Irish Demographic Maps

[ObserverIE]

A couple of sites that allow you to view the data at a more detailed level:

http://airomaps.nuim.ie/flexviewer/?config=Census2011.xml

http://maps.pobal.ie/#/Map

[ObserverIE]

Within Dublin itself it is worth noting that the most Catholic areas correspond to the population of 'native' working class around the old Northern Inner suburbs and in Tallaght (aka Dublin South West). However this probably is due to the traditionally higher levels of Protestants among higher social groups and not that the wealthy Catholics as a group are beginning to identity themselves as something else. I imagine that the result of the 2011 census would be little different albeit with a small decrease across the board showing no regional leaning either way (though I don't know for sure).

The drop in percentages of declared Catholics owes as much if not more to (non-Polish, non-Lithuanian) immigration as secularisation; the 2011 census figures showed that 90% of Irish citizens declared as Catholics, as opposed to barely over 50% for non-citizens.

[ObserverIE]

Did anyone in Dublin declare their occupation as "farmer"? I'd like to meet that person

Yes. In every constituency there were people who declared themselves as farmers. In Dublin Central there were 47 people who were declared as farmers (or 0.04%). It's not impossible or like the US, it only takes two hours from the centre to get into deep countryside and it's possible that these people have more than one job which requires them to be in the city but any real details further than that I would not know.

You do have the Phoenix Park and the Botanic Gardens nearby, I suppose, and there are a couple of farms inside the city boundaries (http://census.cso.ie/agrimap/).

What I'm really impressed by is the city block formed by Camden Street/Grantham Street/Synge Street/South Circular Road (small area 268142005, and part of Hipster Central to the casual observer) where 10% of the population claim to be farmers. Guys, a marijuana plant in a pot does not a market garden make.

[ObserverIE]

I thought there were more Prots in Cavan/Monaghan

Actually IIRC there were more Prots in Monaghan at time of the 1911 Census than in Fermanagh. Either way, the population levels were very similar. It was geography not population o/c which determined partition).

There were (and are) more Presbyterians in Monaghan than Fermanagh. Fermanagh has (and had) a much larger Protestant population once you include Anglicans and Methodists. (Supposedly this is because a lot of the 17th century settlers in Fermanagh were Border Reivers - of doubtful Protestantism to begin with - who went with Anglicanism rather than Presbyterianism once on the ground.)

[ObserverIE]

Did anyone in Dublin declare their occupation as "farmer"? I'd like to meet that person

Yes. In every constituency there were people who declared themselves as farmers. In Dublin Central there were 47 people who were declared as farmers (or 0.04%). It's not impossible or like the US, it only takes two hours from the centre to get into deep countryside and it's possible that these people have more than one job which requires them to be in the city but any real details further than that I would not know.

You do have the Phoenix Park and the Botanic Gardens nearby, I suppose, and there are a couple of farms inside the city boundaries (http://census.cso.ie/agrimap/).

What I'm really impressed by is the city block formed by Camden Street/Grantham Street/Synge Street/South Circular Road (small area 268142005, and part of Hipster Central to the casual observer) where 10% of the population claim to be farmers. Guys, a marijuana plant in a pot does not a market garden make.

An entire basement converted to a greenhouse, on the other hand.... especially if that's indeed your biggest source of income?

Much more prevalent down my way but I don't think the farmers concerned would be inclined to fill out census forms - 至少不是英文.

[ObserverIE]

Fascinating, and I normally find this kind of thing very dull. I live in 'Dublin Central' and don't recall ever seeing any farms around but some people have gardens and perhaps some of them grow broccoli or something.

There's a farm listed on the Census of Agriculture in one of the Whitehall EDs, which I assume is whatever part of the old Albert Agricultural College didn't get taken over by Dublin City University. Less plausibly, there's one in Royal Exchange A (Temple Bar/Dublin Castle/west side of Great Georges Street-Aungier Street).

[ObserverIE]

Fascinating, and I normally find this kind of thing very dull. I live in 'Dublin Central' and don't recall ever seeing any farms around but some people have gardens and perhaps some of them grow broccoli or something.

Whereabouts, if I may be so imprudent to ask?

Cabra, one of Bertie's many old stomping grounds. I once came home to find the man himself in my kitchen, let in by my brother to the horror of my parents.

What.

Bertie Ahern was renowned for his continual doorstep canvassing at all weekends (and sometimes evenings) during the year, in between elections as well as during them.

