Irish Mexicans
Commemorative plaque at the site of the execution of the heroic Saint Patrick's Battalion, in San Jacinto Plaza, San Ángel, Mexico City. | |
| Total population | |
| No data. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| 339 (2020)Primarily from Dublin and the United States. | |
| Languages | |
| Mexican Spanish, Irish, English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Catholic | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Irish, Irish Uruguayans, Irish Canadians, Irish in the United States |
The Irish community has spread throughout Mexico, becoming one of the foreign communities with deep roots in the country from Mexico’s independence to the present. It is the eighth-largest community of European immigrants to Mexican territory and one of the most significant in the Americas. Throughout their history, Mexico and Ireland have experienced many similar events despite the physical distance between them; because these events have had such a major impact on Mexico, it is often said that there is a real Irish presence on Mexican soil. The arrival of the Irish community dates back to the colonial period with the arrival of settlers such as Hugh O'Connor, as well as the viceroy of New Spain Juan O'Donojú. Later, the colonization policy promoted in 1845 by the government of Antonio López de Santa Anna to repopulate the northern states of the country was one of several triggers that contributed to the Mexican–American War.
The largest Irish community is in Mexico City, and in other states such as Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Veracruz, Zacatecas, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Sonora and Guanajuato, where the Irish community in Mexico is notably visible through its civil associations. According to the 2020 census of INEGI, there are 339 Irish citizens residing in Mexico.