Culture centres open to community

Conradh na Gaeilge is making the organisation's two main buildings in Dublin and Galway available to the Irish-speaking community to use as centres for meetings, conferences, classes and more in an effort to develop the buildings belonging to the Conradh as cultural centres of Irish in the heart of the two cities.

There are already Irish-language courses, conversation circles, conferences, meetings, and social nights with music and dancing organised regularly in both Conradh na Gaeilge buildings in Dublin and Galway, and any other Irish-language organisation or individual persons can rent rooms from the Conradh on a daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly basis to operate from either of the two buildings during the year.

Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa, President of Conradh na Gaeilge says "Conradh na Gaeilge is the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community and the organisation is committed to working with other Irish-language organisations to promote the language throughout the island. Community support and cooperation is key to our work, and Conradh na Gaeilge is delighted to have this opportunity to invite other organisations and individuals who are working to promote the Irish language also, to utilise the facilities we have in Dublin and Galway to strength the Irish-speaking community in both those cities, and indeed throughout the country."

In addition to the national head-office of Conradh na Gaeilge, many important organisations in the Irish-language sector are already operating from the building on Harcourt Street, including Oireachtas na Gaeilge; Ógras; Seachtain na Gaeilge; Glór na nGael, Leinster; Rith 2010; the Irish-language chart-station, Raidió Rí-Rá; the Irish-language FLAC Centre of the Four Courts' Branch, An tIonad Saor-Chomhairle Dlí; the Irish-language bookshop, An Siopa Leabhar; and the Irish-language club, Club Chonradh na Gaeilge.

Conradh na Gaeilge's Galway development project, Togra Ghael-Fhorbairt na Gaillimhe, operates from Aras na nGael at 45 Dominic Street (Pictured on right in Galway as well as Club Áras na nGael and Ógras, Connaught.

Conradh na Gaeilge's historical headquarters at Number 6 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2 were recently renovated and repaired thanks to the generous donations of the branches of the Conradh and the aid of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs through the Irish-Language Fund, Ciste na Gaeilge, which is part-funded by the National Lottery, and the building is now being further developed as a place of work, a meeting facility and a cultural centre for the Irish-speaking community in the capital.

Áras na nGael is functioning as an Irish-language centre in Galway at present and Conradh na Gaeilge is also looking to find a new location on which to develop a bigger centre, so as to provide more facilities to the language community in the city in the future.

The original Irish version of this release with links!