Chinese people in Ireland

The first major wave of Chinese immigration to Ireland came from Hong Kong;^[1] these are known as Hongkongers rather than Chinese nowadays.^{[citation needed]} This group often were or became business people, setting up their own restaurants or other businesses, and settling in Ireland permanently. This wave of Chinese immigrants brought support back to family at home through settling in Ireland.^[2] This injection of entrepreneurship brought with it innovation in Ireland. The nation was introduced to many new culinary dishes such as the 'Chicken ball', created by a Chinese immigrant in County Monaghan.^[1] A second wave began in the late 1990s when large numbers of students began to come to Ireland to study at Irish universities.^[1]

In the 2010s the Irish government began the "Immigrant Investor Programme" under which non-EU citizens could secure resident status in Ireland if they contributed specified large sums to government-approved projects such as the construction of social housing or nursing homes, or by donating to Irish charities.^[3] The Irish Times reported in 2021 that 1,088 wealthy Chinese citizens (out of a total of 1,166 entering the programme) had paid up to €1,000,000 individually to receive Irish residency.^[3] In 2018 the Irish Independent reported that Ireland had become the 3rd most popular destination in the world for wealthy Chinese immigrants after the United States and the United Kingdom.^[4] A report found that in addition to the Immigrant Investor Programme, Ireland's place in the European Union, its strengths related to technology sector and its low tax burden made it attractive to wealthy Chinese immigrants.^[4]

In 2022, the Irish census recorded 26,828 Chinese people living in Ireland, 38% more than in 2016.

In 2016 the Irish census recorded 19,447 Chinese people living in Ireland.^[5][6]

In 2020 Hazel Chu of the Green Party became the first Irish-born person of Chinese ethnicity to become Lord Mayor of Dublin. In doing so she was also the first person of Chinese ethnicity to become the mayor of a European capital city.^[7]

In 2015, 40,000 Chinese people visited Ireland, an increase of 10% from 2014.^[8]

• Lee Chin, GAA player
• Hazel Chu, politician
• Michael Craig-Martin, artist
• Eden (Jonathon Ng), musician
• Greg O'Shea, rugby player
• Jason Sherlock, footballer and Gaelic footballer
• Da-Wen Sun, academic
• Thaddea Graham, actress
• Steven He, actor and social media personality

• China–Ireland relations
• Chinese diaspora
• Immigration to Ireland
• Chinese people in the United Kingdom