Irish is spoken on a daily basis outside of the education system by 24 per cent of the population in official Gaeltacht areas—11.1 per cent in Mayo—according to analysis of the census figures by statistician and language activist Donncha Ó hÉalaithe for RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
Speaking on Raidió na Gaeltachta, Ó hÉalaithe cautioned, however, that these percentages are not an entirely accurate reflection of language usage in the Gaeltacht as they are reliant on official geographical Gaeltacht boundaries which are currently under review.
The census figures reveal that 23,175 people in the official Gaeltacht area speak the language outside the education system on a daily basis, an increase of 660 or 3 per cent from 2006.