Oakvale, for some reason I thought you came from Monaghan.

[ObserverIE]

Cabra, one of Bertie's many old stomping grounds. I once came home to find the man himself in my kitchen, let in by my brother to the horror of my parents.

What.

That's the appropriate reaction, yes.

Bertie Ahern used to knock on doors canvassing as part of his "man of the people" schtick. Sometimes he would be invited inside briefly to talk about how he represented the plain people of Ireland or whatever. Anyway, my parents would never have let him in but my fourteen-year-old brother knew no better so that... happened.

I've never been the same since.

When does the brother get home from exile?

[ObserverIE]

Oakvale, for some reason I thought you came from Monaghan.

No, that's the other (now rarely seen) I-IE poster; Jas.

Ah, apologies.

[ObserverIE]

Now to go a bit off-base. Lietuva!



Yes, that's right. No detailed Protestant information available but there is data on the Lithuanian-born (In nation of birth the data by constituency I can access is Ireland, the UK, Poland, Lithuania, Other EU and ROTW (see above)).

So what happened in Cavan/Monaghan?

Mushrooms and piggeries, basically. There was a sizeable Lithuanian and Latvian presence in the area (as evidenced by car registration plates) even before 2004.

As far as the religious breakdown is concerned, I think they only publish about 5 or 6 categories, but they publish them at all levels down to Small Area. I think the 2006 census reports listed a more detailed breakdown at county level only. (Edit: Yep.)

[ObserverIE]

^

Yeah, I know that county level (and lower) data exists, I'm just sticking with constituency level for the moment.

The point I'm trying to make is that in 2006, there was a detailed breakdown given by Christian denomination at county level rather than just lumping everyone in as "other religion". The jazzed-up but dumbed-down "profiles" for the 2011 census no longer give that detail.

[ObserverIE]

Could have been worse, he could have been in one of the presses.

If only you had a padlock...

[ObserverIE]

Now to go a bit off-base. Lietuva!

Yes, that's right. No detailed Protestant information available but there is data on the Lithuanian-born (In nation of birth the data by constituency I can access is Ireland, the UK, Poland, Lithuania, Other EU and ROTW (see above)).

No surprise to me here. When I worked in Lithuania in the mid-90s, several of my (female) translators went to the highest tone to describe their Irish holiday experience (50 shades of green, etc.). Whatever it is with the Irish and the Lithuanians, there seems to be a good cultural fit (might have to do with love for singing, and immunity to gray skies). I wouldn't be surprised it the majority of the Lithuanian immigrants were female ..

A slight majority (19k vs 17k) but not as strongly female as the other ex-USSR nationalities. (All ex-Warsaw Pact nationalities had male majorities in contrast.)

[ObserverIE]

Lower Professionals:

What is going on in Northern Donegal? Quite full of lower professionals, almost half of which were born in the UK, but are nevertheless mostly Catholic. Londonderry suburbs growing into the Republic of Ireland ?

The "born in the UK" is a result of Derry suburban growth and natural interaction across a border which represents a legal rather than a cultural division in the area. (The "UK citizen" figures are much, much lower by comparison.) There's also a concentration of supporting employment in and around Letterkenny (regional hospital, Institute of Technology) which becomes more apparent when you look at the data at a finer level of detail, with there being a ring of EDs around Letterkenny (Castlewray, Magheraboy, Corravaddy, Ballymacool) with above-average figures as opposed to only one similar ED (Three Trees) which would be unambiguously Derry exurbia.

[ObserverIE]

Some more housing stuff would be great, if the data is there.

Regarding born in the U.K; is it also possible that parents in parts of Donegal go to their nearest hospital regardless of country, further boosting the figures? Does that happen? The situation is different, but that's what happens in parts of Mid Wales.

There's a maternity unit in Letterkenny (and in Sligo for the south of the county) so it would only be an issue for the immediate surrounds of Derry city (Burt, Burnfoot) and perhaps in more northern parts of Inishowen. However, the "where were you born?" question actually looks for where the mother was resident at the time of the birth rather than the location of the hospital so the question is moot for the census results.

[ObserverIE]

Presumably the pattern of old houses is the same in other cities as Dublin?

You can drill down for more data at various levels at http://census.cso.ie/sapmap/, although the presentation of the data is not as nice as on the AIRO site.

[ObserverIE]

Dublin North West is all after 1919? How come?

