| Legislature: | Oireachtas |
| Long Title: | An Act to designate Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas, Gaeltacht Service Towns and Irish Language Networks; to amend the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1956; to amend the Údarás na Gaeltachta Act 1979; to amend the Electoral Act 1992; to amend the Electoral Act 1997; and to provide for related matters |
| Citation: | No. 34 of 2012 |
| Date Signed: | 25 July 2012 |
| Date Commenced: | Ss. 14–25, on enactment Ss. 1–13 16 April 2013 |
| Bill Citation: | No. 53 of 2012 |
| Bill Date: | 19 June 2012 |
| Introduced By: | Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Jimmy Deenihan) |
| Keywords: | Gaeltacht |
The Gaeltacht Act 2012 (Irish: Acht na Gaeltachta 2012) is an Act of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The Act redefined the traditional Irish-speaking areas or Irish: [[Gaeltacht]] in the Republic of Ireland on linguistic criteria instead of on geographic areas which had been the position until 2012. While the traditional Irish: Gaeltacht boundaries still exist the Act sets out ways where areas outside the Irish: Gaeltacht can be formally designated as Irish Language Networks (Irish: Líonraí Gaeilge) and Gaeltacht Service Towns (Irish: Bailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta).[1] [2] [3]
In 2016 it was announced that Galway City, Dingle and Letterkenny would be the first recognised Gaeltacht Service Towns, subject to them adopting and implementing approved language plans.[4] [5] In February 2018 the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Irish: [[Foras na Gaeilge]] announced that five areas - West Belfast, Loughrea, Carn Tóchair, Ennis and Clondalkin Village - were going to be designated as having the first formal Irish Language Networks.[6] [7] Foras na Gaeilge have said that they expect the status to be given to other areas.[8]
The Act also brought the process of the introduction of Language Plans in the Gaeltacht into existence and gave statutory effect to the implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010–2030 by Údarás na Gaeltachta in the Gaeltacht and changed the process by which the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta was elected.