The application process for the Campus and Second-Year Irish Language Residency Scheme 2021/22 is now closed. It will open again in March/April 2022 and an application form will be available to download from this page. Please find further information on the Irish Residency Scheme below.
This Scheme relates to current students of Trinity College Dublin. There are two parts to the Scheme.
a) On-campus Residency Scheme: for undergraduate students in second, third and fourth year (12 spaces).
b) Second Year Residency Scheme in Dartry, Trinity Hall: for undergraduate students in second year only (6 spaces).
Residency Scheme
This Scheme is administered by the Irish Language Office and Coiste na Gaeilge (the College's Irish Language Committee) in assocation with the Registrar of Chambers to promote the use of Irish in university life by offering Irish language accommodation to a limited number of students who fulfill the Scheme's conditions.
Fulltime undergraduate second, third and fourth year students with fluency in Irish are sought. Students must be willing to speak the language in the apartment on a daily basis as well as to support and attend Irish language events and fulfill other requirements. Each student must cover his/her/their accommodation costs but a grant payment of €1,000 per student is made over the course of the academic year to assist in covering these costs. One half of the grant is paid after Michaelmas Term and the other half at the end of the academic year.
A separate application, outside of an application for the Residency Scheme, should be submitted to the Accommodation Office if you wish to live on campus or in Trinity Hall. Therefore, if you do not receive an offer for a place on the Scheme, you will still have the option of a space in College accommodation. See further information on the Accommodation Office's website here.
Accommodation
a) Trinity College Dublin's city centre campus
There are 12 spaces available on the Campus Scheme for undergraduate students in their second, third or fourth year of study.
There are six apartments (usually located in Botany Bay), with two students in each apartment.
Each student has their own bedroom. The bathroom and kitchen/living area are shared.
To attend any meetings called by the Irish Language Officer in the academic year.
To take an active part in the Irish language community in the university and to promote the language and culture on campus and in Trinity Hall.
Campus Scheme (12 students): monitoring of Seomra na Gaeilge and participation in the Gaelchara scheme where students are paired with first-year Scheme students.
Second Year (Dartraí) Scheme (6 students): organise and facilitate a weekly conversation circle.
To complete at least one project in both Michaelmas Term and in Hilary Term to promote the Irish language e.g. organise an event/awareness campaign, etc.
To prepare a report and presentation (as a group) for the Irish Language Officer and Coiste na Gaeilge at the end of Michaelmas and Hilary Terms outlining how the requirements of the scheme have been fulfilled.
Support the work of the Irish Language Office e.g. attend events, help with organisation, etc.
The student is required to cover all costs for the accommodation. The Irish Language Office provides a grant of €1,000 towards the accommodation costs.
To sign a form at the beginning of the academic year confirming that you accept the conditions of the scheme.
Adhere to the rules set out by the Accommodation Office for students in College accommodation.
Adhere to the rules and restrictions outlined by College and the government in relation to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Please note that these could change during the academic year and must be complied with at all times.
In the case that it is deemed that the conditions of the Scheme are not being fulfilled or that those conditions have not been fulfilled at the end of a term/year, the Irish Language Officer and Coiste na Gaeilge reserve the right to terminate a student's participation in the Residency Scheme or to refuse payment or part-payment of the grant.
The Application Process
March/April
The application process opens and students are invited to submit an application form. Applications are shortlisted and students named on the shortlist are invited for interview.
April
Interviews are held online and twelve students are selected for the Campus Scheme and six students for the Second Year (Dartry) Scheme - 18 students in total.
May
The Irish Language Officer contacts students to inform them if they have or have not been granted a space on the Residency Scheme.
Coronavirus COVID-19
The safety of students and staff is paramount and the government's advice on the COVID-19 coronavirus will be followed in both on-campus and Trinity Hall student accommodation at all times. There may be certain rules and restrictions in place in the new academic year due to the virus and it should be noted that these may change over the course of the year depending on government guidelines. It will be expected that students of the Irish Language Residency Scheme will adhere to these rules and restrictions at all times. Further information on COVID-19 and Trinity is available here.