New figures from the Department of Education show that Clare is falling behind the national average when it comes to Irish-medium education.

Fewer than 5% of students in the county attend a Gaelscoil, compared to 6.5% nationwide, and Clare has just four Gaelscoileanna — well below the typical number in other counties.

At the same time, there are some more encouraging signs at early years level, with higher exposure to Irish in childcare settings locally than across the country as a whole.

So, what’s behind these mixed trends, and what needs to happen to grow the Irish language in Clare?

Alan Morrissey was joined by Leah Ní Thailtigh, Language Planning Officer with An Clár as Gaeilge and Irish and Cultural Officer with Clare GAA, and MacDara Ó Conaola, Native Irish speaker from Inis Oírr, in The Aran Island Gaeltacht, and Irish Language columnist

Image © Clare FM