NCG Mapping Population Change in Ireland 1841 - 1851

2011-07-29

The National Centre for GeoComputation Maynooth  are using quantitative analysis with historical GIS to show population changes during and after the Great Famine.

The work behind the data gathering and management was done using ArcGIS and the actual application being used is GeoWise Instant Atlas

There were dramatic reductions in population during the decade of the 1840's due to the Great Irish Famine but the effects of the Famine were not experieced equally in all parts of the country. Some areas suffered massive population decline whilst other areas experienced population gain.

This research uses GIS to examine spatial variations in population change at electoral division (ED) level and the extent to which features of the social and natural landscape can be identified and statistically analysed as determinants of population change.

You can explore the data yourself at NCG's Online Atlas Portal.