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Trace Irish Famine population with new digital atlas

First-ever digital presentation of population from famine times

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, August 5, 2011, 7:52 AM

Updated Friday, August 5, 2011, 1:14 PM

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Changes in Ireland’s population over the past 160 years have been made available online.

Changes in Ireland’s population over the past 160 years have been made available online.

Two new digitized atlases show the levels of emigration during the Great Famine, right up until the rise of the Celtic Tiger in 2002, as well as an analysis of Ireland’s population change.

National Centre for Geocomputation, based at National University of Ireland Maynooth, has collated the information which examines 3,452 districts throughout Ireland.

Speaking about the new online database, Professor Stewart Fotheringham said that the impact of mass emigration had not been investigated until now.
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"Previously we have only had broad brushstrokes, and commonly accepted perceptions, such as the west has been hit harder than the east," he said.

"What this work tells us is that the impacts of population decline are much more complex. There has been a genuinely uneven spatial imprint left behind by these population changes."

Researchers discovered that the average population loss during the Famine was 20 percent with higher rates in Connaught counties. Some areas is the west lost between 40 and 60 percent of their population.

Widespread emigration was evident in the 1950s with Connaught and Munster most affected.

Check out both maps here- http://ncg.nuim.ie/historical-atlas

Nster.com

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25 Comments

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tommymccarthy | Aug 13, 2011, 05:02 PM EDT

well the way that i see it i am an old gent now my grandfather was born county Waterford John McCarthy,his father was called Patrick McCarthy, i was born in Scotland UK

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themurphia | Aug 11, 2011, 04:35 PM EDT

I do not feel inferior to anyone quite the contrary...I was referring to those who feel the need to call people 'Sir' or in your case have pretensions to being so addressed...In view of your comments posted elsewhere I repeat my suggestion below..otherwise you may find yourself using the term in a formal context...!I'm grateful...!

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joycean | Aug 07, 2011, 03:15 AM EDT

Another conclusion is that not only did rural and western Ireland see a dramtic population loss between 1841 and 1851, the height of the Famine, but the loss in population continued for over 100 years until previously populated areas became ghost towns. For people attempting to find information about specific ancestors, these maps are not the best source. If they were still in Ireland, you can look at the Irish Census records for 1901 and 1911. You can also go to the Ellis Island web site if they came after 1892. Those are free sites. Ancestry.com is a subscription site but gives access to American census data and other sources.

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joycean | Aug 06, 2011, 06:54 PM EDT

I tried to use these maps to see how well they illustrate the effects of the Famine. My grandmother was from Dromore, in rural County Waterford. In 1841, Dromore had a population of 1,963; in 1851, 1,466; in 1891, 907; in 1911, 670; in 1926, 558; and in 2002, 208. that is almost a 90% drop since before the Famine. My grandfather was born in Milltown, County Kerry. In 1841, the town had a population of 4,538. In 1851, 2,819; in 1911, 1,672; in 2002, 1,202.So that town lost 75%. Both people emigrated to Boston around 1900. I suppose their stories are typical of the Diaspora and explain why the Irish think Irish Americans are so out of touch with modern Ireland and its recent reapproachment with Britain.

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sirpeter | Aug 06, 2011, 05:29 PM EDT

@profjulienne.Thanks you very much ;))

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Chiefjustice | Aug 06, 2011, 04:35 PM EDT

Would love to find out about my Great Grand Father... Born In Ireland 1823 Died in Saratoga County NY 1917 A Farmer..

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joan1954 | Aug 06, 2011, 10:53 AM EDT

I have often wondered about my great-grandmother's on my mother's side as we knew nothing of them other than they were Irish. We didn't even know the counties all it says on their death certs here in the USA is Ireland and in both cases the name of their fathers and not their mothers. Tad wierd as my cousin says. We know one county, that of my grandfather's mother which is Cork and my grandmother's mother is a bit of an argument, my uncle says Mayo and my mother before her death says Cavan. And doing the tree doesn't cause me to have extra gray hair!!!! We have always assumed they were post famine immigrants.

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sirpeter | Aug 06, 2011, 10:22 AM EDT

@themurphia.I wasn't trying to offend you.I just felt sorry that anti-Irish racism has effected you and you felt inferior.I'll tell you one thing,you will feel even more inferior about been Irish reading the articles on IC.I'm more interested in the comments.The perception people have of Ireland and our history and also our current affairs.The articles tend to be a bit lightweight and unbalanced.I like to address that a bit.I'd hate for this site to give the wrong impression.By the way I'd love to know where I posted all these smutty sexist jokes??? Anyway chin-up even though your Irish,your still loved.

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themurphia | Aug 06, 2011, 09:08 AM EDT

Alternatively scroll past what I write...you might find it more uplIfTing...sounds like a plan...!

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themurphia | Aug 06, 2011, 07:58 AM EDT

sirpeter: depression is anger turned inward maybe you need to get some help...I am entitled to say how I feel a period of history...an Gorta Mor *affects* me...If you find that depressing perhaps you could go back to telling your smutty sexist jokes which seem to be your forte...I would be very grateful if people on this site would STOP telling me what I can and drawing unfounded conclusions... so thank you for your first post which was really just repeatition what other people had said below but valuable contribution all the same...but please try and stick with the issue and avoid irrelevant gratuitously offensive personal remarks...I'm grateful

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themurphia | Aug 06, 2011, 07:45 AM EDT

GRMA manhattan...!

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sirpeter | Aug 05, 2011, 11:16 PM EDT

@manhattan and themurphia.Those have got to be the two most depressing posts I have read on IC.Both of ye who obviously feel deeply about who ye are and your heritage.But both of ye have allowed the WASP to get to ye.Ireland was never a conquered nation.Occupied by force for 800 years yes,massacred and starved yes.But never broken.This small little island and Irish people all over the world has packed a big punch for our size.There is nothing an Irishman can't achieve.Even in the American civil war.It was said by a Southern officer.We only lost because ye have more Irish soldiers then us.We don't suffer from an inferiority complex.We are loudly confident.We knew it was the Brits who caused the genocide.We never blamed God.Ye lads might feel oppressed wherever ye are.But the Brits could never oppress the Irish spirit.Especially if anybody makes us angry.

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profjulienne | Aug 05, 2011, 10:40 PM EDT

Nice post sirpeter, I think a lot of the world. myself included got used as children studying history back in the late 70's got used to the phrase 'the great famine', you are quite correct and eloquent in your explanation. It is sad to think that landlords were eating meat and other goodies, paid for by their starving 'tenants', and then the ultimate insult in the states: "No Irish need apply" J

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profjulienne | Aug 05, 2011, 10:35 PM EDT

My grandparents families were alive during the famine, I wish now I had the foresight to question my grandparents about their families.

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profjulienne | Aug 05, 2011, 10:33 PM EDT

This is great, I recently found out that my grandfather on Daddy's side had a ton of brothers and sisters, I was brought knowing only one. Is there ever going to be a link with names on it? My family would have emigrated from Co. Louth, Co. Cavan and from along the border close to Newry. I have unusual surnames, I would love to find out. That generation is long gone now, slan agus beannacht, J

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