Gaeltacht Region

The gaeltacht is a region in Ireland where the Irish language is widely spoken

It is located in the Western and South-Western areas of Ireland

Donegal is the largest gaeltacht region in Ireland

around 60% of people (54000) living the gaeltacht speak Irish everyday in schools, employment and social life

Language is also reflected in the cultural landscape

the language is used on road signs and shop fonts e.g. an daingean instead of Dingle

though it is defined by language other cultural activities take place here

Gaeltacht regions are associated with traditional Irish music and dance

celi bands play traditional instruments such as bodhrans and tin whistles

Irish dancing and sean nós are also very important to the region

areas of the gaeltacht are in decline

the population of connemara has fallen frpm 35,000 in 1841 to 10500 today

young people have been looking for better, work, education and social opportunities so birth rates are low

farming is a less popular way of life than it once was

gaeltacht areas are generally rural so outward migration has become a major impact on the region

english has become the main means if international communication

the arrival of radios and television mean that English is pretty much present in gaeltacht homes

TG4 cannot compete with shows such as gilmore girls or x factor

the department of Arts, heritage and the gaeltacht promotes the culture of this region

in 2018 it gave 178 million to develop the gaeltacht

this money is spent by Udaras na Gaeltacht who are responsible for economic and social development in the region

other agencies such as GAA or TG4 all support the gaeltacht region

The gaeltacht is also a source of income for the people that live there

During the summer, many studets travel down to the Irish colleges and they stay with the bean on Ti who earns an income from this

in india there are over 1600 different languages spoken

the main language is Hindi and this is the official language of India

english is also spoken but it is the language of the educated, business and commerce

relgion also defines the region

the two main religions are Hinduism and islam