Romanians make up third largest expat group in Ireland, minister says
Romanians are the third most numerous non-Irish group within Ireland, after the British and the Poles, according to Simon Coveney, Irish foreign affairs minister.
“Not a lot of people know, but, actually, Romanian is the third largest non-Irish population in Ireland,” Coveney said during a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu.
“There’s also a very significant number of Moldovans in Ireland. The combination of Romanians and Moldovans in Ireland is about 130.000 people, which is a lot in a population of just over 5 million,” he added, cited by G4Media.
"They are making a fantastic contribution, by the way, to Ireland and its economy – really smart, well-educated young people, predominantly in the tech sector, in the pharma sector, in healthcare provision, and much more besides. They are credit to you and to Romania and we're very lucky to have them. Hopefully, they’ll stay in Ireland but, of course, they may choose to come back here as well in the future," the Irish foreign minister concluded.
During their meeting, the two foreign ministers also discussed ways in which trade between Romania and Ireland can be stimulated, as well as the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(Photo source: Government of Romania)
