EU Comes Calling for Irish Speakers as Demand Surges Ahead of Ireland's EU Presidency

27 March, 2026

min read

successful visit to Údarás na Gaeltachta this week has shone a spotlight on one of the most exciting career opportunities available to Irish speakers today: a role representing their language at the highest levels of European democracy.

The delegation, led by Juan Carlos Jiménez Marín, the senior EU official responsible for interpretation services across the European Union’s institutions, travelled to the Gaeltacht as part of a wider programme that included the University of Galway and the Office of the Language Commissioner. The message they brought with them was clear: the EU needs talented Irish speakers, and it needs them now.

With Ireland assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union later this year, demand for skilled Irish interpreters and translators in Brussels and Strasbourg has never been greater. These are not short-term contracts or token gestures, they are permanent, prestigious positions at the centre of European decision-making, shaping how Ireland’s voice is heard on the continent.

For anyone with a passion for the Irish language and ambitions beyond our shores, the timing could not be more perfect.

This visit signals something significant. It shows that the European Union does not merely tolerate the Irish language, it values it, invests in it, and is actively building the infrastructure to give it the presence it deserves in the European Parliament. For the Gaeltacht community, that is more than encouraging; it is a statement of intent.

Údarás na Gaeltachta stands firmly behind this mission, working alongside the Government and European institutions to ensure Irish is not just spoken in the corridors of Brussels but truly heard.

As Tomás Ó Síocháin, Chief Executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta, put it: “There has never been a better time to seize the opportunity.”  says Tomás Ó Síocháin, Chief Executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta. “We are proud to stand behind every Irish speaker ready to carry their language into the heart of Europe.”