Ireland Car Rental Guide
People in Ireland
The people of Ireland are mostly Celtic in their ethnicity, but are greatly influenced by the various groups that had established settlements in the region in different times. The contributions of the Vikings, Normans and English in particular in forming the ethnic nature of the people are most noticeable. The country also receives about 10-15,000 immigrants every year. Most of these immigrants come from Eastern Europe, with smaller numbers coming from Africa and Asia. A large portion of the Irish population also emigrated in different countries of the world, but the economic boom of the region in the '90s saw many of them return to Ireland. There are currently about 4 million people living in the Republic of Ireland and about another 1.7 million in Northern Ireland.
The majority of the people (about 90%) of Ireland are Roman Catholics, but there are small Anglican, Muslim, Jewish and Presbyterian communities as well. Although religion plays a very important role in Irish culture, practice rates for all religions have dropped below 5% in urban areas in recent years. The main two languages spoken in Ireland are the official two languages – Irish and English. While Irish – one of the last surviving Celtic languages – is the mother tongue of the Irish people, it is unfortunately used less than English.
The Irish have always had a notable presence in the fields of literature and music with a few famous personalities in other disciplines as well. The most mentionable among them are: scientists Robert Boyle, George FitzGerald, William Rowan Hamilton; writers James Joyce, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Francis Ledwidge, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, WB Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw; entrepreneur and founder of the Guinness dynasty Arthur Guinness; actors Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson, and Pierce Brosnan; musicians Rory Gallagher, Bob Geldof, Enya and musical bands U2 and The Corrs.
Travel guide to Ireland
People in Ireland
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