The following audio files contain quotes from CSO Statistician Deirdre Lynch about Census 2022 Profile 8 The Irish Language and Education.
Media outlets have permission to use the clips as long as they credit the CSO.
Looking at population change in Gaeltacht areas, we can see there were 7% more people there in Census 2022 compared with Census 2016, so just over 106,000 people.
While all eight Gaeltacht areas saw a population increase in the six years to 2022, the largest percentage increase of 14% was in the Waterford Gaeltacht. There were also an extra 2,900 people in Galway County Gaeltacht than in 2016.
Breaking down the results by the level of Irish spoken, of those aged three years and over who spoke Irish, 10% indicated they spoke it very well and 32% declared they spoke it well.
More than half of Irish speakers indicated on their Census 2022 form that they didn’t speak it well.
At 88%, Ceantar na nOileán in Co. Galway had the highest proportion of Irish speakers aged three and over who said they speak Irish very well, followed by An Cheathrú Rua in Co. Galway at 85% of Irish speakers.
Among the 26 Language Planning Areas (Limistéir Pleanála Teanga) in Census 2022, Toraigh off County Donegal recorded the largest proportion of daily Irish speakers with 83% of people aged three and over speaking it daily.
This was followed by Oileáin Árann with 74% of people speaking Irish daily.
An tEachréidh in Co. Galway had the highest proportion of Irish speakers aged three years and over speaking Irish within the education system only.
Tá leagan Gaeilge den leathanch seo ar fáil. Féach Míreanna Fuaime.
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