Three Co Donegal towns are among a list of places across the country which are set to be named as Galtacht Service centres.
Letterkenny is in line to become a Gealtacht service area.
Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, Joe McHugh, named Letterkenny, Dungloe and Donegal Town, are to be named under the Gaeltacht Act of 2012.
Announcing the list at the Gaillimh le Gaeilge Christmas lunch, the Minister of State said the list is a step forward in the language planning process as it relates to Gaeltacht Service Towns.
“I hope that all of the stakeholders will come together in these towns to prepare and implement a language plan.”
The list is being published following the public consultation process conducted by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in which recommendations were sought in relation to the most appropriate towns to be selected as Gaeltacht Service Towns.
Údarás na Gaeltachta or Foras na Gaeilge, as appropriate, will be working with the relevant organisations to prepare and implement language plans in these towns, depending on whether the town is situated in a Gaeltacht area or outside of the Gaeltacht.
The Minister of State said: “It has been agreed with Foras na Gaeilge and with Údarás na Gaeltachta that the focus will first be on Galway City, Letterkenny and Daingean Uí Chúis.”
Under the Gaeltacht Act 2012, Gaeltacht Service Towns are defined as those towns situated in or adjacent to Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas and which have a significant role in providing public services, recreational, social and commercial facilities for those areas.
A total of 26 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas have been recognised for the purposes of the Act.
The purpose of the Gaeltacht Act is to identify how to foster and reinforce the positive impact these towns can have on the Irish language as the community and family language of the Gaeltacht. The Gaeltacht has a significant cultural and economic impact on the towns which serve it. Similarly, those towns have a significant impact on the Gaeltacht itself.
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