Gaelchultúr, the world’s leading provider of Irish-language courses and learning resources, has once again been named Best Language School in Ireland at The Education Awards 2025 — marking the third year the college has earned this prestigious honour, previously winning it in 2022 and 2023.

This remarkable achievement is a source of immense pride not only for the Gaelchultúr team but for the wider Irish-speaking community. For a school dedicated solely to a minority language to consistently surpass more broadly focused institutions is a powerful recognition of the academic excellence and innovation at the heart of Gaelchultúr’s mission.

Gaelchultúr remains the only all-Irish institution ever to win this award, a distinction that underscores its unique role in promoting and preserving the Irish language through world-class education.

‘It’s an incredible honour to be recognised again this year,’ explains Darren Ó Rodaigh, Chief Executive Officer of Gaelchultúr. ‘This award reflects the continued growth and impact of our work. We strive for excellence in everything we do, and we’re proud to set the standard for Irish-language education both at home and abroad.’

Among the achievements that impressed the judging panel were Gaelchultúr’s innovative partnerships and commitment to accessibility. These include:

• A collaboration with Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB), providing fully funded training under the Skills to Work and Skills to Advance programmes.
• A new initiative in partnership with the GAA offering language scholarships to inter-county and overseas players, promoting the use of Irish on the pitch.
• A strong focus on groundbreaking research that explores the role of Irish in business, culture and public life. Read more about this here.

‘2024 was an exceptional year for Gaelchultúr,’ says Ellen Curtin, Deputy Director of Commercialisation. ‘Through groundbreaking partnerships like our scholarship programme with intercounty GAA players and our collaboration with MSLETB to provide fully funded training, we’ve expanded access to Irish-language learning in bold new ways. These projects reflect our commitment not just to education, but to the community, innovation and the everyday use of Irish in workplaces, classrooms and sports grounds across the country’.

Since its founding in 2004, Gaelchultúr has supported tens of thousands of learners worldwide — from complete beginners to fluent speakers — through a combination of classes delivered by expert instructors and high-quality resources on our interactive e-learning site, ranganna.com.

The college is also the official provider of Irish-language training for the public sector, having been appointed by Foras na Gaeilge since 2011. Gaelchultúr delivers a wide range of bespoke training options to help public bodies meet their obligations under the Official Languages Acts 2003 and 2021. These include the Certificate in Professional Irish, tailored courses for elected councillors, and specialist programmes for delivering customer services and speeches in Irish.

The Education Awards ceremony took place on 8 May at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, celebrating excellence in higher and further education across Ireland. The judges were particularly impressed with the college's mission to provide first-class Irish-language courses and learning resources to learners worldwide. The college was also highly commended for the passion shown by the staff and for the dedication they put into building partnerships with industry stakeholders to promote the Irish language in public and private sector organisations across the country.