A Cumann Gaelach or Cuallacht is a group or Irish society in a college or university. The group acts as a social space for the Irish speakers of that college, and organizes events and campaigns to promote the Irish language and to build and strengthen Irish speaking communities on their campuses.

In each Cumann there is a committee made up of elected people to carry out different aspects of the Cumann's work. Here, the common roles are described, and the typical work they do is explained.

This is only a guide to some of the aspects of the jobs, and it is worth remembering that different duties fall under the responsibility of different officers from time to time, depending on the year, the college and so on. This list is not exhaustive, and varies from college to college.

Senior Officers

Chairperson: This officer is also often called President or Reachtaire. The Chairperson is responsible for the work of the committee. They direct the work that the committee is doing, and they are the spokesperson for the branch in public.
The Deputy Chairperson: The Deputy Chairperson  assists the Chairperson in their work, and takes over the duties of the Chairperson when the Chairperson cannot perform them.
The Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for the correspondence of the branch. It is their responsibility to keep minutes at the meetings, prepare reports, fill in forms etc.
The Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for the branch's financial affairs, managing expenditure and dealing with requests for money, grants, membership fees and more. Money decisions will normally be made with the Chairperson, and with input from the committee broadly.
Junior Officers

The Public Relations Officer / The Technology Officer: These Officers work to keep members and the public informed of what is going on. They manage the social media pages and send out the weekly emails unless that falls under the responsibility of the Secretary. They design graphics for posters and general advertising for the association.
The Entertainment Officer: The Entertainment Officer is responsible for organizing events. Included here is responsibility for organizing music, arranging locations and more.
The Debating Officer: The Debating Officer organizes internal competitions, and they prepare teams to send to national competitions
Other Common Officers:

Sponsorship Officer
Drama Officer
Campaign Officer
Media Officer
Opposition Officer
2/3/4 Year Officer
Publications Officer
Social Officer
Deputy Entertainment Officer / Public Relations / etc.
Ordinary Committee Member

Conradh na Gaeilge is always happy to help Irish Associations, between helping to establish a new association, giving advice, planning, discussing ideas and more. We employ a full-time Third Level Coordinator to provide that assistance to our branches. Conradh na Gaeilge offers workshops for Cumainn, freebies for Freshers' Week, training days, and tickets for events at student prices. Caoimhe Ní Mhaolaí is the current Coordinator, and she can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss the above.

Additionally, if you are currently on a Cumann, or would like to start one, weekly office hours with the Third Level team are available every Wednesday from 12-2 are available at this link.

The Union of Students in Ireland (AMLÉ or USI) represents students in most of the third level colleges and universities, and they have a Vice-President for Irish on their staff to represent the people of the Irish language at third level. Amongst their work, they support Irish Associations in the colleges they are associated with, so they are a good source of help for you. The Vice-President for Irish can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It is usual for 3rd Level Irish Associations to have a constitution, settings out their aims, rules, roles and other important things  clearly. Societies often need to have a constitution to get official recognition in the college, and we also recommend as good practice that all our 3rd Level branches have a constitution. The constitution is a tool that ensures the activities of the association in the short and long term, as well as being a guide in the work of the association. It ensures that newly elected officials know what they have to do in their jobs, as well as what rules they have to follow and what goals they should have. The constitution also serves as a useful guide in case of disagreement among committee members or in relation to the college's legislation.

Constitutions for Irish Societies
Below are some constitutions from our current branches. We cannot guarantee that these are accurate or up to date, and changes may have occurred since this list was compiled. This list is intended to guide new societies in setting up their own cumann and writing their own constitution.

Cumann Gaelach TCD - BunreachtTCD.pdf
Cuallacht na Gaeilge, Má Nuad -BunreachtMáNuad.pdf
Cumann Gaelach UCD -Bunreacht
An Chuallacht, UCC - Bunreacht_Chuallacht_UCC.pdf

You have been elected as an Irish Language Officer, fair play!  First of all let's look at what is involved in the role.

Not every college or university has an Irish Language Officer as a Union officer. Currently, dedicated students in various colleges are fighting to achieve that, so that Irish people have a voice in Student Unions, and have access to a source of authority to achieve their wishes. Therefore, if you are already an Irish Language Officer, you have a particular advantage in that people who have gone before you have already achieved that power.

If the Union has a constitution, chances are it is mentioned in who you are in name and to be responsible for it. There is also every chance that legislation related to the Irish language has been passed by the Council of the Union or a similar system in your college. If the Union has a policy book, look at the number of amendments that have been adopted in terms of the Irish language over the years. Depending on the college, this could be neatly organized in one place and easily accessible. It could also be scattered between different documents from different years without order or arrangement. You will have to do this research anyway, and it will shape what the members have put forward over the years.

You will be working throughout the year with all the other officers on the Union, so it is worth having a good relationship with them. This will be helpful when you need to pressure them or ask them for things in the future. Get to know them, be friendly and inform them of their duties in terms of the Irish language while they are in the Union.

If there is a Cumann Gaelach in the college, you will work closely with them as well. Get to know the chairperson and the other officers early in the year, offer them your help and do your best to build as good a relationship as possible with them during the year. There will be better access to people with Irish who are outside the circles of the Union, and it will be possible for them to run social events and so on more efficiently than the Union in many cases. If you have a good relationship, this will help you when you want to achieve things in your own role

You only have a certain amount of time to go throughout the year, and you will have to think about how you are going to use that time. You will have lectures, study, exams and other academic work, you will have a social life, you could have a part-time job and there will be much more. Think about how much time you can devote to your work as an officer each week.

