Trinity College Dublin researchers say the gap between local incomes and property prices, combined with homes being used for holidays and short-term tourism, is putting the future of Irish-speaking communities in West Kerry at risk.
The housing crisis in the West Kerry Gaeltacht is threatening the future of Irish as a living community language, according to a new policy briefing from Trinity College Dublin.
The briefing, Ó Bhéal an Phobail: Tithíocht i nGaeltacht Chiarraí Thiar — translated as In the Community’s Own Words: Housing in the West Kerry Gaeltacht — examines how residents experience housing pressures and what they believe the Government must do to protect their communities for future generations.
Published on 9 October 2026, the paper identifies a substantial mismatch between local incomes and house prices. Researchers say this problem is compounded by the loss of homes to holiday use and short-term rentals, reducing the housing available to people who want to live in the area permanently.
The research also raises a wider question for policymakers: how can the Irish language remain part of everyday community life if people who speak it cannot afford to live in the places where it has traditionally been used?
Lead researcher Dr Ann Nolan, of Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy, said the combination of high housing costs and the loss of permanent homes was threatening the sustainability of Irish as a community language in West Kerry.
Residents describe the housing situation as a crisis
The study draws on a mixed-methods approach combining six focus-group discussions involving 44 participants, census figures covering 2011 to 2022, a structured review of academic and policy literature, and relevant international comparisons.
The focus groups provided an opportunity for residents to discuss the consequences of housing pressures for their lives and communities. Five of the six discussions were conducted in Irish.
Some participants described the local housing situation as a “crisis” or an “emergency”. Others warned that the Government must recognise the particular needs of Gaeltacht communities when developing national housing policy.
One participant’s warning, quoted by Trinity, was that without adequate protection for the Irish-speaking community, “there will be no Gaeltacht here in fifty years”.
The researchers say the strongest message from participants was their fear of what could be lost if the housing crisis continued without a coordinated, robust and targeted government response.
Their concerns went beyond whether individual households could afford a property. They included the long-term future of Irish as a language used in daily life within the local community.
Holiday homes and short-term rentals add to pressure
The number of holiday homes and properties used for short-term rentals emerged as a major concern in all six focus groups.
Trinity reported that in some areas of the West Kerry Gaeltacht, the number of holiday homes and short-term rental properties exceeds the number of primary residences.
This finding points to the pressure that tourism-related demand can place on the availability of permanent housing in smaller communities. It also raises questions about whether people who work locally or have family and community connections in the area can secure homes there.
The study links this issue to the wider mismatch between local earnings and property prices. Where homes are beyond the reach of local residents or are used primarily for visitors, it can become harder for people to establish or maintain permanent lives in the area.
For Irish-speaking communities, the implications extend beyond the housing market. The researchers argue that protecting a language as a community language requires protecting the communities in which people speak it.
The study does not establish that holiday homes or short-term rentals alone cause a decline in Irish-language use. Instead, it documents residents’ concerns and identifies housing affordability and the availability of permanent homes as important issues for the sustainability of the Gaeltacht.
Research designed to influence housing policy
The briefing was prepared specifically to inform public policy. Trinity said the scope and timetable of the research were shaped by the Government’s draft Sustainable Rural and Gaeltacht Housing National Planning Statement, published in June 2026.
The statement is intended to address housing and planning in rural and Gaeltacht areas and is due to go through public consultation.
The research provides evidence about residents’ lived experiences that policymakers can consider alongside the proposed national planning measures.
The authors argue that housing policy and language planning must be more closely connected. A housing strategy that does not account for the needs of Irish-speaking communities may fail to address the wider consequences of people being unable to remain in their local areas.
They see the updated National Planning Statement as an opportunity for a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to protecting Irish as a community language for future generations.
The briefing was presented at a community event in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh on 9 October. The event was hosted by Tobar Dhuibhne, the West Kerry Gaeltacht Language Plan, which was also a partner in the study.
