Four in ten people claim Irish fluency locally

Over 40 percent of people in the Shannonside Northern Sound region marked themselves as Irish speakers in Census 2022. The Central Statistics Office continue to release figures gathered last year during the nationwide census. According to the data, over 105,000 people stated they can speak Irish to a somewhat fluent level.

Cavan and Roscommon saw the highest numbers with around 26,500 people in both counties claiming a high level of Irish fluency. That's followed by Monaghan at 39 percent of the population, or 23,500 people in the county speaking the native language. Longford is next with 14,993 Irish speakers while Leitrim has 13.153 people claiming Irish fluency.