Biggest rise in inward movement

IRELAND has experienced the biggest ever rise in immigration in its history, it emerged yesterday.

While the population increased by almost 300,000 in the last six years, over half of this was due to more people moving to the country to live.

Census figures show the country only ever recorded an increase in immigration on two previous occasions, from 1971 to 1979 and 1991 to 1996, but these increases were much smaller. The increase is believed to have been driven by Irish people moving home and growing numbers of non-nationals moving to the State.