The inaugural Uachtarán of An tOireachtas, Douglas Hyde, the first president of Ireland, spearheaded an initiative to revitalise and promote creative writing in the language.

A veritable who's who of the Irish landscape spanning three centuries has won Oireachtas prizes over the years: Pádraic Pearse, Douglas Hyde, Seán Ó Ríordáin, Máirtin Ó Direáin, Máire Mhac an tSaoi, to name just a few. Most post-primary students are likely familiar with these names.

But in addition to a greater variety of language-based arts, the four-day festival has expanded its schedule. From now until Saturday night, there will be 167 distinct competitions and events taking place.

Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha, the energetic Ceannasaí of An tOireachtas, states, "We try to promote and give a platform to the arts that come from the language community, both the traditional and the new." "We are a language-based community arts festival."

One of these is the virtually exclusively Gaeltacht art form of sean-nós singing.

Each Gaeltacht region has its own distinct style and repertoire of songs, and the solo, unaccompanied singing is characterised by the use of elaborate ornamentation.

While there are sean-nós competitions for all ages, the adult final takes place on Saturday night. Contestants compete for the Corn Uí Riada, the cup named for the great composer and arranger Seán Ó Riada, who was instrumental in the 50s and 60s folk and traditional music renaissance.

This event has seen a surge in sean-nós dance in recent years, and the "Steip" competition is now shown live on TG4 on the Saturday of the festival.

In fact, the majority of the activities are available to watch online, and TG4 and RTÉ are well-represented at the Oireachtas, airing live broadcasts on radio and TV.

Additional categories include writing, recitation, comedic sketches, satirical duologues, comedy, and instrumental competitions for both individuals and groups.

An tOireachtas is well-known for its impromptu sessions, which can occur anywhere in the Glengeagle and INEC in Killarney, the venue for the championships.

"We celebrate the traditional", Máirín Nic Dhonnchadha stated, "but it is just as important to encourage the creative and the new, and with a record number of entries for our competitions this year I think that we are succeeding".