Erinsville was settled by the Irish, and its first five mayors were Irish. As of early 2021, the organisation's website referred to it as the North American Gaeltacht or . This site was the first and only officially sanctioned (or "designated Irish-speaking area") to exist outside Ireland. The 's opening ceremony was attended by the Irish ambassador to Canada,
Declan Kelly, and by Helen Gannon of . A statement was also released by the
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs,
Éamon Ó Cuív. In this, dated 29 May 2007, he stated: "
I would like to congratulate the Canadian people for establishing a Gaeltacht in Canada, the first outside Ireland." Following its launch, the project received some news coverage, primarily for the claim that it was the first of its kind outside Ireland, including by
RTÉ and
TG4 in Ireland, the
BBC in the UK, ==Aims and activities==