your career with irish - gradireland · pdf fileyour career with irish ... association of...

Your career with Irish

GRADUATE JOBS USING IRISH

• Opportunities in Ireland,north and south

• Useful resources • Graduate profiles• Getting a job

Graduate careers using Irish including:• Media • Culture • Business• Translating • Public sector• Law, IT and more

Your career with Irish 2013 | 1

gradireland Your career with Irish 2013

Your career with IrishIntroducing your career with Irish ..................2

Getting a job ............................................................4

Sample CV ................................................................6

Areas of workMedia ..........................................................................9

Translating and interpreting ..........................13

Private sector ........................................................15

Culture: arts, heritage and language..........17

Public sector ..........................................................20

Graduate profiles ....................24

Training and development ....28Training and postgraduate courses ............29

CONTENTS

gradireland Your career with Irish is published by theAssociation of Higher Education Careers Services and GTIMedia Ltd (Ireland).

We would like to thank all third level careers services inIreland and Northern Ireland and our publishing partnersAHECS for their help with this publication.

Project managers Orlaith Tunney, Trinity College Dublin;Catherine Lyster, Letterkenny Institute of TechnologyResearcher and writer Meadhbh Ní EadhraEditorial consultant Niamh Ní Shúilleabháin Irish language proofreader Aonghus DwaneEnglish language proofreader Orlaith Tunney andCatherine LysterEditor Penny KileyDesign and production Jane AndersonSales manager Gavan O’BrienPublisher Mark MitchellInternational managing director & founder Adrian Wood

GTI Ireland, 14–16 Lord Edward Street, Dublin 2, IrelandTel +353 (0)1 645 1500 Email [email protected] Web www.groupgti.com

Find us on Twitter and Facebook

© March 2013 Association of Higher Education CareersServices and GTI Media Ltd (Ireland). All rights reserved. Nopart of this publication may be reproduced by any meansincluding, but not limited to, photocopying or stored in aretrieval system in any form without prior written consentof the Association of Higher Education Careers Services.This is subject to the single exception of photocopying bythe Association of Higher Education Careers Servicemember institutions. All items so used should be fullyacknowledged. The views expressed in articles are those ofthe author and their publication does not necessarilyimply that such views are shared by the Association ofHigher Education Careers Services and GTI. Whilst everycare has been taken in the compilation of this publication,the author and publishers cannot accept responsibility forany inaccuracies, or for consequential loss arising fromsuch inaccuracies, or for any other loss, direct orconsequential, arising in connection with information inthis publication.

• Arts,Humanities &Social Sciences*

• Construction*• Engineering• Finance• Hospitality &

Tourism*• IT• Journalism

&Media*• Languages*

• Law• Property*• Psychology*• Retail*• Science*• Social Work*• Teaching &

Education*• Work Experience

& Time Out*

TITLES IN THIS SERIES

We

lcom

e

* Available as downloads only fromgradireland.com/publications

Your career with Irish 2013 | 32 | Your career with Irish 2013

introducing your career with irish

There are many career possibilities for graduateswho are fluent Irish speakers. Opportunities arediverse and exist in sectors such as media, IT,marketing, sales, voluntary, community and the artsto name but a few. The census of the Republic ofIreland in 2011 recorded a 7.1 per cent increase inthe number of people who stated they could speakIrish, accounting for 41.4 per cent of the population.

To avail of these opportunities, it is not arequirement to have studied Irish at third level. Themost important attributes for securing a jobenabling you to use your knowledge of Irish are adetermination to use the language and the ability toidentify employers and contacts who can providethis opportunity, whatever your degree discipline.

It is important to note that such careeropportunities are not confined to Gaeltacht areas.Many businesses throughout the country areincreasingly tapping into the Irish language sector toexpand their market reach.

Since the publication of the last edition (2009), there hasbeen a profusion of new job titles, reflecting developmentsin media, social media and the IT sector. The ‘Areas of work’section on pages 8–23 provides further information on this.Demand continues to be strong in the areas of translation,and administrative roles in the EU. It is envisaged that therewill be further growth in education (all aspects), due todemographic trends.

Careers with irish

• Barristers with Irish make up a significantproportion of the Bar Council and there are over155 registered as having fluent, or a workingknowledge of, Irish.

• At least 158 translators are working through Irishand licensed by Foras na Gaeilge.

• In 2012, there were over 400 primary and secondaryIrish-medium and Gaeltacht schools throughoutIreland.

• Many job opportunities exist for bilingualresearchers, producers, journalists, IT and othertechnical specialists in the area of broadcast media.

• Opportunities exist for Irish speaking actors andwriters, especially in programmes commissionedfor television.

• Many Irish speakers have been employed by PRcompanies because of clients’ needs to berepresented in the Irish media and to comply withthe requirements of the Official Languages Act.

• The European Union regularly advertises upcomingcompetitions for various positions within the EU onthe EPSO website, including lawyer-linguistpositions.

• Demand for Irish teachers abroad is increasing.Scholarships are available to those interested intravelling to America and Canada.

Did you know?

Opportunities are available throughout Ireland,especially in the Gaeltacht areas in Counties Donegal,Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Meath.

Opportunities to work abroad exist primarily in theEuropean Commission. In the area of Irish languageteaching, opportunities are available in North Americaand EU countries.

See pages 8–23 for details regarding different sectors ofwork.

Where could i work?

Practical experience helps to develop a range of skills.Experience includes activities through student clubsand societies and volunteering as well as paid andunpaid work.

A broad selection of postgraduate courses arecurrently available through the medium of Irish forstudents who wish to further their education and tocomplement their primary degree with additionalknowledge and skills. Graduates are encouraged touse the online resources suggested in this booklet andto keep abreast of the Irish language media andinformation resources. These will help develop anunderstanding of the various sectors and theopportunities available.

See pages 28–30 for information about postgraduatestudy.

Developing your skills

• Use mobile phone services provided through Irish.• Choose an Irish language internet browser such as

Mozilla Firefox.• Demonstrate knowledge of your sector of choice by

using digital media skills, eg maintaining a blog.You will impress your peers and prospectiveemployers.

• Ensure your LinkedIn profile includes your level ofIrish language proficiency.

• Include ‘Cuirtear fáilte roimh chomhfhreagras inGaeilge’ in your e-mail signature box.

• Use a bilingual phone message, or say ‘Go raibhmaith agat’ at the end.

• Buy a Fáinne. This is a little pin that indicates aproficiency and a willingness to converse in Irish.These are available from www.fainne.ie.

• Suggest incorporating Irish into your organisation’smarketing strategy or publicity material.

• Offer to represent your organisation (if appropriate)on Irish-speaking national and local radio andtelevision programmes, or provide copy in Irish forthe media.

• Sign up for regular e-mail updates fromgaelport.com and similar Irish language websites.

incorporating irish into your working life– ten tips



Not only does the work we do reallychallenge me, but there is an immensesense of satisfaction that goes with it, andI’m lucky to be working with incrediblyinspiring people who are also madlypassionate about the Irish language.

Síne Nic an Ailí, Development Executive, Conradh na Gaelige

Read more about graduates working in Irish on pages 24–27



4 | Your career with Irish 2013

Getting a jobThings to consider when looking for ajob using your Irish language skills.

Finding vacanciesJoining a professional networking site such asLinkedIn.com can be beneficial. Twitter and Facebook areuseful sources for job vacancies: many jobs are advertisedon Twitter under the hashtags #jobfairy and #folúntais,and companies and individuals regularly post links to jobson their Facebook pages.

Job vacancies are published in Foinse each Wednesdayand Gaelport.com has comprehensive listings of Irishlanguage jobs, updated daily onwww.gaelport.com/foluntais.

Work experience, placements and /internships Many companies offer structured work experience inconjunction with college courses while others offer paidinternship programmes. In the absence of suchinternships, you can take the initiative yourself. Decidewhich career area appeals to you and then investigate thepossibility of gaining experience within an organisationwhere fluency in Irish would be an asset.

Organisations in the following sectors welcomeapplications:

Publishing: It is worth sending a cover letter and CV toorganisations such as Publishing Ireland (Foilsiú Éireann)and Children’s Books Ireland. There are various Irishlanguage publishing houses such as Cló-Iar Chonnacht, CoisLife and An Gúm. Most of these are small companies andworth approaching for work experience, as students canexpect to be involved in many different aspects of the job.

Media: Many Irish language media personalitiesstarted out by working voluntarily in radio stations,television stations and newspapers throughout thecountry. It is vitally important to make contacts and tobroaden your skills base, and work experience is a greatway to do this.

Irish language organisations: Many are listed in thisguide and examples include Foras na Gaeilge and Gael Linn.

Companies located in the Gaeltacht: these could be inany sector from IT to film production.

The arts: Annual festivals provide excellentopportunities for relevant experience both paid andunpaid in areas such as event management,administration and performance.

Occasionally placements with events such asOireachtas na Samhna and Pan Celtic are advertisedthrough college careers services. More usually, they are notadvertised and many candidates secure their ownplacements through contacts made socially and byresearching possible opportunities.

Official work experience schemesOfficial work experience schemes after graduationthrough the medium of Irish include:

Fiontar DCU: Fiontar DCU runs graduate internshipschemes and also offers work experience which is open tograduates of all degree disciplines, particularly in the areaof research. Some graduates have been part of researchproject teams, working on projects such as focal.ie andlogainm.ie.

European Commission: The Directorate General ofTranslation in the European Commission offers graduatetraineeships of five months’ duration twice each year.There are two intakes, in March and October. TheCommission also offers similar administrativetraineeships. Applicants must have a very good knowledgeof at least two EU languages to be eligible.

