Irish people
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:For other uses, see: Irish (disambiguation) and Irishman (disambiguation).
Irish people
Muintir na hÉireann
Airish fowk
1st row: Oscar Wilde • Maureen O'Hara • Red Hugh O'Donnell • Bono • Bram Stoker • Francis Beaufort • George Best2nd row: Mary McAleese • Ernest Shackleton • Pierce Brosnan • Enya • Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone • Robert Boyle • Saint Brigid3rd row: Jonathan Rhys Meyers • Daniel O'Connell • James Joyce • Countess Markievicz • Sharon Corr • Patrick Pearse • General Michael Collins
Total population
Estimated 80,000,000 people who claim Irish ancestry
Regions with significant populations
Ireland
4,500,000
United States
40,000,000+
United Kingdom
6,000,000
Canada
4,354,155
Australia
5,900,000
Argentina
1,000,000
Mexico
600,000
Other Regions
Languages
Irish, Ulster-Scots, Shelta, Hiberno-English
Religion
Roman Catholicism (majority), Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Methodism, (see also Religion in Ireland)
Related ethnic groups
Bretons, Cornish, Manx, Scottish, Ulster Scots, Welsh, Anglo-Irish, (see also Celts and Irish diaspora)
Footnotes
* Around 800,000 Irish born people reside in Britain, with around 14,000,000 people claiming Irish ancestry.
The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or na hÉireannaigh; Ulster-Scots: Airisch or Airish fowk) are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see Prehistoric Ireland). The Irish people's earliest ancestors are recorded in legends – they are claimed to be descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians. Lebor Gabála Érenn, a book of Irish mythology tells that Tuatha Dé Dananns were Scythian descendants.The main groups that interacted with the Irish in the Middle Ages include the Picts, Scots, and the Vikings. Due to this contact, Icelanders are noted for having some Irish descent. The Anglo-Norman invasion of the High Middle Ages, the English plantations and the subsequent English rule of the country introduced the Normans and Flemish into Ireland. Welsh, Picts, Bretons, and small parties of Gauls and even Anglo-Saxons are known in Ireland from much earlier times.There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. The 6th century Irish monk and missionary Columbanus is regarded as one of the "fathers of Europe", followed by Kilian of Würzburg and Vergilius of Salzburg. The scientist Robert Boyle is considered the "father of chemistry". Famous Irish explorers include Brendan the Navigator, Robert McClure, Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean. By some accounts, the first European child born in North America had Irish descent on both sides; and an Irishman was the first European to set foot on American soil in Columbus' expedition of 1492.Large populations of people of Irish ethnicity live in many western countries, particularly in English-speaking countries. Historically, emigration has been caused by politics, famine and economic issues. An estimated 50 to 80 million people make up the Irish diaspora today, which includes Great Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Jamaica, Trinidad, South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Germany and Brazil. The largest number of people of Irish descent live in the United States – about ten times more than in Ireland itself.
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