Ireland’s population is believed to have fallen from approximately 8.5 million to just over 6 million during the period of famine, with an estimated one million people dying and over one and a half million emigrating to Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia.ĭr Fernihough added: “The devastating effect of the Great Famine on the Irish population is well known. Cities such as Belfast, Dublin, and Cork increased in population size as people from the rural areas migrated into the larger cities in search of employment opportunities and relief institutions like the workhouse and fever hospitals.” “However, we also found that in the larger city areas, the population increased post-famine. Talking about the findings from the study, Dr Fernihough said: “As expected, we found from the research that the population dramatically decreased after the famine due to the high number of deaths and high levels of people emigrating. The main cause of the famine was the failure of the potato crop for successive years, which resulted in mass starvation and death from sickness and malnutrition.ĭr Fernihough analysed a wide number of contemporary data sources, including the 18 Census of Ireland and the Poor Law Commissioner’s reports, in order to compile the repository showing the impact the famine had on the different civil parish areas. The Great Irish Famine, or the Irish Potato Famine as it is also known, was arguably the single greatest disaster in Irish history, lasting from approximately 1845 – 1851.

The map is part of a broader research project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and entitled ‘ The Causes and Consequences of the Great Irish Famine’, led by Dr Alan Fernihough, a Lecturer in Economics from Queen’s which sets out to examine both the contributing factors and outcomes of the famine. INTERACTIVE MAP SHOWS HOW POTATO FAMINE CHANGED IRELANDĪ researcher from Queen’s Management School has developed an interactive map of the island of Ireland, which shows the impact the Great Irish Famine had on the population during the nineteenth century.

Windbound the great famine map