The problems behind the nation’s low fertility are familiar.
It’s quaint to think about now, but in 1954, American Catholic journalist John A. O’Brien commissioned a collection of essays by important Irish writers -- Seán Ó Faoláin, John D. Sheridan, and others -- called The Vanishing Irish. It was about what they perceived as a baffling trend, the startling low fertility of Ireland, then at 3.4 children a woman. Ireland currently has a fertility rate hovering around 1.4 children per woman.
Ireland’s own Department of Finance commissioned a report in 2025 called the Future Forty report featuring demographic projections. Because of immigration and population momentum, Ireland’s total population looks set ...
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