A national housing campaign aimed at tackling the housing crisis in Gaeltacht areas was launched at Oireachtas na Samhna last weekend.

Tinteán, a collaborative effort by Conradh na Gaeilge and Bánú housing advocacy group from the Conamara Gaeltacht, brings together Gaeltacht communities nationally to highlight the urgent housing needs threatening the cultural and linguistic heritage of these regions.

The Tinteán campaign aims to put the Gaeltacht housing crisis at the forefront of national policy discussions and calls on the Irish government to prioritize housing rights within Gaeltacht regions, especially as the country prepares for a General Election. Tinteán emphasises that solving the housing crisis in the Gaeltacht is fundamental to preserving the Irish language and supporting sustainable communities.

At the launch event coinciding with the Oireachtas na Samha festival in Killarney on Friday, broadcaster Dara Ó Cinnéide officially launched the Tinteán campaign, joined by guest speakers Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh from ‘An Dream Dearg’ and Communications Manager with Conradh na Gaeilge, and Adhna Ní Bhraonáin from Bánú.

Each speaker highlighted the impact of the housing crisis on Gaeltacht communities and the importance of this campaign in securing housing rights and preserving cultural heritage. Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh also spoke about his experience with the advocacy group An Dream Dearg, drawing parallels between the movements and emphasising the power of unified, community-led advocacy.

Róisín Ní Chinnéide, Advocacy Manager with Conradh na Gaeilge said: “For years the Gaeltacht community has been warning repeatedly that the housing crisis is shattering the fabric of these areas, and as a result, the Irish language. We cannot continue to accept government policies that facilitate this devastation.

“The Tinteán movement belongs to every person in favour of language and housing rights, and we must be organised for this decisive period ahead of us. United under one national campaign, we have a very strong case for our demands to be met.”

Adhna Ní Bhraonáin from the advocacy group  Bánú said: Significant progress has been made so far with the ‘Bánú’ campaign, but we need to put national pressure on the government and for all the Gaeltacht regions to stand together to advance our demands. I hope that the candidates in the General Election will pay attention to the housing needs of the Gaeltacht community, as highlighted by ‘Tinteán’.

Pictured at the launch of Tinteán were broadcaster Dara Ó Cinnéide, Adhna Ní Bhraonáin from Bánú and Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh of Conradh na Gaeilge.