Gaeltacht

British

/ ˈɡaɛl-, ˈɡɛːltəxt, ˈɡeɪlˌtæxt /

noun

any of the regions in Ireland in which Irish Gaelic is the vernacular speech. The form Gaeltacht is sometimes also used to mean the region of Scotland in which Scottish Gaelic is spoken See also Gaidhealtachd

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Gaeltacht

C20: from Irish Gaelic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Gaeltacht

It said evidence from Irish Gaeltacht areas suggested the designation could bring economic and educational benefits.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

The Advocacy Manager of Conradh na Gaeilge, Conchúr Ó Muadaigh, said that it was the first time that the Irish language and Gaeltacht community had taken strike action.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025

Ms. Ui Aodha was born in a village in the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking area of the country, into a family that had fished for over 150 years.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2023

Like Arranmore Island, Doochary is in the Gaeltacht, the area of Ireland where the Irish language is spoken, so some classes are taught in Irish.

From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2022

Even in the Gaeltacht – areas where Irish is the communal language – the proportion of those speaking it every day fell between the 2006 and 2011 censuses.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 17, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023