Mayo man appointed first Empty Homes Coordinator in the Gaeltacht

A WEST Mayo man has been appointed as the first Empty Homes Coordinator in the Gaeltacht with the objective of bringing vacant homes in the Gaeltacht back into use.

Achill man Colm MacEachmharcaigh was announced by Údarás na Gaeltachta as the first Empty Homes Coordinator in the Gaeltacht, a new role that will address the lack of affordable housing, which is regarded as one of the biggest challenges facing Gaeltacht communities.

Colm, who previously worked as Oifigeach Pleanála Teanga with Comhlacht Forbartha Áitiúil Acla, will be employed by Mayo County Council and will work in partnership with county councils across the Gaeltacht to identify opportunities in each Gaeltacht area.

According to statistics from the 2022 Census, there are approximately 6,160 empty homes in the Gaeltacht areas. This equates to 11 percent of the total housing stock, which is higher than the national average of 8 percent. The figures also show that there are 9,609 summer homes in the same areas.

In Mayo alone, there are 817 empty homes (13 percent) and 1,304 summer homes (21 percent) in the Gaeltacht areas. The biggest challenge is in Donegal, where there are 2,140 vacant houses (12 percent) and 4,484 summer houses (27 percent), 7.7 percent of all houses in the county.

Speaking about the appointment, Tomás Ó Síocháin, Chief Executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta, said: “The lack of housing is preventing existing employment opportunities in Gaeltacht areas from being filled. It is also a barrier for those from the Gaeltacht, those with family ties to the Gaeltacht and for Irish speakers who wish to live where Irish is the language of the community. We look forward to working with Colm and the County Councils to find new opportunities.”

Marion Ní Chadhain, Sustainability and Strategic Programmes Manager at Údarás na Gaeltachta, said: “We are delighted to support this important position. The housing issue is central to the sustainable growth of the Gaeltacht. By bringing empty homes back into ownership, we can strengthen communities, increase the number of Irish speakers, and secure the future of the Gaeltacht. We look forward to working with Colm and the County Councils to find new opportunities and make a positive impact.”

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Údarás na Gaeltachta stated that among Colm’s main duties will be to identify empty residential properties and disseminate information about the benefits of bringing empty homes back into use.

His other duties will be to contact and build relationships with property owners and identify and assess opportunities in each Gaeltacht area, working with local authorities and community organisations.

Colm has set out a comprehensive work programme for 2026, including campaigns with community development organisations, local case studies and the assessment of empty homes opportunities in Gaeltacht areas.

He will be working with County Councils across the Gaeltacht, including Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Meath.

Empty home owners and members of the community can contact Colm MacEachmharcaigh at cmaceachmharcaigh@MayoCoCo.ie.

Support schemes, including the Residential Core scheme and the Empty Property Renovation Grant, are available to renovate empty homes. The aim is to fill homes, find opportunities, and increase numbers in the Gaeltacht.