Gaeltacht
An officially designated Irish-speaking area, where the Irish language is the everyday language of the community. Distinct from the Galltacht (the English-speaking rest of the country). Found mainly in Donegal, Mayo, Galway, and parts of Kerry, Cork, Waterford, and Meath.
Etymology
From Irish 'Gaeltacht' - 'Gael' (= an Irish person, an Irish speaker) plus the suffix '-tacht' meaning a region or condition. Cognate with Scottish Gaelic 'Gàidhealtachd'. The English-speaking complement is the 'Galltacht'. The administrative designation of Gaeltacht areas dates from the 1920s; the word itself is older in the language.
In a sentence
"He spent the summer in the Donegal Gaeltacht to brush up his Irish."
Historical notes
Gaeltacht is the standard English-language term for the Irish-language-speaking regions and carries no need for translation in Irish public life. The Donegal Gaeltacht (Gaeltacht Dhún na nGall), the Galway Gaeltacht (Conamara), and the Kerry Gaeltacht (Corca Dhuibhne) are the largest. Status as a Gaeltacht area carries practical consequences - government funding, school language requirements, signage - which is why the word has settled into English with no translation needed.
Sources
- Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (Ó Dónaill), entry Gaeltacht. · dictionary
- de Bhaldraithe, T. English-Irish Dictionary (1959). · dictionary