Needs of the language community and sustaining the demand for Irish-medium university education. Riachtanais an phobail teanga agus cothú an éilimh ar ollscolaíocht Ghaeilge

The continuous development of both Irish itself and the linguistic skills of its speakers are essential for the wellbeing of the language community. Because of the unavoidable power of English in every Irish-speaker's life, language development is a conscious, personal action no matter how one first acquires one's Irish. Because of this, the continuing use of Irish as a community language depends on individual attitudes and motivations. Universities play an important role in language development and in promoting its value as a powerful communication tool and medium of education. The language community in turn needs graduates who have high level competency in the language as well as a wide variety of other skills. Of the large numbers who claim to be able to speak Irish, only a small percentage would be able to follow a full third-level course through the language. Indeed, for many Gaeltacht Irish speakers and those who have come through the Irish-medium schooling system, reading and writing easily and accurately is a challenge. As we are discussing Irish-medium third level rather than lrishlanguage studies at third level, we are dealing with the requirements of the whole community. To this end Irish in the second level and its status in the community need to be developed as well as at university level, and for mutual benefit. In this paper, I will focus on the role of universities in the community, and on some of the difficulties involved in trying to attract students to courses taught through the medium of Irish, as well as those involved in recruiting staff to provide that education.