What was the population of Ireland before and directly after the famine?

Show all answers

alpha

Ireland had a growing population before the famine as the census figures for the years preceding it show;
In 1821 - 6,801,827
1831 - 7,767,401
1841 - 8,175,124

The census figures for the year 1851 show "A total island population in the aftermath of the Irish potato famine of 6,552,385 â€“ a fall of 1,622,739 in ten years."

magidge

An interesting fact and not very well known is that whilst a million + famished....Queen Vic wasn't very sympathetic to the cause...

The then head of the Ottoman Empire, Calyph, sent a message to Queen Vic, saying that he was going to send Â£10,000 to help the Irish.
She responded saying she had already sent Â£2000 and that he should send only Â£1000. He abided by her wishes and duly sent Â£1000, but he also sent three ships with food and supplies to Ireland.
The English blocked them from landing on the Dublin coast, so they went up to Co Louth, where the supplies were eventually unloaded.

There is reference to it in a play by George Bernard Shaw, where it is referred to as the Great Starvation. Obviously in a country that is exporting food in the midst of hunger and starvation, it is something of a misnomer to refer to it as a famine.

barbara b

the population was over 8 million, and just like Sean said , reduced to 6 million, mostly through emigration.

But just to add, the population continued to decrease, reaching a level of 3 million a 100 years after the famine.
It is only in the last 10 years the population began to increase, mostly through immigration, and people staying. It will be interesting to see what it levels out at in the next 10 years.

Sean J

The population was reckoned to be about 8.2 million before the famine and reduced to 6.5 million after the famine.

Have a look at this website:
http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/ireland/famine.htm

Misty Blue

It WASN'T a Famine!The country was awash with food but the British exported it out.
http://www.irishholocaust.org/tollofholocaust

Sshhhh! It's Podge and Rodge

They didn't have a Central Statistics Office in them days but with death and emigration it dropped by a couple of million.

Orla C

On the island, it was about 8 million before the Famine, and halved to about 4 million after it. No-one knows for sure how many died during the Famine.

The don

8 million and i dont know where the 6 comes from because we still have not reached 6 million
2 million emeragated and 2 million died
so 4 million
i studied it in school and i am irish
the people here are forgetting rebellions and all
like the white boys attacked the landlords during the famine and many of them were killed

"Wizard"

Being of Irish ancestry myself:

http://www.ccsdedtech.com/cc/projects/scrapbook/potato/potatofamine.htm

I learn that my family left Ireland because of this as many other did.. One day I would like to return.

VERY HAPPY,VERY HAPPY!!!!

8 million

Hanna

Ireland is a simple country and there is only estimates but the population decreased for two reasons

A) They died of the famine or starving
B) They immigrated to England and America

During the great famine of 1845-1852 the population of ireland reduced by 20 to 25 percent.

approximately one million of the population died and a million more emigrated from Ireland's shores

Alan M

Before it was 8.234 after it reduced to 6.877. Of course not everyone was accounted for.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: