Furbo is a settlement with a population of around 800 in Connemara. It lies along the coast of Galway Bay between Barna and Spiddal.
It is the first settlement to the west of Galway where Irish is the language used in the school, church and at community meetings. The headquarters of the Gaeltacht Authority - Údarás na Gaeltachta is located in Furbo.
Although in the Gaeltacht, English is commonly used in day to day life, particularly amongst younger age groups. It has a typical Gaeltacht style of settlement with no village street or centre, but rather comprises around fourteen townlands, most of which run North to South from the bog to the foreshore. Although the area is approximately 12km from Galway City centre it has maintained its rural nature quite successfully in recent years due to strong opposition to large scale development from locals. Due to its proximity to Galway City, and consequential pressure from property developers, housing developments generally have an Irish language clause applied. Currently many developments have a requirement that 50% plus of housing units are reserved for Irish speakers.
Although all of the Connemara Gaeltacht population can speak English, these are the only parts of Ireland where Irish is still spoken as the community language. The preservation of the Gaeltacht as an Irish-speaking community has been regarded, by successive Governments since the foundation of the State, as of the utmost importance.
Not only does the Gaeltacht present on opportunity to naturally maintain the continuity of the Irish tradition, but also provides the ideal environment for people who wish to become proficient in Irish.