Irish people

The Irish are an nation who come from or came from the island of Ireland. There are two countries on the island of Ireland: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Historically, the Irish have been primarily a Celtic people. Many countries, especially English-speaking countries, have people with Irish roots.^[source?]

Irish people
Muintir na hÉireann

Total population
c. 80–90* million worldwide[1]
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Ireland   4,581,269 (2011)[2] Northern Ireland   1,810,863 (2011)[3] (Irish descent only)
United States	40,000,000+:[4]
Great Britain	14,000,000+:[5]
Australia	7,000,000+:[6]
Canada	4,544,870+:[7]
Argentina	1,000,000[8]
Mexico	600,000[9]
New Zealand	600,000[10]
France	15,000[11]
Languages
Irish (Gaelic), English (Irish English dialects), Scots (Ulster Scots dialects), Shelta
Religion
Christianity (Catholic Church)
Related ethnic groups
Irish Travellers, Anglo-Irish, Bretons, Cornish, English, Icelanders,[12] Manx, Norse, Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh
* Around 800,000 people born in Ireland reside in Great Britain, with around 14,000,000 people claiming Irish ancestry.[13]

In Northern Ireland, there have been violent fights between the Unionists, who identify as British people and are mainly Protestant, and the Nationalists, who identify as Irish and are mainly Catholic. Irish people have a strong culture and beliefs.^[source?]

Due to problems in Ireland, most importantly a famine between 1845 and 1852, caused by the potatoes in Ireland being destroyed by disease, many Irish moved out of Ireland, including Great Britain, and to other countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. At present, many more Irish live in the United States than in Ireland, with many of them living in large American cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The population of Irish people in the United States is over seven times more populated than that of those who live in the original homeland of Ireland.^[14]