In that time, you mainly want to work for the Irish language community in college. Then if there is time left, it is possible to think about the things that can be done to promote the Irish language in another way, such as discussing with learners and learning the Irish language. Finally,  there will be other things going on in the Union that people will be looking for help with, and it is worth supporting them at times, but make sure that your own priorities are in order.

If there isn't an Irish Language Officer in your college yet - seek one!

Speak to current officers on your Students' Union about the possibilities of establishing this new role. Depending on your college, you may have to put this as a motion before council, and achieve a majority vote. In other colleges, you might have to collect a certain number of signatures. This information should be on your Union's website, or through contacting current Officers. 

Make sure to explain the advantages of establishing this new role, as well as explaining the obligations on your college under the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 in the south or the Language and Identity Act 2022   in the six counties. If your college is a member of USI, your union's obligations for the Irish language can be seen here. 

You can contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like help with the above.

As long as you are in your role as Irish Language Officer, you will always have support available to achieve your aims and goals. Conradh na Gaeilge is always happy to help, and we have employed a full-time Third Level Coordinator to provide you with that help. Caoimhe Ní Mhaolaí is the current Coordinator, and she can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Additionally, if you are a current Oifigeach na Gaeilge, or would like to discuss the development of such a role in your college, weekly office hours with the Third Level team are available every Wednesday from 12-2 are available at this link.

The Union of Students in Ireland (AMLÉ or USI) represents students in most of the third level colleges and universities, and they have a Vice-President for Irish on their staff to represent the people of the Irish language at third level. Amongst their work, they place particular emphasis on helping the Irish Language Officers in the Student Unions, so they are a good source of help for you. The current Vice President is Bláthín Nic a t'Síthigh, and she can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There is much more to the role of the Irish Language Officer than just translations.

At the 2023 USI Comhdháil, a motion was passed stating that "the role of the Irish Language Officer should not be focused on translation, but be focused on the promotion of the language and the protection of language rights in the university."

If your college or union requires translation services, you are advised to contact the Contract's translation services, by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Because Irish is an official language in the European Union, there are opportunities for people with Irish. There are various jobs available in the EU: translator, interpreter, legal linguist, proofreader, assistant, and administrator. Translators deal with the written word, while interpreters listen to live speech and translate it into another language. All information regarding jobs through Irish with the EU can be found here.

The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 has set a requirement that 20% of recruits to the public sector will be competent in Irish and English from the end of 2030. Depending on the role, there would be a high standard of spoken and/or written Irish Needed to work through the medium of Irish. Because of that, Irish will be a significant advantage when someone is going for any role in the civil service or in the public sector. There is a wide range of jobs available with the state, from clerk to engineer to doctor to senior civil servant and many others. This variety gives people who want to work through the medium of Irish the opportunity to do something of their choice. More information on jobs in the civil service can be found here.

Opportunities are constantly coming up with organizations such as Raidío na Gaeltachta, Macalla teo, Fíbín Media, Cúla4 and others. Keep an eye on https://peig.ie/foluntais/ to see current opportunities.

Internship with RnaG/TG4

RTÉ Ráidío Na Gaeltachta and TG4 announce internships every year. Keep an eye on this link to see vacancies.

BLOCK TG4

If you want a casual or informal experience, consider creating content for BLOC TG4. BLOC is a platform for Irish speakers between 18-35 who want to provide innovative, funny (and daring) content to the Irish community. We are always looking for new ideas from people and you are very welcome to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have ideas for creating a series of videos on Instagram or TikTok!

If you have to take a year of work experience as part of your degree - consider applying for a job in the Irish language sector

Apprenticeship with hÚdarás na Gaeltachta:

There are apprenticeships offered by Údarás na Gaeltachta in different sectors, eg: carpentry, plumbing, mechanics, hairdressing, laboratory technician, insurance practitioner, auctioneer etc.

There are 15 different sectors coming under the scheme and 60 apprenticeship places, all recognized by SOLAS and open to the Gaeltacht community with fluency in Irish

Internship with RnaG/TG4

RTÉ Raidío Na Gaeltachta and TG4 announce internships every year. Keep an eye on this link to see current availabilities. 

Traineeships with the EU 

The European Union offers traineeships through Irish. Keep an eye out on this page for current opportunities.

There are opportunities to go to the USA or Canada with groups like Fulbright and ICUF, which allow new graduates to go to North America to study and conduct research on a paid basis.

You can find more out about careers in the Irish language at cnag.ie/gairmeacha. Current information about positions currently hiring is available at peig.ie/foluntais.

Tuathal, Iris an Chumainn Gaelaighch, Trinity College Dublin

Iris Breac, Iris na Cuallachta, University College Cork

Winners of the Silver Award 2023

An Cumann Gaelach, UCD

Students' Union, IADT Dún Laoghaire

IrishSoc RCSI

Students' Union, UCD

Students' Union, South East Technological University, Waterford.

Students' Union, Dublin City University

Students' Union, Carlow College

Students' Union, Ulster University

Students' Union, Queens' University Belfast

Winners of the Gold Award 2023

Students' Union, University College Cork

The Drama Society, University College Cork

An Cumann Gaelach, University of Galway

Students' Union,, University of Galway

Cuallacht Cholmcille, Maynooth University

Students' Union, Maynooth University

An Cumann Gaelach, University of Limerick 

Students' Union, Mary Immaculate College

Students' Union, Trinity College Dublin

An Cumann Gaelach, Trinity College Dublin