People of Ireland

Irish people
Muintir na hÉireann

Total population
(c. 70–80 million worldwide)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Ireland   4,581,269 (2011) Northern Ireland   1,810,863 (2011) (Irish descent only)
United States	40,000,000+
United Kingdom*	14,000,000
Australia	7,000,000
Canada	4,544,870
Argentina	1,000,000
Mexico	600,000
New Zealand	600,000
France	15,000
Languages
Irish, English (Hiberno-English dialects), Scots (Ulster Scots dialects), Shelta
Religion
Mainly Christianity (majority Roman Catholicism; minority Protestantism, especially Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Methodism) see also: Religion in Ireland
Related ethnic groups
Anglo-Irish, Bretons, Cornish, English, Icelanders,Manx, Norse, Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh Other Northern European ethnic groups
* Around 800,000 people born in Ireland reside in Great Britain, with around 14,000,000 people claiming Irish ancestry.

Anglo-Irish, Bretons, Cornish, English, Icelanders,Manx, Norse, Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh

The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or Na hÉireannaigh) are a nation and ethnic group native to the island of Ireland, who share a common Irish ancestry, identity and culture. Ireland has been inhabited for about 9,000 years according to archaeological studies (see Prehistoric Ireland). For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people (see Gaelic Ireland). Anglo-Normans conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century, while England's 16th/17th century (re)conquest and colonization of Ireland brought a large number of English and Lowland Scots to parts of the island, especially the north. Today, Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland (an independent state), and the smaller Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom). The people of Northern Ireland hold various national identities; including Irish, Northern Irish, British, or some combination thereof.