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search "Irishman" redirects here. For other uses, see
Irishman (disambiguation).This article is about the Irish as an ethnic group and nation. For information on the population of
Ireland, see
Demography of Ireland.For other uses, see
Irish (disambiguation).
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Irish people
(Éireannaigh)[/b]
[/size]The
Irish people (
Irish:
Muintir na hÉireann,
na hÉireannaigh,
na Gaedhil) are an
ethnic group who originate in
Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see
Prehistoric Ireland), with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded[9] have legends of being descended from groups such as the
Nemedians,
Fomorians,
Fir Bolgs,
Tuatha Dé Danann and the
Milesians the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic ancestry, and still serving as a term for the Irish race today. The main groups that interacted with the Irish in the Middle Ages include the
Scottish people and the
Vikings, with the
Icelanders especially having some Irish descent. There is also DNA evidence of a small but very consistently occuring admixture of
Spanish-
Moorish(North African) DNA in many parts of Ireland, possibly due to historical contact with Spanish and Portuguese fishermen who have traditionally fished off of Irelands West coast. The
Anglo-Norman invasion of the High Middle Ages, the English plantations and the subsequent English rule of the country introduced the
Normans and
Flemish into Ireland.
Welsh,
Picts,
Bretons, and small parties of
Gauls and even
Anglo-Saxons are known in Ireland from much earlier times.
There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. The 6th century Irish monk and missionary
Columbanus is regarded as one of the "fathers of
Europe",[10] followed by
Kilian of Würzburg and
Vergilius of Salzburg. The scientist
Robert Boyle is considered the "father of
chemistry". Famous Irish explorers include
Brendan the Navigator,
Ernest Shackleton, and
Tom Crean. By some accounts, the first European child born in North America had Irish descent on both sides;[11] while an Irishman was also the first European to set foot on American soil in
Columbus' expedition of 1492.[12]
Until the end of the
early modern period, the majority of educated Irish were proficient at both speaking and writing in
Latin and
Greek.[13] Notable Irish writers in the
English language include
Bram Stoker,
Jonathan Swift,
James Joyce,
Flann O'Brien,
Oscar Wilde,
William Butler Yeats,
Samuel Beckett,
Patrick Kavanagh and
Seamus Heaney. Some of the 20th century writers in the
Irish language include
Brian O'Nolan (aka Flann O'Brien),
Máirtín Ó Cadhain,
Pádraic Ó Conaire,
Tomás Ó Criomhthain,
Peig Sayers,
Muiris Ó Súilleabháin and
Máirtín Ó Direáin.
Large populations of people of Irish ethnicity live in many
western countries, particularly in
English-speaking countries. Historically, emigration has been caused by politics, famine and economic issues. An estimated 80 million people make up the
Irish diaspora today, which includes
Great Britain, the
United States,
Australia,
Canada,
Argentina,
Chile,
Jamaica,
Trinidad,
South Africa,
New Zealand,
Mexico,
France,
Germany and
Brazil. The largest number of people of Irish descent live in the United States—about ten times more than in Ireland itself.
