-Focus on the requirements of Irish speakers- Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., has officially launched two PhD programmes dealing with minority language issues within the Irish-speaking community. The research programme, run by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in conjunction with NUI Galway's School of Health Sciences, is funded through research bursaries from An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG). Speaking at the launch Minister Ó Cuív said: "The strategic collaboration between the University, the State and the community is contributing to the groundbreaking work undertaken by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge and NUI Galway for the benefit of the Irish-speaking community through teaching, research and consultancy work. It is intended that these research findings will be used to provide more effective advice to that community and to help Gaeltacht bodies tackle the complexities of bilingualism". NUI Galway President Dr James J. Browne congratulated Sarah Anne Muckley and Ciarán Lenoach, the students who were successfully awarded the COGG bursaries. He thanked COGG for supporting these research projects and for providing the research scholarships to enable NUI Galway award them to competent students undertaking research in this area of study. "These research proposals reflect the great progress Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge has made in developing Irish-medium education. We are happy that an tAcadamh, the School of Health Sciences (Speech & Language Therapy) and the Health Service Executive are cooperating to gain an understanding of the requirements of Irish speakers, and the requirements of Irish speakers with special needs, in particular". Speaking at the launch, Dr Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, Aonad na Pleanála Teanga, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta, Gaeilge, said: "This is the first PhD programme with which Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge is associated. The two PhD research projects are part of a pioneering research programme that will deal with relevant minority language issues within the Irish-speaking community. This research is central to the work of Aonad na Pleanála Teanga and shows how research projects in that unit are developing". The aim of the first PhD programme is to develop appropriate Irish assessments that are suitable for the way Irish is spoken as a minority language. This research will provide assessments for speech therapists who work with native Irish speakers. The second PhD will analyse the complexities of bilingualism in a minority language community such as those faced by Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas. An important objective of NUI Galway is to develop transdisciplinary study and research and to resolve common issues through examination by the application of different perspectives and understandings. Minister Ó Cuív added: "A consistent and coordinated strategy is needed to ensure that the services available to people whose home language is Irish are the same as the services available to their English-speaking counterparts. The community and the state are cooperating to ensure that this groundbreaking step in the development of services and resources will succeed so that systems will be put in place to provide as complete a service to families who are raising their children through Irish as the service provided to families who choose English as their household language". -Ends-