Vacancies• gradireland.com Vacancies and careers advice• Foinse www.foinse.ie National Irish language

newspaper including Wednesday jobs section• Folúntais www.gaelport.com/foluntais Irish language

news and information with daily job updates• Local Government Jobs www.localgovernmentjobs.ie

Vacancies in local Government• Northern Ireland Civil Service’s Recruitment Website

www.nicsrecruitment.gov.uk• Public Appointments Service www.publicjobs.ie• EducationCareers.ie www.educationcareers.ie

Education careers search engine • EducationPosts.ie www.educationposts.com

Education recruitment website

Other resources• Focal.ie www.focal.ie National Terminology Database• Pota Focal www.potafocal.com Online dictionaries• Údarás na Gaeltacha www.udaras.ie Gaeltacht

regional authority• Cruinneog www.cruinneog.com Irish spell and

grammar checker software • Foras na Gaeilge www.gaeilge.ie The cross-border

language promotional agency

RESOURCES


When choosing where to apply for a job, consider to what extent you wish to use Irish on a daily basis. Some organisations operate

exclusively through Irish, whereas others incorporate Irishinto a mainly English context. If you are looking toimmerse yourself in the language, focus on Irish languageorganisations, the Irish language media or Gaeltacht-based organisations. If you want to use some Irish, identifycompanies whose clients include Irish languageorganisations or whose senior management have a keeninterest in the language.

Applications and interviewsEstablish whether or not your application should be in Irishand also what the working language of the recruitmentand selection process will be. It is essential that thespelling in your CV is accurate (both in the Irish and Englishversions). There are a number of Irish spell and grammarcheckers available online (eg Ceart, GaelSpell or Anois) orvia the free Irish language add-ons for Firefox, OpenOfficeand Thunderbird. They are also available to purchase forMicrosoft Word on PC and Mac platforms. If you are unableto access one of these commercial products, ask someoneto proofread your CV before sending it.

See pages 6–7 for a sample CV that highlights the candidate’s interest and aptitude in the Irish language.

When you are called for interview, find out if yourinterview will be in Irish or English and whether it will include a written test.

Stay up to date with the sector by keeping an eye on the Irish-language media. Brush up on any relevantterminology. Useful resources include focal.ie and PotaFocal (potafocal.com)

For more CV and interview tips, consult the gradirelanddirectory and gradireland.com or your college careersservice.


sample CV



Aisling Ní Cheallaigh Tel: 01 282739019 Charlemont Road Email: [email protected] LinkedIn profile: ie.linkedin.com/a-ni-cheallaighCounty Dublin

education

2011–2012 MSc i nGnó agus i dTeicneolaíocht an EolaisFiontar DCU

Result: Expected Honours 2.1Relevant Modules: Strategic Marketing Management, Project Management, Leadership, HumanResources Management, Multimedia, Research MethodsThesis topic: Advertising and the Irish Language Market

2007–2011 BA Gnó agus Cumarsáid Galway-Mayo IT, Galway

Result: Honours 2:1Relevant subjects: Business Information Technology, Computing, Economics, Marketing andCommunicationsWork experience: One semester with national broadcaster TG4 in 2008/09

2002–2007Leaving CertificateDominican College, Galway

Results: Irish A1, English B3, French A2, Mathematics B2, Business A1, Geography C1, Biology C2

employment history

September 2011 to date Marketing Executive Conradh na Gaeilge, Dublin

• Liaising and networking with colleagues, partner organisations, the media and the public• Sourcing advertising opportunities• Managing the production of marketing materials including pens, leaflets and stickers• Writing and proofreading press releases • Organising events including the Conradh na Gaeilge Ard-Fheis where over 500 people attended• Developing the organisation’s use of social networking which resulted in 15% more traffic to website

over the course of six months• Co-ordinator of the ‘Is Leor Beirt’ scheme (national network of Irish-language conversation circles).

June–August 2010 Summer Colleges’ Co-ordinator Conradh na Gaeilge, Dublin

• Successfully co-ordinated Glac Leis campaign which encouraged and enabled people across allages/sectors of society to use services through Irish.

Sept 2009–May 2010 Project AssistantMaithú IT Solutions, Dublin

• As part of a team of five, worked on the development of Get the Focal (English-Irish Translator foryour mobile phone)

• Contributed to the further development of this product, which resulted in the development of anApp, available for download on iTunes.

Summer 2009 Marketing Intern Gaillimh le Gaeilge

• Responsible for communicating with partners, customers and the general public• Attended and helped organise events• Established social networking sites for the company

Voluntary work

2010 to date Radio Presenter/ProducerRaidió na Life, Dublin

• Presented and produced I mbun ghnó, a weekly business and current affairs programme• Produced Caint agus Ceol, a series of music and chat programmes.

2007–2010 Youth Club LeaderÁras na nGael, Galway

skills profileLanguages: Fluent Irish and FrenchCommunication: Excellent presentation and social skills, experience in public relationsOrganisational: Successfully organised range of events and campaigns, including Salthill camogie blitz,now run annually Team work: Involved in sports teams and former youth club leaderIT:Microsoft Office, Keynote, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Quark Express

interests and achievements Sport: Active member of Salthill GAA ClubActing: Acted in various plays with Na Crosóga, Irish Language Drama ClubFilm: Particular interest in world cinema and French filmsMusic: Fiddle player, member of Irish traditional music group Téada

referees Mr/Ms ... Dr … Chief Executive Officer, Conradh na Gaeilge Fiontar DCU, 6 Harcourt Street, Dublin City UniversityDublin 9 Tel: ... Tel: 01 8482019 Email: ...Email: ...


Media

Over 750 people are employed in the Irish languagemedia sector, between television, radio,newspapers and digital media. This figure is

growing rapidly as the sector develops an online presenceto complement traditional print and broadcast media. TG4, the Irish language television channel, reported a 56per cent increase in unique web visitors in 2011 and a 143per cent growth in page impressions compared with theprevious year. And as digital and social media becomemore popular and accessible this brings new employmentpossibilities for journalists, technicians, researchers andtranslators.

Media is a competitive sector and by its nature isconstantly changing and developing. Graduates withmultimedia skills and an openness to learn are an asset tothis sector.

Fluency in the Irish language and knowledge of the Irishlanguage sector is also an advantage, as it allows you towork on a wider range of projects and develop new ones.

For graduates with an interest in Irish language media andtraining, see the Training and development section onpages 28–30.

National Irish language media awards (GradaimChumarsáide an Oireachtais) are presented annually tojournalists, actors, presenters, and many more peopleinvolved in the sector.

Print mediaNewspapersFoinse is the main Irish language newspaper and isdistributed free with the Irish Independent. It also has awebsite. Gaelscéal is now an online news servicefunded by Foras na Gaeilge.

Regular articles in the Irish language are publishedin the national newspapers, such as The Irish Timesand The Irish News, as well as in local papers. Theseprovide opportunities to submit work with thepotential to get published. Gaelport.com curates adaily news service called ‘As na nuachtáin’ listing allIrish language articles published in national andregional press.

MagazinesThere are many magazine titles available in Irish,including Comhar, Feasta, An tUltach, An Sagart andAn Timire. Online magazines include the followingtitles: Beo, Saol, Gaelport and Nós. Nós and Saolcomplement their print magazines with websites thatenable readers to access extra news coverage andother content.

See Orla Bradshaw’s profile on page 24 to read aboutworking as an Irish language journalist.

Areas of work

Registerfor job alerts

Careers advice JOBS

Sector-related

careers advice

JOB ALERTS relevant to

your career choices

CAREERS FAIRS

and recruitment

event alerts

Further study

course information

Register NOW on gradireland to receive:

Follow us on

Register with gradireland.com


Areas of work


Areas of work

Broadcast mediaThe level of broadcasting funds available for Irishprogramming ensures that graduates with fluency in Irishare employable in this sector. There are job opportunitiesin broadcasting for bilingual researchers, producers andjournalists as well as IT and other technical specialists.

radioSeveral radio stations broadcast completely through themedium of Irish while others broadcast severalprogrammes in Irish. Raidió na Gaeltachta broadcasts 24hours a day, seven days a week and also streams online.Anocht FM has developed a contemporary service withprogrammes aimed at young people.

BBC Northern Ireland broadcasts a variety ofprogrammes through Irish, such as Blas, SRL and severalmusic programmes.

On a local level, Raidió na Life broadcasts to the greaterDublin area and Raidió Fáilte broadcasts to the Belfastarea, both through the medium of Irish. Raidió an Iúir,serving the Newry and Mourne district, broadcasts 50 percent of its programmes through the medium of Irish.Raidió Rí-Rá is an Irish language chart music radio stationbroadcasting online.

Local radio stations regularly broadcast Irish languageprogrammes. New commercial and community radiostations operating in the Republic of Ireland are requiredto include Irish language content in their schedules.

Further information about Irish language radiobroadcasting is available on Cogar.ie.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland provides fundingto Irish language programming on television and radiounder the broadcast funding scheme, Sound and Vision.

TelevisionTG4 is the Irish language broadcaster, based in theConnemara Gaeltacht. It provides a wide range ofprogramming including sports, travel, music, fashion andchildren’s programmes. Its regular soap opera, Ros na Rún,has made its mark as has the channel’s distinctive newsservice, Nuacht TG4.

TG4 commissions external, independent productioncompanies to make many of its programmes. Some ofthese companies concentrate solely on Irish languageproductions, while others make both Irish language andEnglish language programmes. Most Irish independentproducers are members of Screen Producers Ireland. SomeIrish language production companies are listed in theResources section below.

Screenwest.ie is a one-stop resource for productioncompanies in the west of Ireland, providing an extensive

list of production companies, information, contacts andguidance.

RTÉ broadcasts some programmes in Irish and AnNuacht, the daily news in Irish. BBC Northern Ireland alsobroadcasts programmes in Irish such as the magazineprogramme Imeall Geal and the music programme BlasCeoil. They have an expanding Irish language unit inBelfast, broadcasting on television and radio.

Digital mediaNuacht24 is a news portal serving the Irish languagecommunity, in Ireland and internationally. This serviceincludes breaking news and daily videos, as well as featurearticles, interviews and arts reviews.

