Number of Irish in Australia up an incredible 33 per cent

Want more proof of how many Irish people are leaving Ireland? The latest Aussie census delivers all the numbers you need.

Between the weather and the economic crash it is no surprise that Irish people are leaving here in droves. It is well known that many are heading to Australia and now the latest Australian census has confirmed just how many of our citizens are flocking Down Under.

A total of 67,316 people listed the Republic of Ireland as their country of birth, up 50,260 from the 2006 census, an increase of roughly 33 per cent.

The breakdown of that number also confirms what many towns and villages here are saying, that more men than women are leaving. Of that 67,316, 36,231 are male as opposed to 31,085 females.

Another interesting point is the average age of the Irish recorded. We expected it to be quite low, with so many people in the 20s leaving the country. In fact, the average age of the Irish in Oz is 43, meaning the age profile of recent emigrants may be a little higher than we thought.

The Aussie census form also asks people to list their ancestry and over two million citizens claimed Ireland was the main country of their ancestry. The stats from the census make grim reading for Ireland so maybe we can use that last bit of information to our advantage and get Giovanni Trapattoni and Declan Kidney on the case. There's bound to be some sports stars lurking in that number.