Official data: 70 percent surge in number of Muslims in Ireland from 2002 to 2006.

DUBLIN - Islam is now Ireland's third largest religion after a 70 percent surge in the number of Muslims in the country between 2002 and 2006, according to official data released Thursday.

For decades Ireland was a country of emigration but the 2006 Census showed a surge in immigration in a decade of the so-called Celtic Tiger economic boom has resulted in 420,000 of the population being born outside the country.

The arrival of immigrants and returning Irish emigrants saw the population swell to 4,172,013 -- the highest since 1861.

"Muslims are now the third largest religious group in the state" behind Roman Catholics and Protestants, said the Central Statistics Office (CSO), noting that the 2002-2006 increase continued growth seen from 1991-2002.

Overall 32,500 people said they were Muslims, of whom just over 55 percent were either Asian or African nationals, while 30.7 percent had Irish nationality, the CSO said.

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