Gaelport.com is an Irish language news and informationplatform with five news streams updated daily. It publishesbreaking Irish language news on topics such as education,politics, arts, culture and the Gaeltacht as well as featurearticles, videos, photo galleries and live blogs.

Cogar.ie, a news service for Irish language broadcastersre-launched in 2012, has a strong focus on social media.

Other Irish language digital media projects includeDúil and Meon Eile. Dúil is a bilingual online serviceoffering news and reviews on Irish language arts andevents. Meon Eile is a multimedia web platform withregular video reports and stories on a wide range of topics,from current affairs and sport to music, cultural eventsand Irish language arts.

BBC Northern Ireland has a website with links toarticles, videos, interviews, podcasts and more.

social media and blogsMost Irish language newspapers, magazines, radio andtelevision stations have a social media presence,connecting with listeners and readers through Facebook,Twitter, and other social media. An Irish language versionof Facebook is available, Another social media site, AbairLeat, is run entirely through Irish,and aims to connect Irishspeakers throughout the world. There are currently oversixty Irish language blogs online.

Mobile and computer technologyGraduates with IT and multimedia skills may find a role inmobile and computer technology. There are opportunities

for graduates with an interest in technology and aknowledge of Irish to break into this market and developfurther services through Irish.

There is a wide variety of Irish language apps availablefor download. Apps for some Irish language print andbroadcast media have been created to allow the public toaccess their services through different platforms anddevices. Other Irish language apps include Irish languagedictionaries, translators, books and more.

Other Irish language developments include thefollowing.• Meteor provides an Irish language voicemail service,

having developed the Tocco, a mobile phone specificallyfor the Irish language market, which includes Irishlanguage predictive text.

• Samsung supplies all phones with Gael Fón, a featureallowing Irish as a language option, including predictivetext.

• Vodafone and Foras na Gaeilge have developed freesoftware, Téacs, which also allows you to use predictivetext in Irish on your mobile phone.

Several computer software products have the option ofan Irish-language interface. Prominent examples includeKDE, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, OpenOffice.org,and Microsoft Windows XP. Vbulletin, the most popularsoftware for hosting online chat forums, has an Irish-language option. It is used by Fóram na Gaeilge, PoliticalWorld and PeoplesRepublicOfCork.com.

See Michael Thornhill’s profile on page 26 on working withmobile technology.

FundingFunding for Irish language film and programme makers isavailable in the Republic of Ireland from the BroadcastingAuthority of Ireland, the Irish Film Board, and Filmbase,and in Northern Ireland from the Irish Language BroadcastFund. The broadcasters TG4, RTÉ and BBC NI alsocommission programmes. The Irish Language BroadcastFund, also has a range of schemes.

See the Training and development section on pages 28–30.

Following the success of the previous schemes; Síol, Údar,and Scéal, Scéal 2 is a development scheme that offerstalented new Irish-speaking writers/directors anopportunity to adapt a well-known story from Irishlanguage literature or folklore into a half-hour short film.Successful applicants will be given the opportunity todevelop the story from the basic script to the eventualproduction and broadcast stage.

Areas of work


Areas of work


ResourcesGeneral• gradireland.com/media Media and publishing sectionon gradireland.com

Print media• Feasta www.feasta.ie A monthly Irish language literaryjournal

• Foinse www.foinse.ie National Irish languagenewspaper

• Nós www.nosmag.com Irish language magazine • Comhar www.iriscomhar.com Irish languagemagazine

Television• BBC www.bbc.co.uk/irish BBC Irish language website • Gréasán na Meán Skillnet www.greasannamean.ieNetwork of media businesses based in the ConnemaraGaeltacht

• Irish Film and Television Network www.iftn.ie• RTÉ www.rte.ie• Screen Producers Ireland

www.screenproducersireland.com Representativebody for independent film, television, and animationproducers

• TG4 www.tg4.ie Irish language television channel

Digital media• Abair Leat abairleat.com Irish language socialnetworking site

• Beo! www.beo.ie Internet magazine for Irish speakers• Boards.ie www.boards.ie Includes Irish languageforum

• Cogar www.cogar.ie News service for Irish languagebroadcasters

• Dúil www.duil.ie Bilingual website with news andreviews of Irish language arts and events

• Gaelport.com www.gaelport.com Irish language newswebsite

• Gaelscéal www.gaelsceal.ie Irish language newswebsite

• iGaeilge www.igaeilge.ie Popular current affairs blog• Meon Eile www.meoneile.ie Online news servicebased in Belfast

• nuacht24 www.nuacht24.com Online breaking newsservice based in Belfast

• nuacht1.com www.nuacht1.com Links to Irishlanguage news stories and events

• Saol www.saol.gaeilge.ie Online magazine and newsservice

Radio• Blas www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/irish/blas Irishlanguage radio programme

• Raidió Rí-Rá www.rrr.ie Online Irish language radiostation

• Raidió Fáilte www.raidiofailte.com Irish language radiostation, based in Belfast

• Raidió na Life www.raidionalife.ie Irish language radiostation, based in Dublin

• RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta www.rte.ie/rnag NationalGaeltacht and Irish language radio station

Funding and support• Broadcasting Authority of Ireland www.bai.ie• Filmbase www.filmbase.ie Not-for profit filmmakers’resource centre. Publishes Film Ireland and overseesaward schemes; provides networking support for Irishfilmmakers.

• Irish Film Board www.irishfilmboard.ie Ireland’snational film agency

• Northern Ireland Screenwww.northernirelandscreen.co.uk National screenagency for Northern Ireland

• Scéal 2 www.tg4.ie/sceal Supporting Irish languagetelevision script writing.

Irish language production companies:• Abú Media www.abumedia.com• Animo www.animo.ie• Fíbín www.fibin.com• Nemeton www.nemeton.ie Provides training inconjuction with WIT

• Red Shoe Productions www.redshoe.ie• Rosg www.rosg.ie• Telegael www.telegael.com• Tobar www.tobarproductions.com

Translating and interpretingTranslationOpportunities available include translating,proofreading, software localisation, sub-titling, projectmanagement, language co-ordination and qualitymanagement.

Employment opportunities for translators exist inpublic organisations, government bodies, the Europeaninstitutions and private organisations. The Houses of theOireachtas have their own translation (and interpreting)service – Rannóg an Aistriúcháin.

For those looking to pursue a career in translatinglegal documents, Europus and King’s Inns offer coursesand training. These courses are often subsidised byDepartment of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht.

The European Union operates the largest translationservice in the world. Opportunities are available asadministrators, translators and lawyer-linguists. Tosecure a permanent position within EU institutions,candidates must pass an open competition. From time totime, temporary or contract positions arise. To obtainsecure employment as a translator within the EU, it isnecessary to have the ability to work with threeEuropean languages. Since Irish became an officialworking language of the EU in 2007 there has been asteady demand for people who can translate into Irishand this demand may well increase over the next fewyears.

Some translators work in-house, but most work on afreelance basis. In-house translators are salariedemployees, working on a full-time basis in publicorganisations or in private translation companies, someof which specialise in the Irish language. Freelancetranslators are usually self-employed and work fromhome. They are commissioned by translation agencies orcompanies directly. Companies source these from the listof accredited translators from the Foras na Gaeilgewebsite and from the ITIA register.

The highest standards of translation are demandedby all customers, including public organisations,government bodies in Ireland, the European institutionsand private organisations. Experienced translators wouldbe expected to produce up to 2,000 words per day,depending on the type of text. Many professionaltranslators use translation software in their day-to-daywork.

The Official Languages Act (2003) and the recognitionof Irish as an official working language of theEuropean Union has resulted in increased

opportunities in the area of translation and interpreting.Translation involves producing a text in a different

language ensuring the original meaning is retained, for aspecific audience and purpose. Interpreting differs fromtranslation in that it is based on verbal and not writtencommunication.

To become a Professional Member of the IrishTranslators’ and Interpreters’ Association (ITIA) you arerequired to pass the Professional MembershipExamination, in addition to having between two and fiveyears’ translation experience and/or a qualification as atranslator/interpreter.

Foras na Gaeilge holds an annual exam as part of theiraccreditation system – Séala Creidiúnaithe d’AistritheoiríGaeilge. Those who pass this exam are included on theForas na Gaeilge panel of accredited translators. Thesetranslators must pass the exam every five years in order toremain on the panel.

Much of the subject matter dealt with by bothtranslators and interpreters is specialised in nature, sopreparation and familiarity with the subject area inquestion is required. Professionals in this area oftendevelop expertise in and knowledge of a subject area suchas business, law or medicine after a number of years.Subject-specific terminology is an integral part of thatexpertise. To work in this sector, a postgraduatequalification in translation studies or interpreting isadvisable. A primary degree in languages is desirable,though not essential.

Areas of work


Private sector

employment optionsThere are opportunities for Irish speakers and those withan interest in Irish in several areas. Companies will recruitgraduates with qualifications, experience and technicalskills relevant to their business. Graduates who offer theseskills in addition to a high level of fluency in Irish may beof interest to companies targeting the Irish languagecommunity.

Some small and medium-sized enterprises involved inthe provision of services may conduct their business solelythrough Irish. Examples include translation, legal services,accounting, technical support, graphic design, web design,advertising, PR, marketing, architecture, sales andcustomer services.

For companies that deal mainly in English, having acompetent bilingual member of staff offers them theopportunity to offer services to the Irish-languagecommunity, who appreciate dealing in their language ofchoice when doing business.

Public relations, marketing and advertising specialistsplay a key role in publicising a company and its services orproducts. Allied to these roles are bilingual designers whoprepare material for publication, whether it be books, PRmaterial or advertising. Many Irish speakers have beenemployed by PR companies so that their clients’ interestscan be represented in the Irish media and to comply withthe requirements of the Official Languages Act.

“The Irish language is a ready-madedifferentiator which, if deployed with skilland judgement, can assist in the face ofcompetition which is increasingly globalcompetition. The fact is that the Irishlanguage is unique. No-one else has it! Ithas a brand value in and of itself.

