Waterford Gaeltacht faces 'existential threat' due to housing 

The lack of available housing in the Waterford Gaeltacht poses an "existential threat" to the Irish-speaking area, says Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness.

The West Waterford TD said the inability of younger generations to "set up a home and start a family in the Gaeltacht spells the beginning of the end for these unique language communities".

“Our Gaeltacht areas are not immune to the housing crisis that’s causing such hardship all across the state," the TD said in a statement to Waterford News & Star. "In fact, for the Gaeltacht the housing crisis presents an existential threat."

Deputy McGuinness, who was recently made Sinn Féin spokesperson for An Ghaeltacht, made the comments in reaction to a parliamentary response from Fianna Fáil Minister of State Charlie McConalogue.

Minister McConalogue noted that despite there being "more than five times as many holiday homes in Gaeltacht areas than in the state as a whole, as a share of the total housing stock", Gaeltacht areas still have significantly lower occupancy rates than the country as a whole.

With regard to the Waterford Gaeltacht, Deputy McGuinness said the issue was caused by "the state-wide failure to build social and affordable houses over recent decades" which has left young people feeling priced out of the market when it comes to purchasing a home. He said that's leading to "young people leaving the Gaeltacht [and] setting up homes elsewhere". 

The Sinn Féin spokesperson said the country is fast approaching the point of no return with the Government set to oversee "the destruction of An Ghaeilge as a living, breathing community language" as a result of existing housing policies.