Colaiste Ide in Dingle is the only all-Irish boarding school for girls in the Republic. Ten years ago it was facing closure, but last week its future was assured when a 35year lease was signed by the Sisters of Mercy and the private company which now runs the college.
Situated two miles west of Dingle, the college, formally run by the Sisters of Mercy, is located on the 100-acre estate, once owned by Lord Ventry, which includes 50 acres of woodland.
It began life as a preparatory school for Irish teachers in 1927. Over the years, it produced hundreds of fluent speakers who went on to become teachers of Irish.
In 1961, Colaiste Ide's role as a preparatory school finished, and the Sisters of Mercy bought it from the Department of Education. It continued to operate as a secondary school for girls, but in 1996 the nuns announced their decision to close the college.
However, parents, friends and past pupils were determined the school would stay open, and they established Cairde Cholaiste Ide Teoranta, a limited company with charitable status whose aim was to keep the school open.
Mr Paddy Moriarty, former chairman of the ESB and a native of Dingle, became the first chairman of the school company. A short-term lease was agreed between the Sisters of Mercy and the company in 1996.
The school had an initial enrolment of 52 students. At present, there are 91 boarders, and next year, there will be more than 100, according to Mr Fionnan O hOgain, manager of the college.
"The majority of Colaiste Ide students are natives of Munster - 20 per cent coming from the surrounding Gaeltacht area and 40 per cent from other areas in Co Kerry.
"We also have a strong interest from Leinster and have pupils from Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Roscommon." The school is a seven-day boarding school with pupils returning home every third weekend.
The new 35-year lease will pave the way for funding from the Department of Education, says Mr O hOgain. This will allow the company to upgrade existing facilities as well as providing new ones.
The college, in one guise or another, has been an integral part of the educational infrastructure in the Dingle peninsula for the past 74 years.
The signing of the lease has copperfastened its future at a time when education through Irish has never been more popular.