President Catherine Connolly was back on home ground this week as she made her first official visit to Údarás na Gaeltachta at its headquarters in Na Forbacha (Furbo), just west of Galway city.
The visit on Thursday, 13 November, marked the launch of a new Gaeltacht Data Hub – a free online platform that, for the first time, puts data on every Gaeltacht region in the country in one place, as Galway Bay FM reported.
For the former Galway West TD, it was a short trip from her old constituency – and a visit to the State agency that drives jobs and development in the Connemara Gaeltacht on her doorstep.
What is the Gaeltacht Data Hub?
The new hub gives anyone free access to data, evidence and insights on Gaeltacht regions across Ireland. Users can explore demographic and socio-economic trends across the Gaeltacht and its Language Planning Areas through interactive dashboards and charts covering:
- population change and age structure
- housing and employment
- socio-economic conditions and community characteristics
- how much Irish is being used
- environmental indicators
Údarás chief executive Tomás Ó Síocháin said the platform reflects the authority’s own internal work and will be kept up to date and built on over time.
“Irish is having a moment”
Mr Ó Síocháin said it was a privilege to host the President, and that the day recognised the work the authority has done over the past four decades.
Speaking to Galway Bay FM’s Sarah Slevin, he admitted that “regional development is slow work”. But he said some people believe Irish is “having a moment” right now – and that it’s important to make the most of it.
The Gaeltacht in numbers
- Around 45,000 people living in Gaeltacht areas have good or very good Irish, according to the latest census figures cited at the launch.
- Údarás na Gaeltachta has more than 500 commercial units and around 1,000 hectares of land on its books.
Why it matters for Connemara
Connemara has the biggest Gaeltacht in the country, and debates about housing, jobs and young people leaving have dogged it for decades. Having the hard numbers in one free, public place should make it easier for communities, councillors and businesses to argue their case – and to see whether the money being spent is actually working.
It comes as Connemara waits on other long-promised services. Read the latest on the Recess ambulance base, and how a Tír an Fhia salmon firm was named Ireland’s best organic exporter.
Source: Galway Bay FM, 13 November 2026.
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