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Date: 30 May 2025
Belfast City Council has joined together with Fís an Phobail to deliver a series of workshops in Irish medium schools during June, highlighting the upcoming Oireachtas na Samhna festival.
Belfast is hosting Ireland’s oldest Irish language and arts gathering from 29 October to 2 November at venues across the city.
With just over 150 days to go until its arrival, the council is working with Fís an Phobail, the Irish language network for west Belfast, to encourage young Irish Gaeilgeoirs to get involved in participating and attending the festival.
As the end of the school year approaches, pupils at Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh and Gaelscoil na bhFál will be exploring the history of the festival, first held in Dublin in 1897, and learning more about the various events and activities taking place across arts, music, sean-nós singing and the spoken word.
Other schools keen to take part in the programme can also sign up by emailing [email protected]
Joining schoolchildren at the Cultúrlann on Falls Road for the programme launch, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, said:
“Belfast last hosted Oireachtas na Samhna in 1997 and we’re looking forward to welcoming it back again, following our successful bid with the Department for Communities, the tourism sector and Irish language organisations, including Visit Belfast, Féile an Phobail, Fobairt Feirste, Conradh na Gaeilge and Fáilte Feirste Thiar.
“Our city’s Irish language community is flourishing and having the festival in Belfast provides a valuable opportunity for young people to see the language in action, meet up with other young speakers and develop their skills even further.
“This festival is a chance to celebrate the cultural significance of language and show exactly why all languages need to be protected and nurtured, for both this generation and those to come. We look forward to showing off Belfast and our many attractions and strengths to those visitors who will be travelling from across Ireland to attend Oireachtas this autumn.”
Up to 10,000 participants and spectators are expected in Belfast for Oireachtas, with a packed timetable of events planned, including competitions, debates, film screenings, workshops, awards and more.
“We look forward to a phenomenally successful Oireachtas festival in Belfast in 2025, in light of the invaluable support being provided by Belfast City Council and other Irish language and arts groups,” said Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha, CEO of An tOireachtas.
“I cannot conceive of a more fitting or welcoming city than Belfast to host this vibrant, annual celebration of the traditional and contemporary performing arts, as well as the dedicated patrons, inclusive of all age groups, who attend the festival in their many thousands every year.
“We have introduced new arts genres this year in honour of local performers, past and present, who have excelled in their chosen artistic form. The new performing arts genres are rap and choral music (junior - for performers under 18) and solo singing with guitar accompaniment (performers over 18), in honour of the Belfast singer Albert Fry who was President of the Oireachtas when the festival was last held in Belfast in 1997.”
As with previous events in Dublin, Cork, Killarney and other locations, all events at Oireachtas are delivered in Irish, providing a unique opportunity for those from Gaeltacht areas, and Irish speakers from non-Gaeltacht areas, to come together, exchange learning and celebrate language and culture.
“It is over quarter of a century ago since the festival last visited the city of Belfast and we look forward to a very successful, vibrant Oireachtas Festival by the banks of the Lagan in 2025,” said Éimear Nic Ionnrachtaigh from Fís an Phobail.
"We are extremely excited that the Oireachtas is coming to Belfast this year. It is recognition for the incredible language revival taking root in the city over many decades, a community revival which has rightly gained international attention.
“We must, however, make sure that we gain every advantage from the coming of the Oireachtas and the profile that comes with it, especially in terms of our young people.
“We hope to inspire them around the Oireachtas and, in particular, the culture that is showcased at it. We are very grateful to Belfast City Council for their generous support that will allow us to deliver a roadshow to our young people in the coming months."
Further information about Oireachtas na Samhna 2025 is on the council website at belfastcity.gov.uk/events or on the official festival website at antoireachtas.ie/oireachtas-na-samhna/