Údarás na Gaeltachta (; meaning "Gaeltacht Authority"), abbreviated UnaG, is a regional state agency which is responsible for the

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

and

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

development of Irish-speaking (

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

) regions of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Its stated purpose is to strengthen the Gaeltacht communities, to increase the quality of life of its community members and facilitate the preservation and extension of the Irish language as the principal language of the region. It gives funding to small local businesses that have to compete with foreign companies.

History

It was originally established in 1980 under the Údarás na Gaeltachta Act, 1979, superseding its predecessor Gaeltarra Éireann which had been established in 1957 under the Gaeltacht Industries Act of the same year. It has a strong role in attracting enterprise into Gaeltacht areas, many of which are isolated and economically disadvantaged. The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

grant-aid is often provided to indigenous

startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...

companies. They are also involved in the setting up of community co-operatives and employment schemes.

Governance

Údarás na Gaeltachta has a 12-member board. In accordance with the Údarás na Gaeltachta Act, 1979, as amended by the Gaeltacht Act 2012, the Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht appoints the board members for a period not exceeding five years, five of these on the nomination of county councils from counties which include Gaeltacht areas. The head office of Údarás na Gaeltachta is in Furbo, County Galway, with regional offices in Derrybeg, County Donegal,

Belmullet Belmullet (, IPA: �bʲeːlənˠˈwʊɾˠhəd̪ˠ is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of 1,019 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony (Ireland), barony of Erris, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the commercial and cul ...

County Mayo,

Dingle Dingle ( or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula (known in Irish as ''Corca Dhuibhne''), it sits on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coa ...

, County Kerry and Ballymakeera, County Cork. The current chairperson is Anna Ní Ghallachair from

Arranmore ''Árainn Mhór'' (English language, English name: Arranmore) is an island off the west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. Arranmore is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, wit ...

, County Donegal.

Constituencies

From 1979 to 2012, some members of the board were elected by popular vote of Gaeltacht residents. These

single transferable vote The single transferable vote (STV) or proportional-ranked choice voting (P-RCV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vot ...

constituencies were as follows:

References

External links

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Údarás na Gaeltachta
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Udaras Na Gaeltachta Government agencies established in 1980 Government agencies of the Republic of Ireland 1980 establishments in Ireland Culture of Ireland Gaelic culture Irish language organisations Economy of the Republic of Ireland Celtic language advocacy organizations Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Seanad nominating bodies

History

Governance

Constituencies

See also

References

External links