Irish Language Course for Elected Councillors

Irish Language Course for Elected Councillors
€249.00
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From 07 October 2025
5 weeks
5 hours
Beginners - Intermediate
Online
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Description

Gaelchultúr's Irish Language Course for Elected Councillors is a five-week upskilling program designed to help councillors communicate more effectively in Irish with both the public and their colleagues. Learners will participate in weekly hour-long classes led by an Irish language expert, in which they will acquire practical language skills that relate to their role as a councillor. These skills will in turn assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities through Irish more confidently.

The course includes 3-month access to a learning resource on ranganna.com, Gaelchultúr’s e-learning platform. This resource provides learners with the opportunity to study independently by listening to audio files related to the material covered in class and additional material that includes vocabulary and phrases related to the work of the council. Interactive exercises related to these topics further help to reinforce what is learnt.

This combination of live classes and independent study ensures that councillors can more confidently engage with constituents in Irish and it supports them in meeting their obligations under the Official Languages Acts, 2003 and 2021.

Learning Outcomes

Those who successfully complete the programme will achieve the following learning outcomes:

  • They will be able to compose short accurate sentences in daily communication with colleagues and the public.
  • They will be able to use appropriate phrases and compose short accurate sentences for work emails.
  • They will be able to use appropriate phrases in meetings and speeches.
  • They will be able to understand and use vocabulary and phrases related to the work of the council.
  • They will have knowledge of useful Irish language resources.

Course Content

The following topics and language features are covered during the course:

  • Introduce yourself and others
  • Speak about where you’re from and Irish placenames
  • Refer to dates, months and years
  • Speak about the past
  • Speak about future plans
  • Vocabulary related to councils, political parties and constituencies
  • Useful phrases for various contexts such as meetings, emails and public speeches
  • Useful websites and how to use them

Course Structure

  • Live online session: Five weekly 1-hour live online sessions that are motivating and interactive and in which learners participate in roleplays and language games to help develop their confidence and fluency.
  • E-learning support resource: 3 months’ access to a learning resource on Ranganna.com (Gaelchultúr’s e-learning site) that includes audio files of all course content and additional content. This resource allows participants to revise material and practise their pronunciation at their own pace. 
  • Self-directed E-Learning Course: 3 months’ complimentary access to Gaeilge gan Stró! – Beginners Level, a comprehensive self-study programme valued at €45, enabling them to continue developing their Irish skills independently beyond the course. 

The course costs €249 per participant. It is not required to pay this fee when the course is being reserved: Gaelchultúr will send an invoice to the employer of every participant after the course.

For more information please send an email to fios@gaelchultur.com.

Our teaching approach

Gaelchultúr has developed comprehensive syllabuses and every class at every level follows these syllabuses.

The communicative approach to language teaching is used by Gaelchultúr’s teachers, giving learners the opportunity to play an active part in each class.

A strong emphasis is placed on group and pair work and learners therefore have a chance to practise what they’ve been taught. The main focus is on speaking and listening in all classes (with the exception of Cruinneas sa Ghaeilge), but reading and writing activities also feature.

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FAQs

You will need a laptop or desktop computer with a working microphone and camera.
You will be sent a Zoom link by email prior to the commencement of the course. You will need this link to login into the class each week.
You can but you will not be able to participate in pair work and group work activities. It is better, therefore, to use a laptop or desktop computer, if possible.
We recommend that learners switch on their camera during class as it makes the learning experience more immersive. If you do not wish to turn on your camera, however, that’s perfectly fine.
There will be at least six other learners in the class and a maximum of eighteen people.
Pair work and group work activities will be an integral part of each class, therefore you’ll have plenty of opportunities to speak Irish. You will also be able to raise a virtual hand and ask the teacher questions whenever you like.
No. A digital booklet containing all the material you’ll need during the course will be emailed to you before the course commences and you will be able to use this booklet during the classes and for studying between the sessions. The cost of this booklet is included in the course fee. You will also be able to access all of the notes online.

Terms and Conditions

  • Course fees may be refunded in full to a learner up to five working days prior to the commencement of the course. The refund must by requested by contacting Gaelchultúr’s staff by email or by phone. (Our contact details can be found here.)
  • If, following the first class, the student decides that he/she would like to discontinue the course, 60% of the total fee will be refunded to him/her. Thereafter, no refund will be made to the student.
  • Gaelchultúr Teoranta has the right to cancel a class or to amalgamate classes.
  • If it is necessary to cancel a class, every effort will be made to place the participants in another class or to register them for an online course. A full refund will be made to the customer if these options do not suit him/her.
  • A student may defer his/her registration only once. If he/she wishes to defer registration, he/she must notify Gaelchultúr’s staff of this by week three of the course. No refund will be made to the student if he/she does not accept a place on the next course he/she is due to attend.
  • Gaelchultúr will accept no responsibility in the event that a student registers at the wrong level. We advise our students to do our online Irish test or to seek our advice to ensure that they are undertaking the correct level.
  • If a student wants to move to another level, we cannot guarantee that a space will be available for him/her at that level. Should a space be available, Gaelchultúr will charge a €10 administration fee for making the change. A change may only be made to another level following the first class.
  • Course fees must be paid in full prior to commencement of the course. Attendance on a course is subject to full payment of fees.
  • Every student must abide by our Code of Conduct when attending a course with us.
  • People under 18 years of age are not permitted to attend courses other than those specified as being suitable for those under 18 years of age. Our Child Protection Statement can be found here.

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