''An Cumann Gaelach'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "Irish Language Society") is a type of

student society A student society, student association, university society, student club, university club, or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists o ...

found in many colleges and universities in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Several of these societies were founded in the early 1900s as part of a wider revival of the

Irish-language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...

, which saw the establishment of national groups such as ''

Conradh na Gaeilge (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...

'' (English: Gaelic League). Although the societies are not formally linked, they operate in a similar manner through the facilitating of Irish classes (often free), céilís and trips to the ''

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...

'' (Irish speaking areas), while many hold events in March during ''

Seachtain na Gaeilge Seachtain na Gaeilge (English: ''Irish language week''), known for sponsorship purposes as Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia, is an annual international festival promoting the Irish language and culture, both in Ireland and all around the world. ...

'' (English: Irish Language Week). Some societies also take part in the annual ''Glór na nGael'' (English: Voice of the Gael) competition, which gives awards to third level groups for their work in the promotion of the Irish language. Coordinated by ''

Foras na Gaeilge (, " Irish Institute"; ) is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the role ...

'', the competition includes a specific category (''Comórtas na gCumann Gaelacha'') for colleges and universities. The University of Glasgow's ''Cumann Gaelach Ollscoil Ghlaschú'' was founded in 2016.

Membership

An annual survey of the country’s main ''Cumainn Ghaelacha'' (plural form) and their membership was published from 2003 until 2008 by the Irish language daily newspaper, ''

Lá Nua ''Lá'' (Irish for "Day"; later known as ''Lá Nua'', Irish for "New Day") was an Irish-language daily newspaper based in Belfast. It was the first daily newspaper in Ireland to be published in Irish. ''Lá Nua'' belonged to the Belfast Media Gr ...

'', until the newspaper's demise. The 2007 edition featured a total of eleven groups,''Lá Nua'': ''"'Glúin TG4' ag teacht in aibíocht ar champais ollscoile na hÉireann"''; Monday 10 December 2007 with '' An Cumann Gaelach, TCD'' (Trinity College Dublin) listed as the largest in the state, and ''

An Cumann Gaelach, QUB An Cumann Gaelach is the Irish Language Society (''Cumann Gaelach'') at Queen's University Belfast ( ga, Ollscoil na Banríona). Established in 1906, it is the third oldest society still in existence at the University, after the BMSA and Chris ...

'' (Queen's University Belfast) the largest in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, and '' An Chuallacht, UCC'' (University College Cork) among the largest in Munster.

References

{{Reflist Irish language organisations

Gael The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languag ...

Student language societies