An Cumann Gaelach is a student society typically found in most colleges and universities in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. Many of the groups were founded in the early 1900s as part of a wider revival of the language, which saw the establishment of national groups such as Conradh na Gaeilge

Conradh na Gaeilge

Conradh na Gaeilge is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. The motto of the League is Sinn Féin, Sinn Féin amháin .-Origins:...

 (English: Gaelic League). Although the groups are not formally linked, they operate in a similar manner through the facilitating of Irish classes (usually free), céilís and trips to the Gaeltacht

Gaeltacht

is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...

 (Irish speaking areas), while many hold special events during Seachtain na Gaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilge is a non-profit organisation which aims to promote the Irish language during a two week festival held at the beginning of March every year...

 (English: Irish Language Week), which takes place the fortnight before St Patrick’s Day. Many of the societies also take part in the annual 'Glór na nGael' (English: The Voice of the Gael) competition, which gives awards to third level groups for their work in the promotion of the Irish language within their institutions. The competition is coordinated partly by Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge is the governing body of the Irish language, responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland. Its name can be translated into English as "The Irish Language Body", although the body has no official English-language name...

 (the body charged with promoting the language) and has existed for several decades. It included a specific category for colleges and universities for the first time in 2006.

Membership

Since 2003, the Irish language daily, Lá Nua, has published an annual survey of the country’s main 'Cumainn Ghaelacha' (plural form) and their membership. The 2007 edition features a total of eleven groups, with the Trinity College, Dublin Cumann

An Cumann Gaelach, TCD

An Cumann Gaelach is the Irish Language and culture Society at The University of Dublin, Trinity College...

 cementing its position as the largest, gaining more than 50%, with Queen's University Belfast Cumann

An Cumann Gaelach, QUB

An Cumann Gaelach is the Irish Language Society at Queen's University Belfast . Established in 1906, it is the third oldest society still in existence at the University, after the BMSA and Christian Union. The first meeting of the society was held on 30 January 1906, with William Mac Arthur being...

 the largest in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

University	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Dublin City University Dublin City University Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...	-	50	140	160	149
Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...	-	30	31	132	188
NUI Galway	-	-	-	360	155
NUI Maynooth	30	60	70	150	122
Queen's University Belfast	25	46	85	88	168
St Mary's University College St. Mary's University College (Belfast) St Mary's University College was established in 1985, but can directly trace its existence to 1900 and the foundation of St Mary's Training College, which focused mainly on the training of women as teachers...	-	-	-	-	30
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...	330	520	525	700	1,060
University College Cork	-	600	400	520	950
University College Dublin University College Dublin University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...	-	230	370	312	812
University of Limerick University of Limerick The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...	-	-	74	110	100
University of Ulster, Coleraine University of Ulster at Coleraine The University of Ulster at Coleraine is the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster. It houses the administrative headquarters of the university and is the most traditional in outlook, with a focus on science and the humanities. It was founded in 1968 as the New University of Ulster...	-	-	60	60	50
Total	385	1,536	1,755	2,592	3,784