Several of these societies were founded in the early 1900s as part of a wider revival of the Irish-language, which saw the establishment of national groups such as Conradh na Gaeilge (English: Gaelic League).
Some societies also take part in the annual Glór na nGael (English: Voice of the Gael) competition, which gives awards to third level groups for their work in the promotion of the Irish language.
[1] The University of Glasgow's Cumann Gaelach Ollscoil Ghlaschú was founded in 2016.
[2] An annual survey of the country’s main Cumainn Ghaelacha (plural form) and their membership was published from 2003 until 2008 by the Irish language daily newspaper, Lá Nua, until the newspaper's demise.
The 2007 edition featured a total of eleven groups,[3] with An Cumann Gaelach, TCD (Trinity College Dublin) listed as the largest in the state, and An Cumann Gaelach, QUB (Queen's University Belfast) the largest in Northern Ireland, and An Chuallacht, UCC (University College Cork) among the largest in Munster.