Tom Trainor, Chief Executive, The Marketing Institute

• Improve your language proficiency.• Familiarise yourself with the translation software used in

the industry, for example Trados, Wordfast and Dejà Vu.• Research the specialist dictionaries and online resources,

eg www.focal.ie, available for the Irish language.• Check out the website of the EU Directorates General

for Translation and for Interpretation (see below).• Upload your CV and samples of your work towww.proz.com, a translation resource for translatorsand agencies.

• Circulate your CV to relevant translation companies.• Seek a relevant work placement.• Obtain a qualification.• Sit the Foras na Gaeilge test.• Join the Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association.• Research and practice new terminology.• Refresh your knowledge of current affairs (particularly

important for interpreters).

useFul TiPs

Foras na Gaeilge launched a new accreditationsystem specifically for editors in 2011 and it is hopedthat an examination will take place on a regular basis.Foras na Gaeilge’s Terminology Committee approve,develop and provide authoritative, standardised Irishlanguage terminology in order to increase the capacity ofthe language as a modern medium in modern society, inaccordance with the statutory requirements. TheTerminology Committee staff give workshops aboutdifferent aspects of terminology work on a regular basis,and are a prospective employer for graduates with aninterest in this area. Fiontar DCU also offers fellowshipsand employment in this area.


resourcesGeneral• www.acmhainn.ie Terminology facility for translators• www.focal.ie National Terminology Database• Foras na Gaeilge www.gaeilge.ie The cross-border

language promotional agency. IncludesTranslators/Terms page with information aboutaccreditation systems(www.gaeilge.ie/Terms_and_Translations/Accreditation_Systems_for_Translators_and_Editors.asp) andTerminology Committee page(www.forasnagaeilge.ie/foras_na_gaeilge/the_terminology_committee.asp)

• Gaelport.com www.gaelport.com ComhdháilNáisiúnta na Gaeilge’s language information portal

• Údarás na Gaeltacha www.udaras.ie Gaeltachtregional authority

• www.translatorsassociation.ie The Irish Translators’and Interpreters’ Association

• www.proz.com Directory of professional translationresources

• gradireland.com/languages Languages and culturesection on gradireland.com

• gradireland Graduate Careers in Languages Bookletavailable to download fromgradireland.com/publications

europe• europa.eu/epso European Personnel Selection Office • ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation EU Directorate-General

for Translation • ec.europa.eu/scic EU Directorate General for

Interpretation

interpretingOpportunities in Ireland are primarily available in Oireachtasproceedings, international conferences, legal proceedingsand in healthcare, interpreting for people whose firstlanguage is Irish. Irish language interpreters are also used inthe European Parliament and the European Commission.

To secure a permanent position as an interpreter withinEU institutions, candidates must pass an open competition.The basic minimum requirement for an interpreter workingwithin the EU is the ability to work with three Europeanlanguages (including the mother tongue). Due to ashortage of suitably qualified candidates, the requirementfor a third European language may be waived forinterpreters working with the Irish language.

Freelance interpreters interested in working with the EUinstitutions may apply to sit an interpreting test in order tobe registered on the list of auxiliary conference interpreterswhose services are called upon by the European Institutions.

For those interested in interpreting, see the Training anddevelopment section on pages 28–30.

related jobsOther opportunities related to this sector include editors,proofreaders, lexicographers and terminologists. Alexicographer compiles dictionaries and a terminologiststudies terms or specialised words. Editors andproofreaders ensure that texts due for publication are wellwritten, grammatically correct and accessible.

The Irish language community represents aconsiderable potential market for goods andservices. To exploit this potential, many companies

have begun to target this market and to offer theirservices through the medium of Irish.

The census of the Republic of Ireland in 2011recorded a 7.1 per cent increase in the number of peoplewho stated they could speak Irish, accounting for 41.4per cent of the population. In business terms, thisstatistic translates to 1.77 million potential customers inthe Republic (with a further 167,490 in Northern Ireland)and as the current Irish-medium education sectorcontinues to grow, this market will grow too. Theopportunity to exploit the marketing potential of Irishhas never been more important, both at home andabroad.

As with all sectors, career progression is based onperformance. In the case of larger companies, inparticular, the ability to make yourself stand out fromthe crowd is considered to be an important attribute:fluency in Irish is evidence of this.

In recent years the Irish language has attractedsignificant attention within business circles, with marketleaders becoming aware of its properties as a marketingtool. Irish is an untapped asset for many businesses, andgraduates with proficiency in the Irish language are anasset to employers.

Areas of work

Areas of work


Areas of work


specialist iT companies Some IT companies develop software and technologiesaddressing issues unique to Irish language users. Agraduate with the right blend of technical skills andlanguage fluency could find a rewarding career in thisarea, not only in Ireland, but also in minority bilingualcommunities around the world.

MultinationalsMultinational companies welcome cultural diversity intheir organisations and relish the opportunity to becomepart of the local community in their branches around theworld. In Ireland, this may involve incorporating the Irishlanguage into their marketing or publicity material, theirmarketing strategies or their corporate socialresponsibility programmes.

entrepreneursThere are plenty of opportunities for graduates toestablish and grow their own businesses. If you have theability to identify and exploit a niche in the market, thismight be the choice for you.

Demand is growing for language-specific products thatgain mass appeal such as Bábógbaby and Get the Focal.

Government-funded organisations that support newbusiness start-ups include Údarás na Gaeltachta, Foras naGaeilge (language-based businesses only), Gael-Taca andForbairt Feirste. Other locally-based organisations includeGaillimh le Gaeilge (Galway); Gnó Mhaigh Eo (Mayo);Gradam Gnó na nDéise (Waterford).

irish language business awards• Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh: Galway’s annual

bilingual Business Award• Loch Lao Business Awards: Forbairt Feirste’s prestigious

awards ceremony recognises those who have showninnovation and commitment in their use of the Irishlanguage as a business tool

• Top 50 Business as Gaeilge Awards: These cross-borderawards recognise companies, business leaders andorganisations that use the Irish language as an integralpart of their business

• Gradam Phádraig Uí Cuanacháin: annual awardpresented by Gael Taca to Cork businesses every year

• Gradam Gnó na nDéise: annual award recognisingefforts of Waterford-based businesses in promoting thelanguage

• Foras na Gaeilge also sponsor the All-Ireland MarketingAwards which highlight the work of marketingcampaigns through Irish.

FundingForas na Gaeilge awards funding to new businesses forbilingual signage and marketing material.

resources• Forbairt Feirste www.forbairtfeirste.com For businesses

located in Belfast• Loch Lao Business Awardswww.forbairtfeirste.com/gno-na-gaeilge-irish-means-business/gradam-loch-lab

• Foras na Gaeilge www.gaeilge.ie The cross-borderlanguage promotional agency

• Gaelport.com www.gaelport.com Irish language newswebsite, also lists job vacancies and fundingopportunities

• Gael-Taca www.gael-taca.com For businesses located inCork City

• Gaillimh le Gaeilge www.gleg.ie For businesses locatedin Galway city

• Gnó Mhaigh Eo www.gnomhaigheo.ie For businesseslocated in Co. Mayo

• Údarás na Gaeltachta www.udaras.ie Gaeltachtregional authority

• Social networks like LinkedIn have groups such as theGnó le Gaeilge group where people interested inpromoting business as Gaeilge can exchange ideas andnetwork.

Culture: arts, heritage andlanguage

The culture sector is a vibrant section of the Irishsocial and economic landscape. While somegraduates work as arts practitioners, there are also

opportunities for technical, educational andadministrative staff. Good opportunities exist for Irishspeaking actors and writers, especially in commissionedprogrammes for television.

ArtsThere are opportunities for graduates in this sector withinlocal authorities, community arts, event management,multimedia, galleries and self-employment. Aqualification in an art or design discipline, or in art history,arts management or the performing arts, is a distinctadvantage.

Foras na Gaeilge, Ealaín na Gaeltachta and the ArtsCouncils, north and south, all support Irish language artsorganisations through project funding and individualartists through bursaries and residencies. Cultural centres in the north are also thriving, withCultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in Belfast and Cultúrlann UíChanáin in Derry being prime examples of these.

FestivalsOireachtas na Gaeilge promotes traditional Irish arts andholds an annual festival every year to recognise singers,dancers, and performers in traditional arts. Theorganisation also organises awards and competitions forwriters and media professionals. Other annual festivalsinclude the Pan Celtic Festival, Sean-Nós Cois Life,Merriman Summer and Winter Schools, Turas na bhFilíand Strokestown International Poetry Festival. Pléarácasupports the development of traditional arts in theConnemara Gaeltacht.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann also supports the Irishlanguage, holding Irish language events as part of fleadhsand throughout the year and offering support for Irishlanguage traditional music events and training.

DramaIrish language drama is constantly evolving anddeveloping, with groups such as Fíbín, Aisling Ghéar and

Aisteoirí Bulfin producing great Irish language plays.TíAitreo is a new Dublin-based professional Irish languageproduction company specialising in Irish language plays.An Taibhdhearc, the Galway based national Irish languagetheatre, reopened its doors in 2012. Many Irish languageactors performed in this theatre and it gives playwrightsan opportunity to showcase their work and talent to anIrish speaking audience.

Radio dramas are also being broadcast on Raidió naLife, Raidió na Gaeltachta and RTÉ, many of which aresupported by Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI)scheme, Sound and Vision. Oireachtas na Gaeilge runannual literary competitions for Irish language writers,with a specific section for radio drama scripts.

Areas of work


Areas of work


language promotion and development Language promotion officers are employed at local andnational level, in public and not-for-profit organisations.Local authorities employ Irish language officers whocollaborate with local arts and language organisations intheir locality.

Irish language youth organisations, such as Feachtas,Ógras and Cumann na bhFiann, run youth clubsthroughout the country. Community groups and co-operatives throughout the Gaeltacht are particularlyinvolved in Irish language promotion and development.Other organisations involved in this include the following:• Gael Linn and Conradh na Gaeilge provide a wide

variety of educational and cultural services throughoutthe country.

