100 Languages Spoken In Dublin District

The exponential population surge in Dublin has led to the astounding diversity in cultures in the capital, with one local authority area housing residents from 100 different councils.

A detailed survey in the Fingal County Council district of Dublin also found that over 100 different languages and dialects were spoken within its boundaries.

The area, which includes urban centres including Blanchardstown, Balbriggan and Swords, has expanded to almost a quarter of a million residents, with 40,000 non-Irish born people living there.

Mayor of Fingal, Michael O’Donovan unveiled the study on Thursday at the launch of the Fingal Ethnic Network, designed to provide a forum for discussing issues relevant to the new communities.

Over half of the 1,200 people surveyed identified themselves as white Europeans, mainly from eastern Europe, one in five as black Africans and one in seven as Asian.

Over 100 languages were spoken by those interviewed, including Polish, Russian, Romanian, French, Lithuanian, German and Latvian.

A multitude of African languages were also spoken, with Yoruba, primarily a Nigerian language, being the most common.

(DW)