Disclaimer: this is my way of thinking, you are welcome to constructively criticise it, but no reason to start flame.

Yesterday I took a look at 2002 Census data and the fact which drew my attention was the number of daily speakers of Irish - 339 541. Not bad I would say, but then I thought about those pesky schoolchidren whose "daily" Gaelainn consists of "May I go to WC, M'am" (as Gaeilge of course). So I started sifting the data. But before I start - some of my assumptions.

• only daily speakers are considered, I find it hillarious that someone claiming to be Gaeilgeoir can never speak Gaelainn. Even those speaking less than once a week make me laugh - you lose language skills very fast with such type of practice
• the whole country is divided into Galltacht and Gaeltacht as it is obvious that returned rates of daily speaking are incomparable between them
• it is assumed (maybe too conservatively) that the proportion of schoolchildren (5-19 d'aois) genuinely speaking Irish is generally the same as proportion of their parents speaking Gaelainn

And these my results(% of daily speakers of total age group):

Aois	3-4	5-9	10-14	15-19	20-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65's os a chionn
Galltacht	4.67%	31.22%	37.12%	21.19%	2.36%	1.76%	2.20%	2.31%	1.77%	1.15%
Gaeltacht	36.81%	61.62%	62.93%	48.34%	26.48%	26.77%	29.88%	34.65%	36.93%	40.81%

Short comment: it is obvious from the numbers that

• school is skewing usage of language both in Gaeltacht as in Galltacht
• language is deteriorating is Gaeltacht as every new generation is speaking less and less
• alternatively the language is taking ground outside of Gaeltacht
• especially warming is the fact that proportion of 3-4 years' olds speaking is significantly bigger than of those above 20

So after taking those "pesky" schoolchildren out. I came with such a table (only daoine 3 bliana d'aois agus os a chionn):

Contae	population	daily Gaeilgeoirí	%
Laighin	2013871	25299	1.26%
Ceatharlach	43880	881	2.01%
Baile Átha Cliath	1077980	8755	0.81%
Cathar BÁC	478468	1486	0.31%
Dún Laoghaire-Ráth an Dúin	184964	3276	1.77%
Fine Gall	187028	2084	1.11%
BÁC Theas	227520	2051	0.90%
Cill Dara	155400	3592	2.31%
Cill Channigh	76903	2045	2.66%
Laois	55956	1209	2.16%
An Longfort	29679	772	2.60%
Lú	96687	683	0.71%
An Mhí	127257	3091	2.43%
Uíbh Fhailí	60787	857	1.41%
An Iarmhí	68463	803	1.17%
Loch Garman	111385	1120	1.01%
Cill Mhantáin	109494	1738	1.59%
Mumha	1055183	42021	3.98%
An Clár	98692	4655	4.72%
Corcaigh	429341	16364	3.81%
Cathar Corcaí	119009	2804	2.36%
Contae Corcaí	310332	13642	4.40%
Ciarraí	127518	7608	5.97%
Luimneach	168297	5508	3.27%
Cathar Luimnigh	51773	1146	2.21%
Contae Luimnigh	116524	4378	3.76%
Tiobraid Árann Thuaidh	58395	2780	4.76%
Tiobraid Árann Theas	75796	2084	2.75%
Port Láirge	97144	3029	3.12%
Cathar Phort Láirge	42645	555	1.30%
Contae Phort Láirge	54499	2495	4.58%
Connachta	445972	25310	5.68%
Gallimh	200567	18438	9.19%
Cathar na Gallimhe	63503	1958	3.08%
Contae na Gallimhe	137064	16716	12.20%
Liatroim	24812	690	2.78%
Maigh Eo	112843	4169	3.69%
Ros Comáin	51755	1351	2.61%
Sligeach	55995	1016	1.81%
Ulaidh (cuid de)	235969	11639	4.93%
An Cabhán	54108	804	1.49%
Dún na nGall	131393	9268	7.05%
Muineachán	50468	1733	3.43%
An Stát	3750995	103135	2.75%

My comment:

• total number of genuine speakers is around 100 000 people. Not as high as 1.5 mln of self reported "speakers", but nevertheless higher than total number of Gaeltacht inhabitants - 86 ths
• the most Irish-speaking county is Contae na Gallimhe
• biggest number of speakers is in Mumhain
• BÁC is not the biggest "Gaeltacht" as it is sometimes claimed