• Glór na nGael awards prizes to local committees whopromote the Irish language.

• Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge is an umbrella grouprepresenting many Irish language not-for-profitorganisations.

• Foras na Gaeilge is the national, cross-border fundingbody for Irish language promotion and developmentand funds the employment of Irish language officers inlocal communities north and south.

Similarly, Pobal and Comhaltas Uladh promote thelanguage and events in Northern Ireland.As the remit of many of the language-promotionorganisations is quite broad, they employ people from awide range of disciplines such as marketing, education,finance, event management, publishing and publicrelations.

heritageJob opportunities exist for curators, education staff, tourguides/managers and administrators in museums andheritage sites around the country.

Libraries and archives may have a high proportion ofIrish language material in their collections, and librariansemployed in the public library system must meet an Irishlanguage requirement. Archives exist in a wide range oforganisations including media, local authorities,educational organisations and private enterprises.

The area of cultural tourism also offers opportunitiesfor Irish speakers, especially in the Gaeltacht, and localauthorities often employ heritage officers. Many whowork in the heritage sector have a relevant qualification inhistory, archaeology, library or archive studies, folklore, arthistory, museum management, education or design.

resourcesGeneralForas na Gaeilge www.gaeilge.ie The cross-border

language promotional agencyÚdarás na Gaeltacha www.udaras.ie Gaeltacht regional

authority

Arts• Aisling Ghéar www.aislingghear.com Professional Irish-

language theatre company based in Belfast• Oireachtas na Gaeilge www.antoireachtas.ie Organises

largest annual Irish language arts festival in autumn, aswell as literary competitions

• Arts Council of Ireland www.artscouncil.ie• Arts Council of Northern Ireland www.artscouncil-ni.org

• An Taibhdhearc www.antaibhdhearc.com National IrishLanguage Theatre

• Broadcasting Authority of Ireland www.bai.ie RunsBroadcasting Funding Scheme (Sound & Vision II)

• Colmcille www.colmcille.net Promotes the use of theGaelic languages in and between Ireland and Scotland

• Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann comhaltas.ie PromotingIrish traditional music and culture

• Cultúrlann www.culturlann.ie Cultural centre located inBelfast

• An Comhlachas Náisiúnta Drámaíochta www.drama-gaeilge.com National Drama Association

• Dúil www.duil.ie Irish language arts magazine• Ealaín na Gaeltachta www.ealain.ie Developing

indigenous and contemporary arts in the Gaeltacht

• Fíbín www.fibin.com A puppetry and drama companybased in Connemara. Fíbín also do radio and televisionproductions, as well as educational projects

• Cumann Merriman www.merriman.ieMerrimanSummer and Winter School

• Theatre Forum Ireland www.theatreforumireland.comInformation, training and research opportunities

• Irish Theatre Institute www.irishtheatreinstitute.comProviding information, research and networkingopportunities

• Pan Celtic Festival www.panceltic.ie• Pléaráca www.plearaca.ie Supporting the development

of the arts in the Connemara Gaeltacht• Shean-Nós Cois Life www.seannos.ie• Strokestown International Poetry Festivalwww.strokestownpoetry.org

• gradireland.com/arts Performing and creative artssection on gradireland.com.

language promotion• Cumann na BhFiann www.colaistenabhfiann.ie The

largest national Irish language youth organisation• Conradh na Gaeilge www.cnag.ie promotes the Irish

language throughout Ireland and around the world• Gaelport.com www.gaelport.com Comhdháil Náisiúnta

na Gaeilge’s language information portal• Foras na Gaeilge www.gaeilge.ie The cross-border

language promotional agency• Gael Linn www.gael-linn.ie• Glor na nGael www.glornangael.ie• Ogras www.ogras.ie Irish language youth movement.• Pobal www.pobal.org Umbrella organisation for the

Irish Language community• Feachtas www.youth.ie/nyci/feachtas National Youth

Council of Ireland• gradireland.com/languages Languages and culture

section on gradireland.com

heritage• The Heritage Council www.heritagecouncil.ie• Society of Archivists (UK and Ireland)www.archives.org.uk

• Irish Museums Association www.irishmuseums.orgAn All-Ireland body with a vacancy listing

• The Library Association of Irelandwww.libraryassociation.ie Represents librarians andlibraries in Ireland.

• Get involved in the arts/language associations incollege.

• Register for Gaelport newsletter.• Volunteer with or attend arts or Irish language

cultural events and festivals.• Work as a guide or information worker at heritage

sites during holiday periods.• Take an interest in environmental conservation.• Develop a track record of involvement in community

and/or language activities.

useFul TiPs

Areas of work


Areas of work


Public sector GaelscoileannaThere is high demand for Irish-medium schooling atprimary and secondary level, and new schools are beingestablished and developed. This means that new teachersand administrators are being employed where fluency inIrish is a requirement. As of September 2012 there were177 primary and 41 secondary Irish-medium schools inthe Republic. In addition to this, there were 140 primaryand 26 secondary Gaeltacht schools. These schools areconstantly searching for suitably qualified graduates to fillvacancies, and a high level of written and spoken Irish isrequired. Secondary school teachers with fluent Irish alsoqualified to teach other subjects such as science, maths,home economics and accountancy are in demand.

Third levelThere are many Irish-medium courses available in thirdlevel institutions. Students and graduates interested inresearching or lecturing at third level should enquireabout funding opportunities for PhD students, as well asopportunities to tutor undergraduates. There arenumerous research opportunities in the area of Irish-medium education in particular.


Adult learningAdults living in Ireland and abroad who wish to improvetheir standard of Irish often attend Irish language classesoffered in Irish language organisations, adult educationcentres and the third level sector. Vocational EducationalCommittees also provide a great service for adult learnersof all levels of Irish throughout the country. Having theskills to teach adult learners opens up job possibilities forgraduates and new teachers.

other employment opportunities in educationOther jobs available in the area of education includecurriculum development, inspectorate jobs and teachingresources development. There is a need for Irish languageteaching resources, especially at secondary school level,and there are opportunities in this field for qualifiedteachers with a high level of Irish. Graduates with IT skills,teaching skills and creative ideas could assist indeveloping interactive resources for teachers. This type ofwork is available at the National Council for Curriculumand Assessment (NCCA), the Teaching Council, AnChomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agusGaelscolaíochta (COGG) and the Department of Educationand Skills.

education: northern irelandAs of September 2012, there were 45 naíonraí, 36 primaryand five second level Gaelscoileanna in Northern Ireland.The demand for Irish-medium education in the north isconstantly rising as more schools are being recognised asGaelscoileanna. Students who recently graduated fromthe Irish-medium Postgraduate Certificate in Education(PGCE – Second Level) run jointly by Queen’s UniversityBelfast, the University of Ulster and St Mary’s UniversityCollege, Belfast represent a new generation of Irishspeaking teachers in the north. St Mary’s UniversityCollege, Belfast also offers an Irish-medium PGCE coursefor Irish-medium teaching (Primary Level).

See pages 28–30 for information about postgraduate study.

education: overseasThe Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA)Programme offers Irish-speaking graduates theopportunity to work at colleges and universities in theUnited States that offer Irish language classes. Eligibilitycriteria include fluent Irish, a primary degree, teachingexperience and an interest in being a cultural ambassadorfor Ireland. Fulbright also provides opportunities for Irish-language academics at all levels to teach or conductresearch in the USA. The Ireland Canada UniversityFoundation (ICUF) also has Irish language awards,annually providing scholarships for graduates to spendtime teaching Irish in Canada. There are currently over 30third level colleges and universities in the USA, in Canada(where there is a Gaeltacht), in Australia, in Europeancountries and further afield, actively providing Irishlanguage and Celtic Studies programmes within their owninstitutions. Some institutions throughout Britain, such asColáiste na nGael in London, provide Irish languageclasses. This gives graduates opportunities to travel andteach Irish abroad.

The public sector encompasses the civil service, allcentral government departments, local authoritiesand publicly funded bodies. Job areas include both

administrative and technical positions at varying grades,from entry level to senior management. Opportunities arealso available in the following specialist areas:

education: republic of irelandStudents and graduates looking to work in the area ofeducation have a distinct advantage if they are fluent inIrish. Opportunities for Irish speakers are available frompre-school level to third level, throughout the country,north and south. Having a high standard of spoken Irishhas become more important than ever, especially atsecondary level, as the oral Irish Leaving Certificate examnow accounts for 40 per cent of the final grade. Jobs existfor Irish speakers in mainstream primary and secondaryschools, in addition to Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí andschools located in Gaeltacht regions.

naíonraíThere are over 270 Irish-medium nurseries, or naíonraí,located throughout Ireland, catering for children fromthree to five years of age. Jobs in this area range fromnaíonraí assistants and leaders to directors. There are alsoopportunities in the area of early education development.

See Seán Ó hAdmhaill’s profile on page 25 to read moreabout the development of naíonraí.

Areas of work


Areas of work


resourcesGeneral resources• An Choimisinéara Teanga www.coimisineir.ie Protecting

Language Rights: Official website of the CoimisinéirTeanga

• Local Government Jobs www.localgovernmentjobs.ieVacancies in local government

• Northern Ireland Civil Service’s Recruitment Websitewww.nicsrecruitment.gov.uk

• Public Appointments Service www.publicjobs.ie• European Personnel Selection Officeeuropa.eu/epso/index_en.htm Careers at the Europeaninstitutions

• gradireland.com/public Public sector and civil servicesection on gradireland.com

health• Acadamh na Lianna www.acadamhnalianna.com Society

of the medical and allied professions who have a sharedinterest in the Irish language

education• An tÁisaonad www.aisaonad.org Providing educational

materials for the Irish-medium sector of a quality and at aprice similar to the equivalent materials available in English

• An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agusGaelscolaíochta www.cogg.ie Resource for teaching ofIrish in schools

• Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) www.comhairle.orgThe representative body which aims to promote, facilitateand encourage Irish-medium education in Northern Ireland

• Comhar an Tuaiscirt www.cnmg.ie An all-island resourcefor Irish language teachers, providing training andinformation

• EducationCareers.ie www.educationcareers.ie Educationcareers search engine

• EducationPosts.ie www.educationposts.com Educationrecruitment website.

