Údarás na Gaeltachta
The agency that decides which factories, co-operatives and start-ups get help in the Gaeltacht has its head office in Furbo, on the coast road out of the city. Údarás na Gaeltachta was set up in 1980 to strengthen Irish-speaking communities and keep Irish as the principal language of the regions, and much of what has been built in Connemara since, from TG4's neighbourhood to the airport at Minna, has passed through it.
Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.
Údarás na Gaeltachta, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Furbo Beach on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.
From Gaeltarra to the Údarás
Gaeltarra Éireann, created in 1958 under the Gaeltacht Industries Act of 1957, came first; the Údarás na Gaeltachta Act 1979 replaced it with the present body in 1980. It draws enterprise into isolated and economically weak areas, often with EU grant aid to indigenous start-ups, and sets up community co-operatives and employment schemes.
Who runs it
The board has twelve members appointed by the minister responsible for the Gaeltacht for up to five years, five of them on the nomination of county councils with Gaeltacht areas. From 1979 to 2012 the regional members were elected directly by Gaeltacht residents using the single transferable vote; since the Gaeltacht Act 2012 they are nominated by the councils, usually from among councillors. Anna Ní Ghallachair of Arranmore is the chairperson. Regional offices are in Derrybeg, Belmullet, Dingle and Ballymakeera. The model on this page pins Furbo's beach and the road west to Spiddal.
Questions people ask
Where is Údarás na Gaeltachta based?
What does Údarás na Gaeltachta do?
When was Údarás na Gaeltachta established?
Written from Wikipedia, "Údarás na Gaeltachta" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.