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The country with a bilingual soul

In Ireland, everyone speaks English, however Irish is still present as the national language. Irish is Gaelic. It is the official language and has become one of the official languages of the European Union.

Irish is a Celtic language related to Welsh, Cornish and Breton. The first speakers of Irish probably arrived from continental Europe over 2,500 years ago. It is certain that other languages were spoken here before Irish, but by the beginning of the Christian era, Irish was spoken throughout Ireland. The earliest evidence of Old Irish are inscriptions on Ogham stones dating from the5th and 6th centuries. Early Irish was first written in the Roman alphabet before the early 7th century, making Irish one of the oldest vernacular languages in Europe

Of the 1,761,420 people who responded to the last census question on Gaelic usage, 23% indicated that they never speak Irish, while 31% indicated that they only speak it in the educational system. Of the remainder, 33% indicated that they use Irish less than once a week, 6% speak it once a week and only 4.1% speak it daily. The proportion is higher in areas called Gaeltachtaí (Gaeltach singular) where Irish is still very much alive.

While Irish is regularly spoken by only 4% of the population on a daily basis, it is still taught and remains a required subject. It often colors the language of Shakespeare, which is also the language of Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and Roddy Doyle. It appears in the English sentence that it spices up daily. Gaelic lives in books, newspapers, magazines. The TG television channel is totally in Gaelic, it is present on the radio, and on the Internet.

How about trying out some Gaelic words?

- Sláinte!: Cheers!

- Dia duit: Hello

- Go raibh maith agat: Thank you

- Conas atá tú? : How are you?

- Fáilte : Welcome

- Tá : Yes

- : No

- Áth Cliath : Dublin

- Slán agat: Goodbye

Attractive Ireland

Ireland was for a long time a country that some of its inhabitants were leaving. Families knew that children, brothers, fathers would have to leave to live elsewhere than on their island. After having been a country that was left by obligation, to survive, Ireland welcomes new inhabitants. Today, young Irish people or descendants of Irish people are returning to the country, emigrants are coming from all over the world to live in Ireland. Life in Ireland is enviable. If we compare its GDP per capita, we understand how far it has come. If the country's GDP remains that of a small country, its GDP per capita in purchasing power standards is that of a rich country. The average GDP in Europe is 29,700 PPP in 2020, in Ireland it is 62,700 PPP. Ireland ranks2nd in Europe, just behind Luxembourg. This is of course one of the factors that allows Ireland to return to the demographics of before the Great Famine. If the whole island counts about 6.9 million inhabitants, it is also necessary to count on the very numerous and very active Irish diaspora

A diaspora 10 times more numerous than on the island

For 120 years, these emigrants mingled with their hosts. Their descendants have made Ireland shine in all latitudes. It is estimated that there are at least 50 to 80 million people in the world with Irish ancestry, making the Irish diaspora one of the largest of any nation. Historically, emigration from Ireland was the result of conflict, famine and economic problems, but today the Irish diaspora is an opportunity. It has made the country famous around the world. It has also been a strength for Ireland, as expatriates have often come to the rescue of the land of their ancestors. American tourists are still the first visitors to the island. This is the first time the population of the Republic of Ireland has exceeded five million since the 1851 census, when the population was 5.11 million. This also represents an increase of 2.19 million over the 1961 census.
According to the Central Statistics Office, positive net migration and natural increase have resulted in a population growth of 34,000 in 12 months. In 2021, more than 30,000 Irish returned to live in Ireland, while 22,000 Irish moved abroad. This is only the third time since 2010 that more Irish have returned than left.

The new face of Ireland

A study by the Berkeley Solicitors in Dublin outlines the population in Ireland as follows

Ireland's population growth, with its new figures, is five times the E.U. average in 2017. The total number of residents in the Republic of Ireland rose by 53,900 last year to nearly 4.84 million, an increase of 1.1 percent. While the EU average is 0.2%, this is a rare 5 times higher growth than the EU average. Ireland had the fourth highest population growth rate in the E.U. during 2017. Ireland has the youngest population in Europe and maintains its position as the country with the lowest death rate in the E.U.: 6.3 deaths per 1,000 population compared to an average of 10.3 deaths per 1,000 in 2017. At the same time, the population aged 65 and over has increased by 22,200 people through April 2021.

A snapshot of population change in Ireland: the population metamorphosis is now well underway. Ireland has a birth every 9 minutes, a death every 17 minutes, a net migrant every 41 minutes, a net gain of one person every 13 minutes.
All this means that Ireland is no longer just a land of tourism or emigration, but a country that makes people want to come and live here for a long time. Like its diaspora, the domestic population welcomes its transformation with enthusiasm. This transformation is also bringing about changes in the Irish way of life. The mixture of various cultural influences is done in the Irish way. It is with the participation and the acceptance of the population that these changes are made. The Irish are taking advantage of the country's transformation and are welcoming newcomers in a positive way. This is good news for Ireland, which hopes to further expand its sphere of political, economic and cultural influence. Of course, it is sometimes necessary to round off the angles and take on the new challenges that are imposed