Late antiquity and early medieval times
There are currently over 10,00 Irish language learners in County Kerry. This number will increase if plans to expand the Irish Language Teaching Programme (ILTP) are approved. There are currently around 9300 students studying Irish language in the Republic of Ireland. The ILTP is part of the National Strategy for Languages and provides support for teachers and learners of Irish. In 2017/18 there were 10,811 learners enrolled in the ILTP. The ILTP aims to provide opportunities for learners to develop their knowledge and skills in Irish and to encourage others to learn it too. Learners take classes either in school or online. They receive one hour of tuition per week, with the aim being to reach proficiency level 3 within three years. In 2018, the Government announced that it intends to extend the ILTP to include additional counties in the South West, North East and Midlands. These areas are home to large numbers of Irish speakers. If the proposals go ahead, the total number of Irish language learners in Ireland could rise to 20,000.