Údarás na Gaeltachta has appealed a decision by Donegal County Council to grant planning permission for a housing development in the gaeltacht.
The council granted permission last April to a local couple, with an English address, to build 27 two-storey houses in Falcarragh. The planning was subject to 24 conditions, none of which made any reference to the gaeltacht or the Irish language.
A spokesman for Údarás said they had made a "submission" and not an appeal to An Bord Pleanála to express concern about social and language issues.
This is the second time that Údarás has expressed concern about building in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Last November a development of eight houses and 12 apartments in nearby Gortahork was refused planning permission after appeals by local people and the Gaeltacht Authority.
"We cannot grant or refuse planning permission in the gaeltacht but we have a statutory advisory role to the council under the Planning Act 2000," the spokesman said.
"A development with 27 houses is a very large development for this area and we made the submission to safeguard the language and other social issues in the Falcarragh area. This development could bring in 100 mainly young people to Falcarragh, which has a population of 852 according to the 2002 census. And this could have a significant impact on the Irish language in the area," he said.
The spokesman stressed that Údarás understand the need for housing, but the authorities should be "very careful" when granting planning permission in gaeltacht areas. He also questioned whether there was a proper "economic and social infrastructure" in Falcarragh to cope with the influx of young people to the area.
The practice is not uncommon in other gaeltacht areas throughout the country, where county councils are asked to consider the cultural and language implications of non-Irish speakers buying or building houses.
Numerous submissions have been made by Údarás in the Connemara and Munster Gaeltachts including An Rinn. Most of these appeals have been successful.
In April An Bord Pleanála set out guidelines for all future residential developments, aimed at protecting the Irish language and cultural heritage of the gaeltacht regions.
The proportion of the population speaking Irish in any gaeltacht area will henceforth determine the percentage of new housing units to be occupied solely by native speakers. In the strongest Irish-language areas, this could reach close to 100 per cent.