<P> Community radio stations in Ireland try to have at least one Irish - language programme per week, depending on the number of employees or volunteers who speak it . Near FM, the community radio station covering north - east Dublin City, broadcasts "Ar Mhuin na Muice" five days a week . The BBC broadcasts an Irish - language service called Blas . </P> <P> The Irish - language television station TG4 offers a wide variety of programming, including dramas, rock and pop shows, a technology show, travel shows, documentaries and an award - winning soap opera called Ros na Rún, with around 160,000 viewers per week . TG4 provides their Irish speakers with information while also giving them the opportunity to voice their opinions to the public . In 2015 TG4 reported that overall it has an average share of 2% (650,000 daily viewers) of the national television market in the Republic of Ireland . This market share is up from about 1.5% in the late 1990s . The Ofcom 2014 annual report for Northern Ireland said that TG4 had an average share of 3% of the market in Northern Ireland . TG4 delivers 16 hours a day of television from an annual budget of € 34.5 million . </P> <P> Cúla 4 is a children's channel broadcast in the mornings and afternoons on TG4 . There is also a stand - alone children's digital television channel available with the same name with the majority of programmes in Irish and with a range of home - produced and foreign dubbed programmes . </P> <P> RTÉ News Now is a 24 - hour digital television news service available featuring national and international news . It broadcasts mostly English language news and current affairs and also broadcasts Nuacht RTÉ the daily RTÉ 1 Irish language news television programme . </P>

How many irish speakers are there in ireland