Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, "The Irish (language) Gathering") is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish language and culture over the years. Today the festival organisation runs events throughout the year, but the most prominent is Oireachtas na Samhna ("the Samhain gathering") held on the last weekend of October or the first of November, when more than 10,000 people attend the seven-day event.
History The first Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival was organised in 1897 by Conradh na Gaeilge (the Gaelic League), which envisaged it as part of a renaissance of traditional Irish arts and culture. in the Round Room of Dublin's Rotunda, one of the largest halls in the city at that time. It was just a half-day festival, but the attendance still exceeded a thousand people, an unexpected level of interest.
In contrast to today's festival, there was little emphasis on the performing arts. The competitions included two for poetry, five for prose essays, one for poetry compilations; a competition for unpublished songs or stories in Irish; a competition for new song compositions and a recitation competition.
While the festival management pulled off accomplishments including the staging of the first Irish-language opera, the popularity of the Oireachtas waned in the early part of the twentieth century, and the festival was cancelled for a number of years in the 1920s and 1930s. Since the 1990s, the organisers, under the Directorship of Liam Ó Maolaodha have attempted on to make the festival appealing to younger speakers of Irish via outings, discos, and other youth-oriented events.
The festival was originally held in Dublin, but since the 1970s, it has been held in different cities and towns around Ireland. The festival culminates in four major competitions over the weekend: Corn Uí Riada, a sean-nós singing competition for all age and gender categories, Comórtas na mBan, a sean-nós singing competition for women Comórtas na bhFear, a sean-nós singing competition for men, Comórtas Damhsa ar an Sean Nós ("Steip"), a free-style dancing competition
Although the majority of participants in Comórtas Damhsa ar an Sean Nós practice Conamara individual step style now popular around the country, the competition also includes dancing in other regional styles.
Past winners of Corn Uí Riada include Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Lillis Ó Laoire, Máirtín Tom Sheánín Mac Donnchadha, Mícheál Ó Confhaola and 2008 winner Ciarán Ó Con Cheanainn from An Spidéal, County Galway. Colm Jimmy Ó' Curraoin won Corn Uí Riada in 2023.
Book of the Year Awards The Oireachtas' Irish Language Book of the Year Awards are considered the premier literary and publishing awards in the Irish language. Books are shortlisted each year in three categories and one is selected in each to win the Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin (Book of the Year for Adults), Gradam Réics Carló (Book of the Year for Children), and Gradam de Bhaldraithe (Book of the Year Translated into Irish from Another Language) awards.
Venue
Year Venue Notes 2025 Belfast 2022-24 Killarney 2020 Galway Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2019 Dublin 2016–18 Killarney 2015 Dublin 2013–14 Killarney 2012 Letterkenny 2010–11 Killarney 2009 Letterkenny 2008 Cork 2007 Westport 2006 Derry 2005 Cork 2004 Letterkenny 2003 Tralee 2002 Gweedore 2001 Dingle 2000 Castlebar 1999 Dungarvan 1998Tralee 1997 Belfast 1996 Gweedore 1995 Dublin 1994 Dungarvan 1993 Galway 1992 Dingle 1991 Dublin 1990 Ennis 1989 Glencolmcille 1988 Tralee 1980 Gweedore 1977 Gweedore 1974 Cois Fharraige 1939–1973 Dublin 1924–1938 no Oireachtas 1923 Dublin 1920 Dublin 1919 Cork 1917 Waterford 1915 Dundalk 1914 Killarney 1913 Galway 1897–1912 Dublin
Media coverage RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta has been covering the bigger Oireachtas events live since 1973 and these broadcasts are in considerable demand from internet audiences around the globe, particularly Corn Uí Riada and the sean-nós stage competitions. Steip, the Sean nós dancing competition, on TG4 has consistently attracted the station's highest annual audience figures. Its success is due to the hard work of Festival administrator Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha who effectively revived the competition from 2000 onwards. In 2008, for the first time, the station broadcast live segments of the Corn Uí Riada competition.
References
Sources
External links Festival website An Irishwoman's Diary Preview in Irish Times 2008 by Catherine Foley