Why are there more Irish in America than in Ireland?

According to the Census, there are 34.5 million Americans who list their heritage as either primarily or partially Irish. That number is, incidentally, seven times larger than the population of Ireland itself (4.68 million). Irish is the second-most common ancestry among Americans, falling just behind German. read more

The reason there are so many Irish-Americans is that, during and after Ireland’s Great Famine, emigration to America was one of the only ways that many Irish people could hope to achieve any level of success in life. read more

According to Census data, there are 39.6 million American who claim Irish heritage including five million who say they are of Scots-Irish heritage. That number is almost seven times larger than the entire population of Ireland (6.3 million). After German, Irish is the most common ancestry of Americans. read more