Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge (Irish: [ˈakəd̪ ˠəw n̪ ˠə ˈhʊl̪ ˠˌsˠkʊlˠiːxt̪ ˠə ˈɡeːlʲɟə];

English: "The Academy of Irish-Language University Education") is a third level educational

and research institution headquartered in Galway, Ireland. It was established as part of the
National University of Ireland - Galway in 2004, to further the development Irish-medium
education. The academy works in co-operation with faculties, departments and other
university offices to develop the range and number of programmes that are provided through
the medium of Irish on campus and in the academy's Gaeltacht centres.

Locations

Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim in Carna

The academy operates in four in urban and rural campuses or centres: [1]

• Áras na Gaeilge on the University of Galway's main campus in Galway city

• Áras Mháirtín Uí Chadhain in the Ceathrú Rua in Connemara, Galway
• Ionad an Acadaimh in the Doirí Beaga in Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal
• Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim in Carna in Connemara, Galway

History
The importance to any linguistic group of higher education through their own language has
long been acknowledged.[by whom?][2] The foundation in Scotland of the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, an
institute which is comparable to but more substantial than the academy as it is a constituent
college of the University of the Highlands and Islands, has been accompanied by a marked
increase in the vitality of Scottish Gaelic. While higher education has a long history in
Ireland, for most of that history it has been almost exclusively been a pursuit for English-
speakers. Many Irish third level institutions provide courses where Irish itself is the object of
study, but outside of that it very rare for Irish to be the medium through which a student can
achieve the prestige which goes along with the title "graduate" (a notable exception being
Fiontar in Dublin City University[3]).

The academy was founded in 2004 under the auspices of the National University of Ireland -
Galway to provide a centre of excellence for university studies and research through the Irish
language. It was the only third level body where the working language and language of
instruction are Ireland's indigenous language until in 2013 when the educational organisation
Gaelchultúr was granted its status as a third level institution by the QQI, giving birth to
Coláiste na hÉireann.[4][5]

The academy is not a large body and given its scale and its subordinate status to its parent, it
cannot be considered an Irish language university.