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English and Irish in Ireland – the language rules for permits, citizenship and free classes

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

You can live your whole life in Ireland in English, yet the first official language is Irish, and it shapes your child's timetable, public bodies and an Irish citizenship bill now on the table. Here is what the language rules mean for your permit, your family and your evenings – and where the free English classes are.

Smiling red-haired woman writing notes with a book open at a library table
Photo: Drobot Dean/Adobe Stock

Under Article 8 of the Constitution, Irish is the first official language and English is recognised as a second official language. Two dates matter for a newcomer. On 21 December 2024 the final provisions of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 changed how public bodies write to you. And on 21 September 2026 the Government published the General Scheme of a bill that would introduce language tests for Irish citizenship. It is a proposal, not law.

Do I need English or Irish for an employment permit or Irish citizenship?

For an employment permit, what the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment checks is the job: a salary of at least €40,904 for a Critical Skills Employment Permit or €36,605 for a General Employment Permit since 1 March 2026, the occupation, your qualifications, a job offer and, for most General permits, a Labour Market Needs Test (part 2). Your paperwork must be readable, though: for naturalisation, any document not in English must be translated by a professional translation service, with Multilingual Standard Forms accepted from EU, EEA and Swiss authorities.

For citizenship by naturalisation, the conditions in current law, as Citizens Information lists them, are reckonable residence of 5 years in the last 9 including 1 continuous year before applying, good character and an intention to keep living in Ireland; you become a citizen when you make the declaration of fidelity at a ceremony. The fees are €175 to apply and €950 for the certificate (part 15).

That is what the 2026 bill would change. Its General Scheme, published on 21 September 2026 after the Government approved priority drafting on 9 September, proposes to raise the residence requirement from 5 to 8 years for most applicants, to introduce language tests in English, Irish or Irish Sign Language and an Irish civics, society and politics test, and to require self-sufficiency. It faces pre-legislative scrutiny, has no effective date, and whether it would touch applications already lodged is not settled.

RouteWhat is checked todayLanguage in the 2026 General Scheme
Critical Skills or General Employment PermitSalary, occupation, qualifications, job offer, labour market testNot covered by the citizenship bill
Naturalisation5 of the last 9 years' residence, character, intention to reside, translated documentsTests in English, Irish or Irish Sign Language plus a civics test – proposed, no date

Source: Citizens Information and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, read 24 September 2026.

Where are the free English classes?

All 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) offer free ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages – as part of adult literacy provision, from beginner (A) through intermediate (B) to proficient (C), certified by QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) or Cambridge. There is no entry requirement beyond an initial assessment of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Most courses are part-time, 3 to 4 hours a week; some ETBs run intensive courses of 6 hours or more, and City of Dublin ETB offers up to 12 hours a week. Search the FETCH course finder or ring your ETB.

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration names citizens of Ireland, the UK, Switzerland and the EEA as eligible, and international protection applicants attend free whether or not they may work. On an employment permit or as a spouse, ask your local ETB what it offers. Free adult literacy classes are open to all adults, and NALA, the adult literacy agency, tutors by phone or online – sign up on freephone 1800 20 20 65.

OptionWhoFormat
ETB ESOLCitizens of Ireland, the UK, Switzerland and the EEA; international protection applicants; others ask the ETBFree; levels A to C; mostly 3 to 4 hours a week
ETB adult literacyAll adultsFree; usually 2 hours a week
NALA tutoringAll adultsFree; one call a week of up to 30 minutes, or online
Private language collegeAnyone; non-EEA students need a course on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP)Fee-paying; non-EEA students take at most three 25-week courses, attend 85 per cent of classes and pay the €300 registration fee (part 2)

Source: the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

Irish at school: must my child learn it?

Irish is a core subject from junior infants to the end of post-primary school, and your child must study it unless exempted. A child educated outside Ireland for 3 or more consecutive years without the opportunity to learn Irish can be exempted if they are 12 or over on the day of enrolment, or completed primary school abroad; apply through the principal, who must decide within 21 working days, and appeal a refusal to the Irish Exemptions Appeal Committee within 30 days. The exemption is not available in Gaelscoileanna and does not carry over to third level – primary teaching in State-funded colleges, for one, requires a minimum Leaving Certificate grade in Irish.

Confirm the language of instruction before enrolling: Gaelscoileanna (primary) and Gaelcholáistí (post-primary) teach the whole curriculum through Irish, as do Gaeltacht schools, and may prioritise children who already speak it. A child arriving without English is assessed with the NCCA kit and helped by the Special Education Teacher (part 10).

How much Irish will I actually hear?

Less than you might expect. In Census 2022, 1,873,997 people – 40 per cent of those aged 3 and over who answered – said they could speak Irish, but 55 per cent of them said they did not speak it well, and only 71,968 spoke it daily outside the education system.

Irish is the primary language in the Gaeltacht, home to approximately 2.1 per cent of the population: 26 Language Planning Areas in counties Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Meath, supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta. Policy follows the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010–2030, run since June 2025 by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.

Census 2022People
Could speak Irish1,873,997 – 40 per cent of those aged 3 and over who answered
Spoke it daily623,961, mostly within education
Spoke it daily outside education71,968
Said they did not speak it well55 per cent of self-declared speakers
Live in the GaeltachtAbout 2.1 per cent of the population

Source: the Central Statistics Office and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, read 24 September 2026.

Your language rights with public bodies

You may deal with any public body in Irish or English. The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 sets a target that 20 per cent of new public service recruits be competent in Irish by 2030 and, since 10 October 2022, obliges public bodies to place at least 20 per cent of their advertising in Irish – €14.2 million in 2023. Its final provisions, in force since 21 December 2024, mean a public body must answer a social-media post in the language it was written in, marketing letters must be in Irish or bilingual, and names and addresses in Irish, including the síneadh fada, must be recorded accurately. An Coimisinéir Teanga, the Language Commissioner, oversees compliance, on 091-504006.

In practice, the driver theory test for categories A, B, C and D is available in Irish, with a voice-over in 20 languages including Arabic, French, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Urdu, and a translator can be requested with a declaration form – allow 25 working days. Hospital emergency departments can arrange an interpreter, though there may be a wait.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Have any document not in English professionally translated, or get a Multilingual Standard FormBefore you apply for anything
2Book an initial ESOL assessment with your ETB, or search the FETCH course finderIn your first month
3Non-EEA students: choose an ILEP-listed English courseBefore you enrol
4Ask the principal about an Irish exemption if your child was schooled abroad for 3 years or moreAt enrolment; decision within 21 working days
5Planning citizenship: follow the 2026 bill – it is only a General SchemeBefore you apply (part 15)

Source: Citizens Information and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.