Preasráiteas: Leagan digiteach de ‘An Gaodhal’ seolta ag an Aire Calleary in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe
Media Release
Friday, 6 February 2026
Minister Calleary launches digital version of ‘An Gaodhal’ at the University of Galway
- Project delivered by the University of Galway and funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Minister Calleary also launches a new OCR tool for the Irish language
The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today launched a digital version of An Gaodhal, one of the most important Irish-language newspapers of the late nineteenth century.
Funding of almost €47,000 was provided by the Department to support the University of Galway in digitising the entire collection of An Gaodhal (1881-1898), a bilingual Irish-English newspaper founded in New York by Mícheál Ó Lócháin, a native of Milltown, Co. Galway. The project was co-funded by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, the Irish Institute of New York, Glucksman Ireland House, New York University, and the University of Galway.
The An Gaodhal research project supports the goals of the Digital Plan for the Irish Language, that include ensuring total support for the Irish language in the digital sphere in addition to sourcing high-quality language data for future use. As part of this project, new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology was developed to accurately read the old Gaelic script, which has long been a challenge for researchers.
The digitised newspaper and related resources will be made openly available, so that students, researchers, and the wider public will be able to examine and properly study this material for the first time.
The An Gaodhal collection is online and available to view HERE
Speaking at the launch at the University of Galway, Minister Calleary said:
“This project shows how modern technology can be used to protect and strengthen the Irish language. By providing ‘An Gaodhal’ online in a digital format, we are opening up the linguistic and cultural history of the language to a new audience.
“Another wonderful result of the work undertaken for this project was the development of a new OCR tool for Irish; such developments closely tie in with one of my Department’s objectives regarding modern technological facilities being created for Irish, so that it keeps pace with the modern languages of the world.”
The project’s research associate, Dr Deirdre Ní Chonghaile, said:
“Irish and English are side by side on the newspaper’s pages as well as various dialects and the pre-standardised Irish spelling, totalling almost 1.8 million words. The volume and diversity of that content strengthens the digital tools which can be derived from it.”
Dr Ní Chonghaile added:
“All are welcome to avail of the models created on Transkribus for free. Now that there are three OCR models available for Irish – Gerard Farrell having published the third in 2023 – we are excited to see them applied to various texts. With a searchable digital version of An Gaodhal being published, we can see how the technology helps us establish an even playing field for various language communities and for historical sources which belong to everyone.”
Preasráiteas
Dé hAoine, 6 Feabhra 2026
Leagan digiteach de ‘An Gaodhal’ seolta ag an Aire Calleary in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe
- Tionscadal seachadta ag Ollscoil na Gaillimhe agus maoinithe ag An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta
- Seolann an tAire Calleary uirlis nua OCR don Ghaeilge freisin
Sheol an tAire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta, Dara Calleary TD, leagan digiteach inniu de An Gaodhal, ceann de na nuachtáin Gaeilge is tábhachtaí ó dheireadh an naoú céad déag.
Chuir an Roinn maoiniú dár luach €47,000 ar fáil do Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, chun digitiú a dhéanamh ar chnuasach iomlán An Gaodhal (1881–1898), nuachtán dátheangach Gaeilge-Béarla a bhunaigh Micheál Ó Lócháin i Nua-Eabhrac agus arb as Co. na Gaillimhe ó dhúchas é. Rinneadh an tionscadal a chómhaoiniú ag Fondúireacht Robert David Lion Gardiner, Institiúid Éireannach Nua-Eabhrac, Glucksman Ireland House, Ollscoil Nua-Eabhrac agus Ollscoil na Gaillimhe.
Tacaíonn tionscadal taighde An Gaodhal le spriocanna an Phlean Dhigitigh don Ghaeilge, a bhfuil sé mar aidhm aige a chinntiú go dtacaítear go hiomlán leis an nGaeilge sa domhan digiteach agus go bhfuil sonraí teanga ar ardchaighdeán ar fáil lena n-úsáid amach anseo. Mar chuid den tionscadal seo, forbraíodh teicneolaíocht nua Aithint Optúil Carachtar (OCR/ Optical Character Recognition) chun an seanchló Gaelach a léamh go cruinn, rud a bhí ina dhúshlán do thaighdeoirí le fada an lá.
Cuirfear an nuachtán digitithe agus na hacmhainní gaolmhara ar fáil go hoscailte, ionas go mbeidh mic léinn, taighdeoirí agus an pobal trí chéile in ann an t-ábhar seo a scrúdú agus staidéar ceart a dhéanamh air den chéad uair.
Tá An Gaodhal ar fáil ar líne agus is féidir breathnú air ANSEO
Ag labhairt dó ag an seoladh in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, dúirt an tAire Calleary TD:
“Léiríonn an tionscadal seo an bealach ar féidir linn an teicneolaíocht nua-aimseartha a úsáid chun an Ghaeilge a chosaint agus a neartú. Trí ‘An Gaodhal’ a chur ar líne i bhformáid dhigiteach, táimid ag oscailt suas stair teangeolaíocht agus cultúrtha na teanga do lucht féachana nua.
“Is iontach an rud é freisin gur forbraíodh uirlis nua OCR don Ghaeilge de thoradh na hoibre a rinneadh ar an tionscadal seo; tá forbairtí dá leithéid seo ag teacht go dlúth le ceann de chuspóirí mo Roinne i dtaobh áiseanna nuatheicneolaíochta a bheith á gcruthú don Ghaeilge ionas go mbeidh sí gob ar ghob le teangacha nua-aimseartha an domhain.”
Dúirt comhalta taighde an tionscadail, an Dr Deirdre Ní Chonghaile:
“Tá Gaeilge agus Béarla taobh le taobh ar leathanaigh an nuachtáin chomh maith le canúintí éagsúla agus litriú réamhchaighdeánach Gaeilge agus beagnach 1.8 milliún focal ar fad. De bharr toirt agus éagsúlacht an ábhair sin, ba thréine na fearais digiteacha a d’fháiscfí as.”
Dúirt an Dr Ní Chonghaile freisin:
“Tá fáilte roimh chách leas a bhaint as na samhlacha a chruthaítear ar Transkribus saor in aisce. Anois agus trí shamhail OCR don Ghaeilge ar fáil (d’fhoilsigh Gerard Farrell an tríú ceann in 2023), is fada linn go bhfeicfimid iad á gcur i bhfeidhm ar théacsanna éagsúla. Agus leagan inchuardaithe digiteach de An Gaodhal á eisiúint, léirítear mar a chuidíonn an teicneolaíocht linn cothrom na Féinne a thabhairt do phobail éagsúla teanga agus d’fhoinsí stairiúla a bhaineann le cách.”