• An Foras Pátrúnachta www.foras.ie Patron of Irishmedium schools in Ireland at both primary and secondarylevel

• The Fulbright Commission in Ireland www.fulbright.ie• Gaelscoileanna www.gaelscoileanna.ie Promotion and

development of Irish-medium schooling• Ireland Canada University Foundation www.icuf.ie• Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta www.iontaobhasnag.com

Providing a financial foundation for the development andsupport of the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education

• Forbairt Naíonraí Teo www.naionrai.ie Supporting thepromotion of Irish-medium early education and care forchildren

• gradireland.com/teaching Teaching and educationsection on gradireland.com

• Work as a youth leader or teacher with an Irishsummer college.

• Participate in Irish language summer camps forchildren.

• Be aware of any training courses or classes which mayhelp you develop your IT and creative skills.

• Participate in Irish language social events.• Volunteer with an overseas education or development

organization.• Work on an education scheme in a disadvantaged

area.• Get involved in sports coaching.• Get involved in your college’s Cumann Gaelach and

arts societies.• Secure a summer job in the Gaeltacht.• Participate in accredited voluntary and extra-curricular

programmes (civic engagement).

useFul TiPs

healthCompetence in spoken Irish is an advantage in thehealthcare sector as it can set graduates apart from otherhealth professionals and allows them to create a niche,especially in the Gaeltacht. Health professionals who havedirect contact with patients may be required to deliverservices through the medium of Irish. Speech and languagetherapists, dentists, physiotherapists and other healthprofessionals with Irish are in demand, in both Gaeltachtand non-Gaeltacht regions, where Irish speakers may seekservices through Irish. Acadamh na Lianna is a society ofthe medical and allied professions who have a sharedinterest in the Irish language. The society meets on aregular basis to discuss and debate health issues throughIrish, organise lectures through Irish and build a network ofIrish speaking health workers throughout Ireland.

irish language developmentThe implementation of the Official Languages Act hasprecipitated a growth in opportunities for competentbilingual people in jobs promoting or developing the Irishlanguage. The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language2010–2030 also emphasises the importance of languagedevelopment.

Irish language officers are employed north and south inlocal authorities, government departments and publicbodies such as the ESB, the HSE and third level institutions.They are responsible for promoting the Irish languageinternally and overseeing the provision of the organisation’sservices through the medium of Irish. They co-ordinate thetranslation of online and printed documents, and organiselanguage classes and cultural events. It is important to beenthusiastic and passionate about the language for this jobas it is an important role in the development of thelanguage.

Technical and professional servicesWork is contracted out by the public sector to individuals ororganisations working within the private sector who canprovide services as translators, web designers, ITconsultants, lawyers, accountants, graphic designers etc.The provision of these services through Irish is importantto the Irish language community. Barristers with Irish makeup a significant proportion of the Bar Council and there areover 155 registered as having fluent or working Irish. Agreat number of solicitors use Irish in their work too, with53 solicitors on the Law Society of Ireland’s Irish languageregister as of August 2012. The EU also offers lawyer-linguist roles.

See Niamh Joyce’s profile on page 24 for information onworking as a lawyer-linguist.

Working in the GaeltachtThe Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht hasoffices in some Gaeltacht areas. Public sector bodiesoperating within Gaeltacht areas must have the ability toprovide services through Irish.

Údarás na Gaeltachta is the public body responsible forthe social, cultural and economic development of theGaeltacht. It supports private enterprise start-ups as wellas community and language development organisations. A number of broadcast and print media are located in theGaeltacht (see ‘Media’ on pages 9–12). There is a vibrantarts community, including visual and performing arts,supported by Ealaín na Gaeltachta (‘Culture’ on page 17–19).

The ‘Gaeltacht’ as it was traditionally defined, ischanging. The 2012 Gaeltacht Act provides for theestablishment of state-recognised Irish languagenetworks. Community groups cultivating and promotingthe language outside of Gaeltacht areas are set to begiven additional recognition including Clondalkin inDublin. An Cheathrú Gaeltachta in Belfast is a thrivingurban Gaeltacht and has many opportunities forgraduates wishing to work in language development,education and media, and for professionals interested inworking through Irish. Most Gaeltacht communities andtowns serving Gaeltacht regions will, as a result of the Act,have to prepare Irish language plans over the next fewyears which may mean an increase in demand forgraduates with language planning and communitydevelopment skills.

european CommissionA variety of jobs are available in the European Commissionsuch as administrators, assistants, contract agents,interim staff and temporary agents. Graduates with fluentIrish are ideal candidates as Irish is now an official EUlanguage. The European Commission also offers graduatetraining and traineeships.

See pages 28–30 for information about postgraduate study.


Graduate profiles

NAME Niamh Joyce JOB Lawyer-linguist (TeangeolaíDlíodóra)EMPLOYER Self-employed EDUCATION BA French and LegalScience; Diploma in Irish; LLB Law;LLM Criminal Justice

I previously worked as a legal researcher for the NationalCommission on Restorative Justice, Department of Justice,Equality and Law Reform, and also as a legal executive atJoyce & Co Solicitors. From 2011 to 2012, I worked as an in-house lawyer-linguist for the European Ombudsman inStrasbourg, France. Currently I am working with them as afreelance lawyer-linguist, and have also established my ownlegal proofreading business online.

language proficiencyThe work of a lawyer-linguist within the EU institutions ischallenging and rewarding in equal measure. It requires theuse of legal skills and linguistic skills simultaneously whileproofreading, editing or translating legal documents. Towork as a lawyer-linguist for the EU, a degree in law and aproficiency in at least three languages is required.Fortunately for me, Irish is an official language of the EU andtherefore it counted as one of my three languages.

There are various types of lawyer-linguists within the EUinstitutions, such as lawyer-linguists who translate legaldocuments into their native language and those whoproofread documents written by legal officers. In my role, Iproofread English language legal decisions and draftrecommendations and proposals written by legal officerswho originate from various EU countries.

irish language skillsWhen I worked in-house at the European Ombudsman’sOffice, I was privileged to work alongside highly intelligent,kind and inspiring colleagues who taught me a great dealabout legal writing and editing, and the workings of the EUinstitutions. As well as proofreading legal documents writtenin English, I was occasionally asked to check the Irishtranslations of various documents to verify the accuracy ofgrammar and vocabulary. I relished such tasks as they gave methe opportunity to use my Irish language skills. Also, on twooccasions, I recorded (in my finest Cork accent) the Englishlanguage audio version of the European Ombudsman’spublications, including the Annual Report 2010.

I would highly recommend the role of lawyer-linguist to anylaw graduates who enjoy writing and research and whospeak several languages, including Irish. The European Unionregularly advertises competitions for various positionswithin the EU on the EPSO website.

MY oWn ProoFreADinG Business

NAME Orla Bradshaw JOB News Editor EMPLOYER Foinse in the IrishIndependentEDUCATION BA Cumarsáid, NUIGalway (2010)Journalist of the Year Award at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge Irish Language Media Awards (2012)

My love for writing, talking to people and asking questionsled me to choose journalism as a career. English and Irishwere always my best subjects in school. I attended English-medium primary and secondary schools but with myparents’ encouragement, I spent time at a coláistesamhraidh in Connemara. My Irish improved greatly eachyear as a result.

Moving to ConnemaraAfter completing the Leaving Certificate, I decided to beadventurous and move to Connemara to studycommunications through Irish. I felt that having the abilityto work through both English and Irish would increase myjob prospects. As the last year in college approached, Iapplied for a job as a journalist with Foinse, the Irishlanguage newspaper distributed with the Irish Independent. Igot the job and am now Foinse’s News Editor.

I am responsible for compiling the news list each week, andchoosing the stories for the news pages in consultation withthe editor. I write the majority of the news articles, speak onthe radio about Foinse’s stories and liaise with columnistsand freelance journalists. Writing a weekly grammar blog forthe website is also part of my job. There is great variety inthis job and working through Irish is fantastic. There arestrict deadlines so good time management skills areessential.

highlights and adviceThe highlight of my career so far was winning the Journalistof the Year Award at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge IrishLanguage Media Awards in May 2012. It is important that anIrish language journalist has a very high standard of writtenIrish and I am constantly striving to improve my languageskills. I have just completed my first year of a postgraduatediploma in Aistriúchán agus Eagarthóireacht, a part-timecourse which is provided online by NUI Maynooth.

My advice to graduates would be to get as much workexperience as possible. Everything counts when it comes toyour CV. Those interested in writing articles should contactnewspapers and send in samples of their work. A blog is alsoa great way of sharing your material with a large audience.

WinninG A JournAlisM AWArD

Graduate profiles

Graduate profiles

NAME Pádraic Déiseach JOB Translator EMPLOYER DG Translation,European Commission, Belgium EDUCATION BA Gaeilge agus Léannan Aistriúcháin, NUI Galway (2009);Ard-Dioplóma i gCumarsáidFheidhmeach, NUI Galway (2010);MA i Scríobh agus Cumarsáid naGaeilge, UCD (2011)

I am a translator with the European Commission and amlocated in Brussels. Since I began college I was drawn to acareer involving the Irish language. I had a great interest intranslation and the media especially. My undergraduatedegree was in Irish and Translation studies and I thencompleted a postgraduate course in Communications. Formy masters I studied a combination of communications,translation and Irish itself. I was also awarded the Foras naGaeilge Séala (Accredited System for Translators) shortlyafter completing my degree, which allowed me to work parttime as a freelance translator for a few years while stillstudying.

Fulbright scholarship After completing my masters, I spent a year in Americateaching Irish on a Fulbright scholarship. It was a great yearand I gained a lot of valuable experience. Shortly afterreturning from the US, I began working with the EuropeanCommission.