A discussion is welcome.

quote:

BÁC is not the biggest "Gaeltacht" as it is sometimes claimed

It depends on what is meant. Your figures show that it is the town with the largest number of daily speakers, although the percentage is small. It also has a larger number than all gaeltacht areas - which is what is usually meant by the claim. (Cathair Bhaile Átha Cliath, as an administrative area, is much smaller than the built up area which is what is meant by the claim. All the areas in Italics in county dublin are built up)

But it is anyway not a meaningful claim, since those ~8000 speakers are too thinly spread to count as a "pobal", rather they are a number of occasionally interacting networks.

What is usually meant by comparing the relative strengths of gaeltacht areas is the percentage of the local population who are daily speakers.

I've got more detailed data - and data of 1996 census for comparison. There are some reasons to cheer - witness success of Irish in reclaiming some space in and around Gaillimh, as well as in Dún na nGall. But Gaelainn na Mumhan faces extinction I am afraid to say. BÁC is also losing Gaeilge speakers as whole East Ulster and Laghin.

Cúige	1996	2002	change
Laighin	44813	44190	-623
Ceatharlach	1136	976	-160
Baile Átha Cliath	23744	23470	-274
Cathair BÁC	9208	9311	103
Dún Laoghaire-Ráth an Dúin	4940	4715	-225
Fine Gall	4078	4156	78
BÁC Theas	5518	5288	-230
Cill Dara	3715	3899	184
Cill Chainnigh	1705	1727	22
Laois	1275	1148	-127
An Longfort	694	630	-64
Lú	2119	1926	-193
An Mhí	3194	3450	256
Uíbh Fhailí	1290	1157	-133
An Iarmhí	1513	1369	-144
Loch Garman	2225	2121	-104
Cill Mhantáin	2203	2317	114
Mumha	31843	30462	-1381
An Clár	2649	2602	-47
Corcaigh	12291	11471	-820
Cathair Chorcaí	3213	2647	-566
Contae Chorcaí	9078	8824	-254
Ciarraí	6461	6556	95
Luimneach	4249	3923	-326
Cathair Luimnigh	1288	1137	-151
Contae Luimnigh	2961	2786	-175
Tiobraid Árann Thuaidh	1745	1629	-116
Tiobraid Árann Theas	1723	1578	-145
Port Láirge	2725	2703	-22
Cathair Phort Láirge	799	822	23
Contae Phort Láirge	1926	1881	-45
Connachta	27594	29275	1681
Gaillimh	19376	21461	2085
Cathair na Gaillimhe	3398	4078	680
Contae na Gallimhe	15978	17383	1405
Liatroim	560	534	-26
Maigh Eo	5164	4983	-181
Ros Comáin	1156	1084	-72
Sligeach	1338	1213	-125
Ulaidh (cuid de)	16173	17002	829
An Cabhán	1120	1113	-7
Dún na nGall	13691	14565	874
Muineachán	1362	1324	-38
An Stát	120423	120929	506

REMINDER: the table depicts number of daily speakers in each county eliminating schoolchildren whose "daily" speaking is confined to the walls of the school.

Anois ba mhaith liom a fhios a bheith agam cá mhéid cainteoirí dúchais Gaeltachta atá in Eirinn, agus cá háit a bhfuil a' chuid is mó daofa. Ach tá eagla orm nach dtearnadh suirbhé air sin.

Timpeall is 25,000 ar fhad is atá ar eolas agam. Tír Chonaill an áit is láidire. Gaillimh sa dara háit.

Dúirt an comisiúin sin a rinneadh don Roinn Oideachas go bhfuil 62,000 daoine sa Ghaeltacht ag úsáid Gaeilge go laethúil, sin suas ó 61,000 an bhlian seo caite.

Maidir leis na figiúirí, ní cheapaim nach bhfuil ach 40% de dhaoine os comhar 65 ina nGaeilgeoirí sa Ghaeltacht, gach duine a chonaic mé i gConamara os comhar 40 bhí Gaeilge in úsáid aige/aici.