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Irish-medium provision

Schools grouped by how much teaching is through Irish, and whether they are in a Gaeltacht area, using the latest official enrolment year.

Teach all subjects through Irish
252
schools, with 43,020 pupils
Share of pupils
8.0%
in schools teaching all subjects through Irish
In Gaeltacht areas
129
schools, with 10,114 pupils
Average class size
22.40
in all-Irish schools; 21.91 where no subjects are taught through Irish

Irish classification and Gaeltacht status

Each box opens the schools in that group, with trends since 1975/76.

Gaeltacht129 schools Non-Gaeltacht2,938 schools All areas
All subjects through Irish 6,841 pupils in 100 schools Average class size 18.88 36,179 pupils in 152 schools Average class size 23.23 43,020 pupils in 252 schools Average class size 22.40
Some subjects through Irish 836 pupils in 7 schools Average class size 21.21 4,513 pupils in 19 schools Average class size 21.52 5,349 pupils in 26 schools Average class size 21.47
No subjects through Irish 2,437 pupils in 22 schools Average class size 20.23 484,794 pupils in 2,767 schools Average class size 21.92 487,231 pupils in 2,789 schools Average class size 21.91

Share of pupils

By Irish classification

By Gaeltacht status

How many parents would prefer teaching through Irish

In the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey, November–December 2025, 200,365 households said whether they would prefer their school to teach through Irish or English. These are preferences, not applications.

About these figures
The Department's own results: All 314 areas (Excel)Interactive mapSummary report with county figures (PDF)
Pupils in all-Irish schools
8.0%
43,020 pupils in 252 schools
Children at school
20%
of parents would prefer Irish · 133,968 households answered
Children not yet at school
26%
of parents would prefer Irish · 66,397 households answered

Parents at each kind of school

Share of parents of children at school who would prefer teaching through Irish. Schools with their own results only.

Irish classificationGaeltachtNon-Gaeltacht
All subjects through Irish 87% 75 schools · 1,557 answered 90% 152 schools · 10,604 answered
Some subjects through Irish 24% 7 schools · 261 answered 14% 19 schools · 1,126 answered
No subjects through Irish 20% 21 schools · 705 answered 13% 2,612 schools · 128,939 answered

At all-Irish schools outside the Gaeltacht, 50% of parents would prefer a multi-denominational patron.

Where preference runs furthest ahead of places

Planning areas mostly outside the Gaeltacht where 100 or more parents of children not yet at school answered, by how far their preference for Irish runs ahead of the share of pupils in all-Irish schools.

  • Pupils in all-Irish schools
  • Children at school
  • Children not yet at school
Planning area Pupils At school Not yet
Skerries 0.0% 21% 35% (175)
Ballyfermot–D10 0.0% 25% 34% (500)
Kinvara 0.0% 20% 33% (153)
Ennistymon 3.9% 30% 37% (117)
Macroom 0.0% 19% 31% (109)
Dublin–8 6.1% 22% 36% (468)
Dolphin's Barn–D12 0.0% 21% 30% (772)
Celbridge 0.0% 17% 29% (350)
Cootehill 0.0% 17% 29% (105)
Darndale–D17 0.0% 21% 28% (190)

65 planning areas outside the Gaeltacht have no school teaching all subjects through Irish, yet a quarter or more of parents of children not yet at school there would prefer it.

See these 65 areas
A preference isn't a place

Parents said what they would prefer for their school. That isn't the same as applying, or moving a child. Source: Department of Education and Youth, Primary School Survey results, published 23 June 2026.

Compare groups

Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to. Class sizes are for 2025/26.
All subjects through Irish 252 43,020 170.7 22.40 1,889 157
Some subjects through Irish 26 5,349 205.7 21.47 239 6
No subjects through Irish 2,789 487,231 174.7 21.91 21,590 1,088
Gaeltacht 129 10,114 78.4 19.36 513 26
Non-Gaeltacht 2,938 525,486 178.9 22.00 23,205 1,225