Coimisiún na Meán developing new Irish-Language Action Plan for media

Coimisiún na Meán was established in 2023 and is the agency responsible for regulating and developing the media sector in Ireland, writes Rónán Ó Domhnaill, Media Development Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán.

Since then, we have grown from 40 staff members to over 300 and we have built our capacity across our functions including media development, policy, and broadcasting and video-on-demand licensing and regulation. One of our key responsibilities is to support Ireland’s media sector, helping it develop content that reflects and shapes Irish society.

An Coimisiún is dedicated to promoting the Irish language and supporting the delivery of Irish-language content across the media landscape. Through licensing, targeted funding schemes, media development initiatives including training and upskilling, and strategic initiatives, we empower creators and organisations across platforms including television, radio, film, and podcasts to develop innovative Irish-language content.

Also, through the Irish-Language Advisory Committee, co-founded and co-chaired with Foras na Gaeilge, we engage regularly with stakeholders in the Irish-language media, fostering collaboration with broadcasters, content creators, and policymakers to expand Irish-language programming and identify new opportunities for growth.

Coimisiún na Meán is currently developing a new Irish-Language Action Plan which will aim to take a cohesive approach to ensuring that the good work that has been done within the sector can continue, and also to allow for new innovation, collaboration, and resourcing to equip the sector to not just navigate challenges, but flourish in a rapidly changing industry.

To lead and focus this work, we have created a new Irish-Language unit within our media landscape division, and in February 2026, hired Muiris Ó Fiannachta as our first Head of Irish Language.

A number of factors will inform the Action Plan. Firstly, our own strategy statement, published last year, sets out six key strategic outcomes: children, democracy, trust, Irish culture and media, diversity and inclusion, and public safety.

It places particular emphasis on our responsibilities to support Irish-language content, outlining our intentions to design, develop and implement new initiatives that stimulate the provision of high-quality media content in Irish and in English, including journalism, news and current affairs, drama, animation, factual, and entertainment content that is appropriately diverse, innovative, accessible, inclusive, and representative of contemporary Irish society. The Action Plan therefore reflects much ongoing work outlined within our strategy statement.

In addition, the plan will draw on our regulatory and oversight remit under the Broadcasting Act 2009; our obligations under the Official Languages Acts 2003 and 2021; the recommendations related to the Irish language contained in the report of the Future of Media Commission; and a number of other key research reports by Coimisiún na Meán in the last two years including a recent survey into audience engagement with Irish-language media; a feasibility study on the establishment of an Irish-language youth radio station; and, most recently, a comprehensive review of Irish-language media, commissioned by Coimisiún na Meán, and carried out by a research team from the College of Arts and Humanities in UCD, under Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin.

This review provides valuable insight, based on the team’s considerable research, into the existing conditions within the media sector. It contains 31 recommendations many of which align with our strategic outcomes and can be delivered using the current structures within An Coimisiún.

The delivery of Irish-language content will be facilitated by the Sound & Vision scheme, which has developed a deserved reputation in its 20 years of supporting the production of award-winning audio and video programming, and in particular, has proved a vital source of funding for Irish-language or bilingual projects, with over 800 receiving funding during its tenure.

Sound & Vision will work in tandem with our newer journalism schemes – the Local Democracy Reporting, Courts Reporting, and News Reporting schemes. These have been introduced in the last 18 months and have supported Irish-language journalism in Irish-language outlets, as well as increased the presence of Irish in primarily English-language media, including TheJournal.ie’s first Gaeltacht correspondents in 2025.

“An Coimisiún is dedicated to promoting the Irish language and supporting the delivery of Irish-language content across the media landscape.”

The inaugural round of our Digital Transformation Scheme was launched earlier this year and is providing funding for media organisations to significantly modernise their digital infrastructure, tools, and technology – Tuairisc.ie and Raidió na Life were successful applicants.

This scheme, along with our Media Skills and Training Programme, will support and encourage ongoing professional development to ensure that our media workforce can engage in the upskilling and reskilling that will facilitate the innovation necessary to enable the sector to adapt to emerging technologies and meet the needs of audiences.

In the most recent round of this programme, Learning Waves secured funding for training the next generation of journalists, noting that they will be placing a particular focus on graduates who are proficient in Irish.

Our Sponsorship Scheme will continue to support important Irish-language media events – for example Gradaim Chumarsáide an Oireachtais and the Celtic Media Festival – and the Action Plan will emphasise the importance of exploring and developing new systems to ensure that Irish speakers and Gaeltacht communities are aware of the resources that exist in the Irish-language media.

This Action Plan is the next step of an ongoing process that will allow for the delivery of more Irish-language content across the media landscape, and more training and employment opportunities for Irish speakers and in Gaeltacht areas.

It is being drafted based on the most recent research available, is based on ongoing engagement with stakeholders across the sector and is the priority of a brand new, dedicated team within our organisation. Coimisiún na Meán’s role as a regulator is expanding and our dedication to the Irish language is stronger than ever.

T: +353 1 9637755
W: www.cnam.ie