Image caption Two per cent of respondents in Northern Ireland said they could conduct most conversation in Irish

People studying Irish in Northern Ireland are doing so for the language's "own sake", a report has found.

But the main reason for learning it in the Republic of Ireland is "to pass exams", the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has said.

Attitudes in the Republic of Ireland are positive among adults but they do not use Irish widely, the report said.

The language is more likely to be used by young people in the Republic and Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Among the adult populations, 45% from Northern Ireland said they support the Irish language, while 67% of the respondents in the Republic of Ireland felt positive about it.

But 41% of respondents in Northern Ireland have "no particular feelings" regarding it.

The ESRI produced the report, drawing mainly on the 2013 Irish language survey, funded by Foras na Gaeilge, which promotes the language in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

More than 2,000 people across Ireland were interviewed in person about the language for that survey.

Generations

It found a significant difference in fluency across the two jurisdictions.

In the Republic of Ireland, 11% said they could conduct most conversations in Irish, compared to 2% in Northern Ireland.

Image caption Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said people wanted to learn the language "for the joy of it"

Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said the report strengthened the case for an Irish language act in Northern Ireland.

"More people in the north are interested in the language, there is a greater level of fluency, more people are learning Irish and more families want their children to learn Irish," she said.

"It is pleasing to see that local people want to learn the language for the pure joy of it."

Dr Merike Darmody, one of the report's authors, said that while passing the language through family generations was important, that needed to be supported by opportunities to use it in a social context.

"Despite the language policy development in recent decades, without the active engagement from people it is hard to see how Irish can flourish in future," he added.