A new campaign called Beag is Big was launched this week to encourage businesses to use more Irish and to promote the language in the workplace.
BÁC le Gaeilge, a joint initiative between Dublin City Council and Conradh na Gaeilge, funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, has grown significantly since it was established in 2022. There are now over 80 businesses on the ‘Labhair Linn’ business network across the city of Dublin. The campaign is now set to expand into the Dún Laoghaire-Ráth an Dúin area and it is hoped that there will be over a 100 businesses registered by the end of the year.
The Beag is Big campaign is aimed at businesses and sellers who have a little or some Irish and want to offer services through Irish to customers and promote the language in their work place.
BÁC le Gaeilge has seen a huge surge in interest in the language and demand for businesses who provide an Irish language service. The main aim of the campaign is to make Irish more visible and widely used in the capital city. It also supports businesses, traders, and customers who want to be part of the current language revival, even if they are not yet fluent.
According to a 2025 Amárach Research survey, 162,400 people in Dublin speak Irish, representing a 14% increase since 2006. This has created a financial opportunity known as the “Gaelic Euro,” as 41% of people said they would be more willing to spend money in a business that offers services in Irish.
According to Stephen Troy, owner of Troy’s Butchers, Moore Street:
“The Irish language has opened up a new customer base for us. People come in to me from all over the world, now practising the native language of this country. There could be a few hundred people coming in to order sausages and rashers in Irish!
I strongly recommend that any retailer get in touch with BÁC le Gaeilge if they are interested in promoting Irish in their business.”
According to research being carried out by BÁC le Gaeilge, businesses on the “Labhair Linn” network create over 6,720 speaking opportunities every month and generate an additional €17,000 per year.
According to Mícheál Ó Nualláin, Director of BÁC le Gaeilge:
“Hundreds of thousands of people in Dublin can speak Irish, but they don’t have enough opportunities to use it in their daily lives. It’s not a language problem we have - it’s a usage problem.
With ‘Beag is Big’, we are giving businesses the chance to fill that gap by creating real, everyday opportunities to use Irish. Alongside the social and cultural benefits, we are now clearly seeing that there is economic value attached to this – what we call the ‘Euro Gaelach’. It’s simple - a little Irish, a big impact. If any business is interested in getting involved, we are here to support them every step of the way.”
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