Bean an Tí numbers fall by a third with over 1,000 students on Ros an Mhíl’s Coláiste Chamuis waiting list

Galway Bay fm newsroom – There has been a 30% decline in the number of Bean an Tís hosting Irish language students in the Gaeltacht.

According to figures obtained by TG4, the number of host families in the Gaeltacht has fallen from 712 to 495 in the last four years, resulting in students being turned away from summer colleges.

The hour long documentary, to be broadcast at 9.30 tomorrow night, found that there is a shortage of Bean an Tís in Connemara, with 1,300 students on the waiting list for Coláiste Chamuis in Ros na Mhíl.

Some of the factors being cited for the lack of Bean an Tís are changing social habits, insufficient pay for keeping students and COVID-19.

TG4 investigative reporter Kevin Magee, says the issue cannot be ignored: