| The Gaeltacht, or An Ghaeltacht, refers to any of the regions in Ireland where the Irish language is officially the major
language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home. These regions were first
officially recognised during the years of Irish Free State after
the Gaelic Revival as part of government policy to restore the Irish
language as the official language of Ireland. The Gaeltacht
boundaries have not been changed since they were drawn up, though in many areas the Irish-speaking population has decreased from
what it once was.
The current population of the Gaeltacht regions is approximately 85,000 with major concentrations of speakers in the western
counties of Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, and Cork. There are smaller concentrations in the
counties of Waterford in the south and Meath in the east.
The Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, under the leadership of the Minister for Community, Rural & Gaeltacht
Affairs, is responsible for the overall Irish Government policy
with respect to the Gaeltacht, and supervises the work of the Údarás na Gaeltachta and other bodies. Raidió na Gaeltachta is the RTÉ radio
station targeted at the Gaeltachtaí and Irish language generally. TG4 is the television station which is focused on promoting the Irish language and
is based in the County Galway Gaeltacht.
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