Did you know that Irish Gaelic is the main first language for only about 3% of Ireland's population? It has been estimated that there are currently only about forty to eighty thousand native Irish Gaelic speakers in the Republic of Ireland, a figure which has dropped substantially in recent decades. Most of the native Irish Gaelic speakers are located within the westernmost fringes of the country, with these areas being referred to as Gaeltacht areas. It is still unclear what the age breakdown of these last native Irish Gaelic speakers is, but language experts speculate that the age median is very likely over the age of forty, or perhaps even higher. So unfortunately with those figures in plain view, there is some fear within the country that the last couple of generations of native Irish Gaelic speakers might be slowly approaching. Hopefully some how this trend will be reversed, and the language will continue to live on for many years to come.
