Number of Irish Speakers in Ireland Sees Significant Increase
Fourth Annual Report on Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018-2023 Released
Increase in Ability in Irish from 2011 to 2021
The total number of people in Ireland aged three and over who could speak Irish has increased to 228,617, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This represents an increase of more than 43,000 people since the last census in 2011, when the number of Irish speakers was 184,898.
The increase in the number of Irish speakers has been attributed to a number of factors, including the efforts of the government to promote the Irish language and the growing popularity of Irish language courses.
The CSO also reported that the number of people who said they could speak Irish well enough to use it in daily life has also increased. In 2021, 85,124 people said they could speak Irish well enough to use it in daily life, compared to 65,108 in 2011.
The CSO's figures are based on the 2022 Census, which was conducted in April 2022. The census asked respondents if they could speak Irish and, if so, how well they could speak it.
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