Funded by the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund through the North South Research Programme (NSRP), LIFELANGS is a collaborative project led by a team of multidisciplinary researchers from Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.
Project funding of approximately €3.7 million will be used to establish a ‘Living Observatory of Shared Languages and Identities on the Island of Ireland’. Working with local communities across the island of Ireland, the project will examine how people of all ages learn and use languages - both spoken and signed - throughout their lives, in places like homes, schools, workplaces, and social spaces.
From Trinity’s School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, Professor Lorna Carson is the co-Principal Investigator on the project alongside Dr Aisling O’Boyle of Queen's University Belfast.
LIFELANGS co-PIs Lorna Carson and Aisling O’Boyle
The project also involves a number of colleagues across Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity’s School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, including Dr. Bronagh Catibusic, Dr. Colin John Flynn, Ms. Teresa Lynch and Dr. Kathleen Mc Tiernan.
In its upcoming online launch on the 4 December 2025, the LIFELANGS team will share its inclusive vision for the Living Observatory, and highlight ways for interested researchers and stakeholders to get involved.
The project will also draw heavily on partnerships with local groups as researchers aim to collect data that reflects the needs and experiences of all citizens, including those who are often overlooked or difficult to reach due to social, political, or geographical factors.
The LIFELANG’s Logo Contest is also live until the 25 November, as it invites young people from across Ireland - north and south - to design a new logo for the project. The winning entry will be used on the LIFELANGS website and in all of its promotional materials, events and publications.
Speaking about the project and upcoming launch, Professor Carson said:
“We are delighted to launch the LIFELANGS project and to see this new Living Observatory begin to take shape across Ireland. At a time when evidence-based decision-making is essential to addressing key issues related to languages and identities in our society, the work conducted by the LIFELANGS research team will shed light on the dynamics of multilingualism, language usages and changes, and linguistic attitudes across all counties in Ireland.”
LIFELANGS is a Strand 2 project  funded under the North South Research Programme (NSRP). The NSRP is a collaborative scheme funded through the Government’s Shared Island Fund. It is being administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.