Turks in Ireland
Ethnic group in Ireland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Turks in Ireland (Turkish: İrlanda Türkleri, Irish: Turcaigh in Éirinn) are Turkish people who live in Ireland having been born elsewhere or are Irish-born but have Turkish roots. By Turkish roots, this could mean roots linking back to Turkey, the island of Cyprus, or the communities of the Turkish diaspora.
İrlanda Türkleri | |
---|---|
Total population | |
Several thousand[1] est. 2,000-3,000 (2007 estimate)[2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Cork, Dublin, Limerick | |
Languages | |
Turkish, English | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Sunni Islam Minority Alevism, Other religions, or Irreligious |


History
Iberian descendants of people from Anatolia (ancient Turkey) arrived in Ireland during the Neolithic period about 6,000–7,000 years ago. These early Turkic people introduced farming to the island.[3]
Population
According to the 2016 Irish census, there were 1,043 Turkish nationals living in Ireland.[4]
During a strike in 2005 against the GAMA Turkish Construction Company, socialist news websites reported that they alone employed 900[5][6][7] to 2,000 Turkish workers.[8]
The Turkish embassy may have an investment in downplaying the number of Turks in Ireland given the negative reception of Turks in other European countries, such as German Turks, Dutch Turks, and French-Turks.[2] Thus, the number of Turkish descendants living in Ireland in 2007 was estimated by Turkish immigrants themselves to be 2,000–3,000, according to sociologist Jonathan Lacey of Trinity College Dublin.[2]
According to information from the Turkish Foreign Ministry in 2019, there were 4,500 Turkish citizens living in Ireland.[9]
Organisations and associations
- The Irish Turkish Business Association aims to promote the development of bilateral trade between Ireland and Turkey.[10]
- The Turkish Association of Ireland aims to bring the Turkish community in Ireland together.[11]
- The Turkish Irish Educational and Cultural Society (TIECS) aims to strengthen and advance the ties between the Turkish and Irish community.[12]
- Democratic Türkiye Community in Ireland is a group which began protesting against political events in Turkey in March 2025.[13]
Notable people
- Ahmet Dede, celebrity chef (Turkish origin)[14]
- Abs Breen, singer (Turkish father)[15]
- Billy Mehmet, football player (Turkish Cypriot father)[16]
- Joseph O'Neill, author (Turkish mother)[17][18]
- Ayla Peksoylu, singer (Turkish Cypriot father)[19]
See also
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links
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