Airbnb growth in the Gaeltacht sparks concern over housing and language survival

New data from Inside Airbnb has revealed a dramatic surge in short-term lettings across Ireland’s Gaeltacht regions, prompting fresh warnings about the impact on housing, communities and the Irish language.

The figures, shared with Conradh na Gaeilge and the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU), show an 88.1% increase in the number of entire homes listed on Airbnb in the Gaeltacht between May 2019 and September 2025.

By comparison, the national rise over the same period was 47.9%, suggesting that Gaeltacht areas are being disproportionately affected by the expansion of the short-term rental market.

According to Airbnb’s analysis, broken down by Gaeltacht Language Planning Area, 25 out of 26 areas recorded an increase in the number of entire homes available on the platform.

In some cases, the scale of short-term letting has surpassed the availability of traditional private rentals: in five Gaeltacht areas, there are now more entire homes listed on Airbnb than being rented long-term, according to Census 2022 data.

The concentration of listings is also striking.

The five largest Airbnb hosts in the Gaeltacht own 217 entire homes between them, while in both of the Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas in County Kerry, entire homes on Airbnb account for more than 16% of all private properties.

Róisín Ní Chinnéide, Advocacy Manager with Conradh na Gaeilge, said: “This data puts what we’ve been seeing on the ground on a statistical basis; that the Gaeltacht is being choked by the influence of Airbnb.

“Commodification has been at the core of government housing policies for a long number of years, and the viability of Irish as the spoken community language of the Gaeltacht is suffering as a result... Short-term letting must be properly regulated as a matter of urgency, and there must be specific provision made for the Gaeltacht.”

Paul D’Eath, Committee Member of CATU Galway, added: “These stark figures are reflective of what CATU Galway regularly sees and hears from its members...

“We launched our Homes Not Holiday Lets campaign in early 2025 to bring attention to this issue and to put pressure on the local authorities to take meaningful action.”

Both groups are calling for stronger enforcement of short-term letting regulations, caps on Airbnb-style properties, and specific protections for Gaeltacht communities.

* This article was originally published on BusinessPlue.ie.