I work in the Irish language unit of the Directorate-Generalfor Translation, the in-house translation service of theCommission. It is a rewarding and satisfying job. I translatetexts on a range of topics, typically from English to Irish.There is terminology research involved as we have to be veryexact about the vocabulary that we use, and ensure that it isin keeping with the house style guide. I prefer my job tofreelance translation as it is structured work and I enjoyworking as part of a team of translators. Brussels is a reallyinternational city which means I get to work with peoplefrom Europe and some from around the world.

opportunities availableIf you want a career in translation, I would advise you to do adegree or a postgraduate course in the subject. The Séala is adistinct advantage when seeking work, especially if you lackexperience, as it proves that you have the necessarytranslation and grammar skills. A good knowledge ofanother European language is also necessary if you are seton a translation job in the EU. Fortunately, there areopportunities available in Irish translation as long as youhave the appropriate skills.

TrAnslATinG ABroAD

NAME Seán Ó hAdhmaill JOB Development OfficerEMPLOYER Forbairt NaíonraíTeoranta EDUCATION BSc Finance Computingand Enterprise (through Irish),Fiontar DCU (2004); MA BilingualPractice, Fiontar DCU (2011); Foundation Diploma, Training and Education, NUI Galway (2011)

I currently work as Development Officer for Forbairt NaíonraíTeoranta, a national voluntary childcare organisation.Naíonraí are Irish medium playgroups for pre-school childrenthat use the total early immersion model, therefore Irish isan extremely important part of my work. My role is to helpsupport established naíonraí through offering my advice,organising training courses, meeting with them at clinics orvisits, and developing fundraising plans. It is not only thecommunicative language of our organisation, but we alsopromote the language through our member services, and inour dealings with the State and its various agencies.

Supporting new naíonraí during their start-up phase is alsoimportant, and involves offering advice and helping with anyaccommodation, grants or regulatory issues that may arise.

Previous experienceI used to work in a similar role as Development Officer forGaelscoileanna Teo. This is a national, voluntary organisationthat supports the development of Irish-medium schools atprimary and post-primary level. In that role I offered advice,encouragement and practical support to the public, and tomembers of the public wishing to set up schools. I alsooversaw the organisation’s Scléip, an Irish-mediumsecondary schools talent competition.

Before that, I worked as Development Officer for Feachtas,Óg-Ghluaiseacht na Gaeilge, a national Irish language youthorganisation. The job involved helping to organise youthclubs, summer camps, table quiz contests and our nationaldebating competitions. We also organised residentialweekends and offered schools the opportunity of an oralexam for the Gold and Silver Fáinne.

I was brought up with and attended a naíscoil, gaelscoil andgaelcholáiste in Belfast, and also attended an English-medium secondary school, as the Gaelcholáiste at the timedidn’t have the subject range I needed for third level. I havejust signed up to do an Advanced Certificate in BusinessManagement with the Open College in September.

My competence in Irish, among other things, qualified mefor all of the positions I’ve worked in and I wouldn’t have hadthe same opportunities without it.

eDuCATion & YouTh

Graduate profiles


NAMEMichael Thornhill JOB Software Engineer EMPLOYERMaithú IT Solutions EDUCATIONMechanicalEngineering, University CollegeDublin (1994); PhD, Queen’sUniversity Belfast (1998)Winner of Gnó Gaeilge na Bliana Award, 2010

Originally from Shannonbridge in Co. Offaly, I went on toQueen’s University in Belfast to pursue a PhD after my timeat UCD. Following a time spent travelling in Australia, Ireturned to Ireland and took up a position as a softwareengineer with Propylon, an IT company based in Enniscrone,Sligo, where I stayed for over six years.

In 2005, I founded Maithú Limited, with my brothers Davidand Kerrill. This is an IT company which specialises indeveloping customised software for computers and mobiledevices, web application development and hosting.

iT knowledgeI always had an interest in Irish culture and sporting events,including fleadhs. My partner Louise is a native Irish speakerfrom Fintown in the Donegal Gaeltacht and we both noticedthat people were often curious to learn more about the Irishlanguage. This sparked an idea to use my IT knowledge todevelop an app (which at that time was a relatively newphenomenon) that would help people interested in usingthe Irish language, and in turn help promote the language.

Since then the company has grown considerably, nowemploying eight staff. We have offices in Ballina and at theDigital Depot in Dublin. We have won contracts with some ofthe major telecoms companies, including Samsung – Maithudeveloped the Gaelfón software which is available on theirmobile phones in Ireland. We also work with other blue chiporganisations including Nokia, Hutchison 3G, The IrishTimes, Musgraves and Coca-Cola along with businessesacross the country.

irish language resourcesAn example of the most popular app launched by ourcompany has been the ‘Get the Focal’ Irish Translator. It is atwo way Irish-English, English-Irish Translator with adatabase of over 13,000 words and terms which live in yourpocket. It is quick and accurate, and can be used forcompleting that Irish assignment, reading articles as Gaeilge,or filling in a ‘cúpla focal’ here and there. Our success has alsobeen acknowledged by those in the wider businesscommunity: in 2010 the company won the prestigious GnóGaeilge na Bliana Award for best Irish language business.

An APP For The irish lAnGuAGe

NAME Síne Nic an AilíJOB Development and OfficeExecutive EMPLOYER Conradh na Gaeilge EDUCATION BA, Irish Studies withSpanish ab initio, University ofLimerick (2007)

I have always loved languages andthe BA in Irish Studies in UL appealed to me because of theemphasis on the Irish language, history and culture – inaddition to starting Spanish from scratch. Work placementwas also central to the course and I managed to secure thefirst Irish-Language Officer in UL Students’ Union as a result.This was an excellent experience and really stood to mewhen applying for my current job with Conradh na Gaeilge,which I began shortly after leaving college. I couldn’t behappier doing what I do.

Job satisfactionNot only does the work we do really challenge me, but thereis an immense sense of satisfaction that goes with it. I’mlucky to be working with incredibly inspiring people who arealso madly passionate about the Irish language. Because‘development’ covers so many different areas of work, notwo days are the same, either in or out of the office. I thriveon this variety; I could be presenting a radio programme onRaidió Rí-Rá one day, talking to students in summer collegesin the Gaeltacht about their language rights the next,hosting an Irish conversation circle for politicians in LeinsterHouse the following day, and maybe setting up a website fora new lobbying campaign another day.

My job consists of a range of duties including: • advertising for Conradh na Gaeilge’s Irish courses• designing posters for various events from time to time• organising An tSeirbhís Saor-Chomhairle Dlí Náisiúnta,

our national free legal advice service for Irish speakers• editing the organisation’s monthly newsletter• managing the work experience students in head office.

It’s also up to me to keep our website and social media sitesup to date and interesting. Dealing with the press is anotherpart of my job and we release at least one press release aweek on behalf of Conradh na Gaeilge.

Advice for graduatesMy advice to all graduates would be to highlight the skillsyou learned during your work experience in your CV, in yourLinkedIn profile and at every interview. Work experience candemonstrate that you are adaptable with practical skills. It’suseful to consider how you can apply what you learned toyour new workplace.

PAssionATe ABouT irish

NAMEMuireann Nic Amhlaoibh JOB Singer, musician, televisionpresenter EMPLOYER Self-employed EDUCATION Fine Arts Diploma, DúnLaoghaire Institute of Art, Design &Technology (2001); MA in Irish Traditional Music, University of Limerick (2002) Winner of TG4 Gradam Ceoil 2011

When I attended college in Dublin, having Irish meant I wasdifferent, strange in a way, and old-fashioned perhaps.Although I had a love for the language, I felt like a stranger inmy own country. I knew one other girl in college who hadIrish, who is now a television presenter, and I rememberlooking forward to seeing her so that we could have a chat inIrish, because I missed the language.

As it happened, Dublin was full of traditional music and Ihad the opportunity to sing and play music a few nights aweek. It was then that I realised the link between music andlanguage. There were so many musicians who would haveloved to have fluent Irish, especially to give them a deeperunderstanding of some of the old songs.

Over time I played at gigs in Ireland, which developed intoworking all over the world. I noticed the interest people hadin the Irish language songs, compared with the English ones.At the same time I started doing some work for TG4 andRaidió na Gaeltachta, and after a few more years, Radio 1,BBC Alba and Lyric FM. I was involved in small things at firstbut it wasn’t long before I was presenting biggerprogrammes such as the TG4/BBC Alba series Tigh an Cheoil.Unbeknownst to myself I was making a career in the Irishlanguage.

I’m delighted to be based back in Corca Dhuibhne now,speaking Irish on a daily basis and raising my daughter withIrish. Although I love being at home, I am bringing the Irishlanguage to many different places, and to people who havenever heard it, through my music, and that’s something I’mvery proud of.

I teach Irish songs in the University of Limerick, oftenthrough the medium of Irish. Without Irish I wouldn’t have ajob, or travel opportunities, or my social life. Irish is central inmy life, and that happened naturally, which is always best!

sPreADinG irish ThrouGh MusiC

Graduate profiles

Are you ireland’s brightest student?

find us on

Take the national studentChallenge online at

gradireland.com/challenge

Training and development




Training and postgraduate coursesIn recent years there has been an increase in supply and demand for courses in and through Irish.

Day/weekend training coursesThere are many day, weekend and short-term Irishlanguage courses available. The majority of these areaimed at learners who wish to improve their standard ofwritten and spoken Irish.

Training courses available through Irish are offered bythe following organisations:• The Gréasán na Meán Skillnets Group

(www.greasannamean.ie), based in the ConnemaraGaeltacht, provides training for those interested in themedia industry. Past and present courses includedocumentary making, transmedia storytelling, make-upfor TV presenters, and radio skills training.

• Irish Language Broadcast Fund(www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk). The ILBF offersseveral different training opportunities for Irishspeakers working or aspiring to work in theindependent production sector in Northern Ireland.They also offer a New Entrant Scheme, a TraineeProducer Scheme and a Skills Development Bursary toIrish speakers.