Budget 2027 leaves questions over affordable housing delivery
The researchers also considered housing-related and Gaeltacht-specific measures announced in Budget 2027.
The briefing notes that the measures do not yet establish how many homes will be delivered through the different affordability mechanisms, or whether additional affordable housing will be provided in Gaeltacht areas.
That uncertainty matters because general housing commitments do not automatically guarantee that new homes will be delivered in the places where local communities need them.
The researchers call for substantially more social and affordable housing, alongside intervention that reflects the particular circumstances of communities facing pressure from tourism and second-home demand.
Their recommendations emphasise that policy must address both the supply of housing and the needs of permanent residents, rather than treating affordability as an issue separate from the future of the Irish language.
Researchers call for review of short-term letting legislation
The study also calls on the Government to revisit the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2026, particularly the way population thresholds for short-term letting regulation operate in small Gaeltacht communities.
The researchers highlight a potential problem for areas where the resident population is relatively small but the proportion of homes used for tourism is exceptionally high.
They argue that population thresholds need to be considered in the context of the actual housing pressures experienced by these communities. Otherwise, smaller settlements could face significant tourism-related housing pressure without the regulatory response adequately reflecting local circumstances.
The Government published the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill on 6 October 2026. The proposed legislation would establish a national registration framework for short-term accommodation rentals and introduce obligations for hosts and online platforms.
The Bill is progressing through the legislative process. The proposed registration arrangements are expected to require hosts to obtain registration numbers for their listings, with platforms responsible for displaying and checking registration details and meeting information-sharing requirements.
However, registration and enforcement arrangements are only one part of the wider policy question. The Trinity researchers are calling for the Government to consider whether the regulatory framework is appropriate for small communities where tourism accommodation represents a high proportion of the housing stock.
They want stronger regulation where tourism and second-home demand are displacing permanent residents, alongside a substantial increase in social and affordable housing.
Irish-language technology helps capture residents’ experiences
The research also involved a collaboration between Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy and its School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences.
Dr Ann Nolan led the study, working with Dr Neasa Ní Chiaráin, who contributed expertise in speech and language technology.
Five focus groups were conducted in Irish. The ABAIR-ÉIST tool, developed through Trinity’s ABAIR Research Initiative, was used to produce transcripts from the discussions. The research team then corrected those transcripts before analysing the material.
Trinity described this as the first time an Irish-language tool had been used in this way for a research study.
The approach enabled researchers to turn hours of natural conversation into material that could be systematically examined while supporting participation in Irish-language research.
The audio gathered through the project is also being used to improve ABAIR-ÉIST’s recognition of the Corca Dhuibhne dialect. This gives the project a further benefit: the research not only documents housing concerns in an Irish-speaking community but also contributes data that may strengthen Irish-language technology.
Trinity said a full analysis of the qualitative dataset will be published in subsequent academic work. The current briefing therefore presents emerging findings intended to inform policy rather than the final analysis of all the research data.
Protecting housing means protecting the community
The central message of the briefing is that housing and language sustainability cannot be considered independently in the West Kerry Gaeltacht.
The researchers argue that people must be able to find affordable, permanent homes if communities are to remain viable places to live and if Irish is to continue as a language used in everyday life.
Dr Nolan said the State could not protect Irish as a community language without protecting the communities in which it is spoken. She called for proportionate intervention in the housing market, substantially more affordable and social housing, and stronger regulation where tourism and second-home demand displace permanent residents.
The next steps will include public consultation on the draft Sustainable Rural and Gaeltacht Housing National Planning Statement and further consideration of the proposed short-term letting legislation.
Whether these policy processes deliver measures that reflect the specific needs of West Kerry remains to be seen. The study provides policymakers with evidence of residents’ concerns and a clear call to consider housing affordability, permanent residence and language planning together.
For the West Kerry Gaeltacht, the issue is not simply how many homes can be built or how tourism accommodation is regulated. It is whether people who sustain the community will continue to have the opportunity to live there and pass Irish on through everyday community life.
