Scoláirí Coláiste Chamuis: From the day of arrival to the day they leave, students are immersed in the Irish language. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
“There’s an excitement on the first day, there’s a buzz in the air,” says Siobhán Bairéad, director and owner of Coláiste Chamuis, in the Connemara Gaeltacht. There are up to 50 colleges in total, and as Coláiste Chamuis’ Siobhán Bairéad explains, the range of providers is diverse. “We have about 45 mná tí, some full-time staff, but over the 10 weeks of the summer season we employ upwards of 150 people,” says Bairéad.
“Many mná tí couldn’t come back at the start, as some were using their spare rooms for remote working, their adult children had returned home, or there might have been vulnerable grandparents in the house. Scoláirí Choláiste Chamuis: Tourism, holiday home rentals and restrictive planning regulations limit the amount of student accommodation in some areas. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessydeclared an end to the global public health emergency, remote work has moved to a hybrid model, increasing office attendance and freeing up houses during summer. Some colleges have reduced course duration from three to two weeks.
The Government provides a daily subsidy to support householders who host students in Gaeltacht areas, but the colleges themselves do not receive direct subsidies. A capitation grant worth €52 per student was cut in 2008 as part of the Government’s austerity policy and has not been restored.