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Languages · Europe

Flag of IrelandWhat Language Do They Speak in Ireland?

The official languages of Ireland are English and Irish. In total about 4 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (98%), Irish (22%) and French (13%).

2
Official languages
4
Living languages · #158
0
Regional official languages
0
Endangered languages

Official languages of Ireland

Official

English

98% of the population · Indo-European

Official

Irish

Gaeilge

22% of the population · Indo-European

Most spoken languages in Ireland

English Official
98%
Irish Official
22%
Shelta
2%
Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).

Languages commonly listed for Ireland

Languages of neighbouring countries

All languages of Ireland (4)

LanguageSpeakers hereFamilyStatus
English5,128,790 · 98%Indo-EuropeanOfficial
Irish1,151,361 · 22%Indo-EuropeanOfficial
French680,349 · 13%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Shelta90,000 · 2%Speech RegisterSafe

Frequently asked questions

What language do they speak in Ireland?

The official languages of Ireland are English and Irish. In total about 4 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (98%), Irish (22%) and French (13%).

What is the official language of Ireland?

English and Irish.

Is English spoken in Ireland?

Yes — English is official in Ireland, spoken by about 98% of people.

How many languages are spoken in Ireland?

About 4 living languages — #158 in the world for linguistic diversity.

Data: Languages of the World dataset (MIT) — ISO 639-3, Glottolog (CC BY 4.0), Unicode CLDR, Google LinguaMeta (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata; country lists: samayo/country-json (MIT).