Irish people
The population of Ireland is about 6.3 million, but it is estimated that 50 to 80 million people around the world have Irish forebears, making the Irish diaspora one of the largest of any nation. Historically, emigration from Ireland has been the result of conflict, famine and economic issues. People of Irish descent are found mainly in English-speaking countries, especially Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia. There are also significant numbers in Argentina, Mexico and New Zealand. The United States has the most people of Irish descent, while in Australia those of Irish descent are a higher percentage of the population than in any other country outside Ireland. Many Icelanders have Irish and Scottish Gaelic forebears.
Irish people in mainland Europe
There are approximately 500,000 Irish people living in Continental Europe. There were 3,900,000 Irish trips to Continental Europe in 2006, according to the Central Statistics Office (Ireland).
While the Irish population in Continental Europe is about 450,000-550,000, there are an estimated 2.8 million first, second and third generation Irish based there. There are an estimated 5 million people with active interests in Irish music, Irish sports, Irish dancing, Irish culture and Irish literature. For example, Poland's Irish Embassy has confirmed that while there are approx. 500 Irish residents in the country, there are between 50,000 and 100,000 people involved in the Irish music, dancing and cultural scene. Italy with an estimated Irish population of 2000 to 5000, has a website, receiving 100,000 regular visitors – all content is just in Italian, and mostly covered Irish music and culture in Italy. Similar levels of interest in Irish culture exist across Europe, with a new Irish centre opened this year in Istanbul, Turkey, and more than 650 Irish pubs found in Germany, and widespread interest in Irish dancing in Scandinavia, such as the St. Patrick Day's festival held on March 17 in Stockholm, Sweden.