There is over 50,000 people living in Cavan and Monaghan that can speak Irish according to recent data released from the Central Statistics Office.
The 2022 Census has revealed 26,591 people living in Cavan could speak Irish which is up from 25,210 people who could speak Irish in 2016
While people who speak Irish in Monaghan increased by more than 1,500 to 23,571. Irish speakers in Cavan made up 35.9% of the county’s population while Monaghan Irish speakers represented 39.3% of the county's population when the census was conducted in 2022.
There were more female than male Irish speakers in Cavan, with 40% of females able to speak Irish compared with 32% of males. There were more female than male Irish speakers in Monaghan, with 44% of females able to speak Irish compared with 35% of males. Females nationally were also more likely to be able to speak Irish than males, accounting for 55% of all Irish speakers.
The Irish language question was expanded in Census 2022 to ask those who spoke Irish how well they spoke it. In Monaghan, 2,735 people who could speak Irish spoke it very well (12%), while 7,925 could speak it well (34%), and 12,141 people did not speak it well (52%). In Ireland overall, 10% of Irish speakers could speak the language very well with 32% speaking it well and 55% not speaking it well.
While in Cavan, 1,740 people who could speak Irish spoke it very well (7%), while 8,910 could speak it well (34%), and just over 15,000 people did not speak it well (57%). In Ireland overall, 10% of Irish speakers could speak the language very well with 32% speaking it well and 55% not speaking it well. Nationally, almost 1.9 million people could speak Irish, or 40% of all people aged three and over. This was up by more than 112,500 people since 2016 (+6%).]
