Irish fastest growing language on Duolingo app Updated / Wednesday, 23 Dec 2020 08:40 Duolingo has 500 million downloads globally Irish is the fastest growing language and the number one language to learn in Ireland, according to new data released by language app Duolingo, which has over 1 million people actively learning Irish every week on it. Duolingo has 500 million downloads globally with Irish the 16th most popular language for English speakers to learn. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Noah Higgs, Irish language teacher and contributor the Duolingo app, said he believes Irish is popular on the language app not only because so many people in Ireland are learning the language, but also because there is a huge diaspora who want to keep the skill.