Almost all Irish people speak English, and about one-fourth, mostly in areas of the west and southwest (the Gaeltacht), also speak Irish, the traditional Gaelic language. The constitution provides for both Irish and English as official languages. Irish is a required subject at primary and second level schools. The Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht has responsibility for promoting the cultural, social, and economic welfare of the Gaeltacht, and more generally for encouraging the use of Irish as a vernacular.
The Irish economy is one of the most robust in Europe today, providing for a very high standard of living. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the years, its manufacturing sector has steadily overtaken agriculture in importance in the country's economy, and a number of leading companies based in Ireland are world leaders in their fields. Important industries are brewing (Guinness), whiskey production (Jameson), dairy products (Glanbia), clothing, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transport equipment, glass and crystal (Waterford) and computer software.
Ireland's leaders have worked hard in the last two decades to continually improve educational and economic opportunities in the country. Ireland's economic growth has been over twice the EU average, inflation has fallen to one of the lowest rates in the EU, and employment in the private non-agricultural sector had shown an annual average growth of about 2.5 percent.
