Irish is compulsory in state schools in the Republic of Ireland, although only 260,000 people (out of a population of 4.2 million) are fluent or native speakers. As of 2007, there are 168 primary and 42 secondary “gaelscoileanna” (Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht areas) in the Republic and Northern Ireland, with around 35,000 pupils in total.
