, and previously a TD for the Donegal South-West constituency from 2010 to ...

called for an urgent government response to the withdrawal of recognition from Coláiste an Phiarsaigh ( Pearse College), the Irish language summer college in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore ). He was concerned about the impact on the economic well-being and cultural life of the region and in particular with the future financial welfare of ''Mna Tí''. For 21 years, the ''coláiste'' (college) was made possible by the hard work of local ''Mna Tí'', with around 30 local homes hosting students each summer. The decision to withdraw funding from the college could have cost the area up to €1.5m in lost revenue. A new college Coláiste Bun an Ibhir is now run by Gael-Linn in the area.

Origin

Until the 1950s on

St. Brigid Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogr ...

's day the ''Bean an Tí'' would pass the

Brigid's cross Brigid's cross or Brigit's cross (Irish: ''Cros Bríde'', ''Crosóg Bríde'' or ''Bogha Bríde'') is a small variant of the Christian cross often woven from straw or rushes. It appears in many different shapes, but the most popular designs fe ...

around her body three times in front of the house. She would then encircle the house three times. Then the cross would be welcomed into the front door by the family and hung over the kitchen door, becoming the heart of the house.

Sources

*Kay Kevlihan, "Mna tí - unsung heroes of Irish revival", ''Irish Farmers Journal Interactive'', 7 August 2004

*''Fine Gael News''. Speech by Fergus O'Dowd TD 20 February 2003, on the Finance Bill in Dáil Éireann (in Irish with English synopsis

*''County Donegal on the Net News'', Vol.8 No.3 March 2007

*"Gweedore area set to lose E1.5m", ''Donegal Post''

*Andrew Bushe, "Gaeltach in uproar over tax demands", ''Sunday Mirror'', 17 September 2000

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bean An Ti Irish-language education Education in the Republic of Ireland