An Comhaontas ar son na Gael-Ollscolaíochta is a group of students, lecturers, university staff, and other interested parties, who support the provision of third-level education through Irish.

We show there is demand from students to receive some of their higher education through Irish, that there are lecturers willing and able to provide said education, and – though the aforementioned should be sufficient reason to provide options to study through the first language of the country – that there will also be employment opportunities for students who have done some study through Irish at university.

The ambitions of the Comhaontas:

• A module through Irish available to every student in every year of their degree.
• More modules and courses available through Irish.
• Supports for undergraduates and postgraduates learning through Irish.
• Recognition for students undertaking some of their studies through Irish.
• Supports for universities to hire lecturers with Irish, in a range of subjects.
• Opportunities for lecturers to improve their Irish, and supports available for them to teach modules through Irish.
• Collaboration between institutions to increase the number of courses available to students through Irish.
• Strengthening of relevant connections between universities and employers.
• University systems designed to be able to accommodate students and courses through Irish.
• Establishment of an organisation independent of any particular university, responsible for steering and monitoring higher education through Irish, and which will provide accurate, transparent, and current data.

It is extremely important that there be opportunities to study through Irish in a wide range of subjects, including for those who are interested in the language for its own sake, and preserving our heritage and culture, for those who wish to ensure the central role of Irish in modern life, in education, law, and medicine, and for those interested in cutting edge innovation such as artificial intelligence or approaches to tackling climate change, through the medium of Irish.

According to the legislation in the Official Languages Act (Amendment) 2021, 20% of public sector hires must have Irish by 2030. If this Government is to adhere to the legal obligations they have set for themselves, qualified graduates will be needed to fill these thousands of posts.