• Learning Waves Skillnet (www.learningwaves.ie),supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland(www.bai.ie), occasionally provide Irish languagetraining for radio.

• Europus (language consultancy company)(www.europus.ie) provide training forsecretaries/administrators with Irish as their mainlanguage, to cater for increased demand for skilledadministrators with Irish. Training is provided in bothIrish and English languages, in office administrationand in computer and administrative skills. No feesapply.

• Europus and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technologyprovide intensive training courses in Irish languagetranslation of legal and state documentation inConnemara during the months of July/August andSeptember/October. No fees apply.

• Stillwater Communications (www.stillwater.ie) providesin-depth communications advice, media training, PRservices and career coaching. They offer all training andservices through Irish.

resources• studentfinance.ie www.studentfinance.ie Click on

Postgraduate Students for postgraduate fundinginformation.

• The Irish Research Council www.research.ie

Courses in and through Irish range from full timemasters programmes to short- term evening orweekend courses. The focus has begun to shift from

the more traditional Irish language courses based onliterature and the arts, to courses offered through themedium of Irish in a wide variety of subjects, such asbusiness, media and language planning. Mostpostgraduate courses in Irish require a high level of oraland written Irish, while others are aimed at those whowish to improve their language skills and abilities, toprepare them for the Irish language workplace. Third levelinstitutions offer a wide variety of courses and there aremany options for those who would like to try a day,weekend or short-term course.

In recent years, new MA and Postgraduate Diplomacourses in media studies, language skills and languageplanning have been set up, as well as specialised diplomacourses, for example the Diploma in Teaching Art throughIrish. Some media and business courses include workexperience and training opportunities, which can be veryvaluable for the future.

See Getting a job section on page 4–5.

Funding for coursesFunding to undertake these courses may be available froma variety of sources, including the Department of Arts,Heritage and Gaeltacht; from the university/collegedirectly; and from employers. Postgraduate students whomeet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grantwill be eligible to have their postgraduate tuition fees paidup to the maximum fee limit. See www.studentfinance.iefor further information.

The Irish Research Council has a number ofpostgraduate research scholarship schemes across thedisciplines.

Some universities, such as Fiontar DCU and DIT, offerscholarships to students. Some also offer subsidies forIrish language campus accommodation schemes (TCD,UCD, UL, UCC and DIT).





language development• MA in Irish Language Writing and Communication

(Administration) – University College Dublin• MA/Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate in Bilingual

Practice (Thesis) – Fiontar DCU• MA in Applied Irish – Dublin Institute of

Technology/Gaelchultúr• MA (Language Planning) – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway• MA in Applied Sociolinguistics – University of Limerick• MA/Diploma in Language Studies – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway

literature and languageThe following institutions offer a range of postgraduatecourses in the more traditional areas of the Irishlanguage such as poetry, prose, Early Irish, Middle Irish,folklore and history of the language.• Dublin City University• Mary Immaculate College, Limerick• NUI Galway• NUI Maynooth• Queen’s University Belfast• St Mary’s University College, Belfast• St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra• Trinity College Dublin• University College Cork• University College Dublin• University of Limerick• University of Ulster.

Media and communications• Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Communications –

Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway• Higher Diploma in TV Production – Waterford

Institute of Technology/Nemeton• MA in Film and Television Management and Policy –

University of Ulster (scholarships for Irish speakersavailable from Irish Language Broadcast Fund)

• MA in Documentary Practice – University of Ulster(scholarships for Irish speakers available from IrishLanguage Broadcast Fund)

• MA in Irish-Medium Film and Script Production –Queen’s University, Belfast

• MA Irish Language Writing and Communication(Journalism) – University College Dublin

• MA Irish Language Writing and Communication(Editing and Copywriting) – University College Dublin

Postgraduate courses and training schemesA list of current courses in and through Irish.

educationPrimary level teaching*• Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Irish Medium –

Primary) – St Mary’s University College• Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Irish Medium –

Primary) – Coláiste Mhuire, Marino• Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Primary) – Froebel

College• Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Primary) – Mary

Immaculate• Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Primary) – St

Patrick’s College• Higher Diploma in Arts in Primary Education – Hibernia

College (online)• An Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge – Coláiste

Mhuire Marino (essential course and qualification forprimary teachers trained outside of the Republic ofIreland, with the exception of the PGCE, St Mary’sUniversity College)

Post-primary level teaching*• Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Irish Medium –

Post-Primary) – Queen’s University Belfast, University ofUlster and St Mary’s University College

• Professional Diploma in Education (Irish Medium -Postgraduate) – NUI Galway

*Consolidation of courses in teacher training is envisaged. For up-to-date information on providers check postgradireland.com.

education: other • Certificate in Teaching Irish to Adults – Language

Centre, NUI Maynooth• Practical Irish for Primary School Teachers (online

summer course) – Gaelchultúr• How to teach Irish effectively in the Classroom –

Gaelchultúr• Irish language IT resources for the classroom –

Gaelchultúr• Irish language course for Hibernia Applicants –

Gaelchultúr• Courses for teachers studying for Scrúdú Cáilíochta na

Gaeilge and other qualifications – Oideas Gael• MA (Language Teaching – Irish) – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway• MA in Second Language Learning & Teaching –

Waterford Institute of Technology• MPhil in Applied Linguistics – Trinity College Dublin

The list of courses below includes Irish-medium full-time and part-time postgraduate courses, trainingschemes and general Irish-language courses

available at the time of going to press. Other courses mayhave been developed since then. An up-to-date list ofpostgraduate courses is available at postgradireland.com.

Arts and heritageArts• Higher Diploma in the Arts (Drama Studies) – Acadamh

na hOllscolaíochta, NUI GALWAY• MA (Drama Studies) – Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta, NUI

GALWAY• Diploma in Teaching through Irish (Art) – National

College of Art and Design, Dublin • Diploma in Irish Music Studies – NUI Galway• MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance – University

of Limerick

heritage• Certificate in Folklore Studies – School of Irish, St

Angela’s , Sligo (validated by NUI Galway)• Postgraduate Diploma/Higher Diploma in Irish Folklore

– University College Dublin• Higher Diploma in Léann Dúchais – University College

Cork• MA in Irish and Celtic Studies – Queen’s University

Belfast

Business and iCT• MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Business and IT (Thesis) –

Fiontar DCU• MSc in Information Technology – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI GALWAY



Translating and interpretingTranslation• Diploma/MA in Irish Translation Studies – Queen’s

University, Belfast• Graduate Diploma/MA in Translation Studies – Dublin

City University• Graduate Diploma in Applied Language and

Intercultural Studies – Dublin City University• Higher Diploma (Translation Studies) – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway• Higher Diploma in Translation – Language Centre,

NUI Maynooth• MA in Irish Language Writing and Communication

(Translation) – University College Dublin• MSc in Applied Irish and Translation – Galway-Mayo

Institute of Technology/Europus• MA (Translation Studies) – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway• Higher Diploma in Legal Translation – King’s Inns• Higher Diploma in Lawyer-Linguistics and Legal

Translation – King’s Inns• MPhil Literary Translation, Trinity College Dublin

interpreting• MA Irish Language Writing and Communication

(Interpreting) – University College Dublin • MA in Conference Interpreting – Acadamh na

hOllscolaíochta, NUI Galway• MA in Interpreting – Queen’s University Belfast

General irish Courseshigher education• Diploma in Irish – Language Centre, NUI Maynooth• The European Certificate in Irish – Language Centre,

NUI Maynooth• Diploma in Applied Irish – University College Dublin• Diploma in Applied Irish – University College Cork• Diploma in Irish – NUI Galway

evening and weekend courses (from beginners toadvanced)Evening and weekend courses are available through thefollowing organisations.• Gaelchultúr www.gaelchultur.com• Conradh na Gaeilge cnag.ie• Gael Linn www.gael-linn.ie• Oideas Gael (Donegal) www.oideas-gael.com• Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne (West Kerry)www.oidhreacht.ie

• Áras Mháirtín Uí Chadhain (Galway)www.acadamh.ie

• An Droichead (Belfast) www.androichead.com• Ionad Uíbh Eachach (Belfast) www.ionad.eu• Vocational Education Schools and Collegeswww.vec.ie

resourcesLinks to universities can be found onpostgradireland.com.• postgradireland.com Postgraduate courses and advice• Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilgewww.acadamh.ie Gaeltacht based & Irish mediumuniversity education

• Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League) www.cnag.ieVoluntary language promotion organisations

• Comhar www.comhar.ie Information on training forIrish teachers in 32 counties

• Fiontar DCU www.dcu.ie/fiontar Dublin CityUniversity’s interdisciplinary School: courses andresearch through the medium of Irish.

• Europus www.europus.ie Language consultancycompany

• FÁS www.fas.ie National training and employmentauthority

• MA sa Ghaeilge Fheidhmeachdit.ie/gaeilgefheidhmeach Dublin Institute ofTechnology MA in Applied Irish

• Gaelchultúr www.gaelchultur.com Irish languageconsultancy and training. Offers online Irish languagecourses.

• Gael-Linn www.gael-linn.ie Promotes Irish languageand heritage.

• Gaelport www.gaelport.com/courses Comprehensivelistings of Irish classes and training courses

• Irish Vocational Education Association www.ivea.ie• The Honorable Society of Kings Innswww.kingsinns.ie Law preparation course

• Nemeton www.nemeton.ie Television productioncourse

• Northern Ireland Screenwww.northernirelandscreen.co.uk National screenagency for Northern Ireland

• The Language Centre www.nuim.ie/language NUIMaynooth Language Centre

• Irish Language Requirement www.ilrweb.ie Details onthe Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilgeteaching exam.

• Teg www.teg.ie Examinations for adult learners ofIrish

• Údarás na Gaeltacha www.udaras.ie Gaeltachtregional authority

your career with irish - gradireland · pdf fileyour career with irish ... association of...

Documents