Census shows significant rise in those identifying as Irish in Fermanagh and Omagh area

There has been a significant increase in the percentage of people identifying as Irish across the Fermanagh and Omagh area, while the percentage of people identifying as British has fallen, 2021 census figures reveal.

As part of the statistics released to the public on Thursday, 41% of people in the council area said they identified as ‘Irish only’, compared with 35% in 2011.

The portion of people who identified as ‘British only’ in the area fell to 23% from 29% ten years ago.

READ MORE: Northern Ireland Census results announced: LIVE updates as Catholics outnumber Protestants for the first time

Those figures come despite Fermanagh and Omagh registering no change in the amount of people identified as coming from a Catholic faith. 64% of people in the area have said they are Catholic or have been brought up as Catholic, the same number as in 2011.

The percentage of the population identifying as Protestant fell to 31% from 33%.

The figures come as the census revealed there are now more Catholics living in Northern Ireland than Protestants for the first time in the region’s history.

In Fermanagh and Omagh, the swing in Irish and British identities was also seen in the number of Irish passport holders, which now outnumber UK passport holders.

Country of birth and nationality statistics for Fermanagh and Omagh in 2021 (NISRA)

37% of people in the council area now hold Irish passports, up by more than 10% compared to 2011, while the number of UK passport holders has declined to 34% from 44%.

In other figures, the total population of the Fermanagh and Omagh area has been recorded as 116,812, a jump of 3.2% since the 2011 census but it still remains the smallest of NI’s 11 council areas.

There has been a 10% increase in the number of households registered, while the figures also suggest an ageing population in the area.

The percentage of people over 65 years of age living there is 18%, compared to 14% in 2011, while the number of residents between 15 and 39 has fallen to 29% from 33%.

Religion and ethnicity statistics in Fermanagh and Omagh in 2021 (NISRA)

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