Finglas was almost entirely rural (and outside the city boundaries) until the 1950s when large-scale council estates were constructed to house people from inner-city Dublin, with a later, more problematic, scheme at Ballymun following in the mid 60s. Tallaght (Dublin South West), Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart (Dublin West), and Lucan and Clondalkin (Dublin Mid West) have similar patterns, although they were developed from the 70s onwards and have a larger mixture of private housing.

[ObserverIE]

Remarkably dense for that.

It's not really much more dense than a lot of the other pre-war and post-war developments (take a look at the AIRO website and choose "Population" and then "Population density per SA" to see) but as a constituency, it's entirely within the city boundaries and doesn't include any rural or green-belt territory in the way Dublin West, Mid West and South West do.

[ObserverIE]

Ask and you shall receive.



I decided to use Orange as my colour for this map. At one time it would have been perfect, now well it is still very appropriate but not entirely: Dublin West (14.5%) here is the real anomaly as the constituency with the highest percentage and it is not a historic protestant area (which most of the others in dark shades are). In short, I strongly suspect that this is a Historic Protestant populations + Recent non-Eastern European migrants map. Lowest was Limerick West (3.27%)

In only three constituencies was the % for non-religion higher than that for Other religion stated: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central and Cork North Central although in all cases it was by narrow margins.

This reminds me of my IRC arguments with oakvale when I pointed out the existence of a Dublin Vineyard and then the argument over how the people who go to the Belfast Vineyard vote (I think it was generally agreed upon they would mostly vote Alliance.) I should see if the Dublin Vineyard is located in Dublin West...

The Dublin Vineyard is on Aungier Street (Dublin South East). Dublin West is more likely to be various brands of African Pentecostalist and Holiness churches, Russian and Romanian Orthodox and (not necessarily practising) Islam.

[ObserverIE]

Now the Mothers...

Giving our historical fertility rate (about 4 per women in the early 70s to about 1.8 during Da Keltic Tigah to a slight increase very close to 2.1 now which is btw the highest in the EU) this is somewhat a map of female olds.

... and as such a nice indicator of longer-term migration / regional development trends, which to me appear like
1) suburbanisation around Dublin and Cork,
2) moderate urban development in Galway and Limerick, prossibly also in Waterford and Dundalk,
3) Outmigration from the North-East (partly balanced by cross-border influx from Northern Ireland)
4) Low overall dynamic in the remainder of the country.

The mortgage map tells a similar story, except for that one constituency half-way between, but a bit north of Dublin and Galway.

The Great Map of Irish Mammies above may show that to a degree, but I suspect it might be also be a proxy for social conservatism.

Galway city has very high urban development, by the way, with the rural part of Galway West being much more similar to the rest of rural Connacht, and the urbanisation in Louth is as if not more likely to be driven by Drogheda than Dundalk.

I think the constituency "half-way between, but a bit north of Dublin and Galway" is Longford-Westmeath.

[ObserverIE]

All sorts of curiosities to me here, I want to know about those 139 Muslims in Leitrim for a start...

Even Leitrim has kebab houses.

[ObserverIE]

More Housing...

I like the subtle link with the age of building map this has in parts of Dublin.

Subtle link with "old money" in Dublin, perhaps.

[ObserverIE]

Also, for those that aren't Al and are still paying attention ("He speaks to the air") might notice a particular area of the country which has constantly shown significant deviations from the rest throughout this series... anyone seen it yet? No prizes if you have.

I think you mean to say that the rest of the country shows significant deviations from normalcy as defined by The Green Zone, home of Pat "Plank" Kenny, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly and KPMG Girl.

[ObserverIE]

Dublin South rarely if ever deviates from Dunleary next door, so you can't possibly be talking about that.

Throw in Dublin South East and you've got The Green Zone. Home of our political, business and media classes and pretty much culturally, socially and economically disconnected from the rest of the country.

[ObserverIE]

Also, for those that aren't Al and are still paying attention ("He speaks to the air") might notice a particular area of the country which has constantly shown significant deviations from the rest throughout this series... anyone seen it yet? No prizes if you have.

I think you mean to say that the rest of the country shows significant deviations from normalcy as defined by The Green Zone, home of Pat "Plank" Kenny, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly and KPMG Girl.

As a Dublin South-ian I apologize many times for KPMG Girl, Ross O'Carroll-Kerry, oh, and Lucinda Creighton and Shane Ross while we are at it too (Hey, it's a political forum).

Lucinda is actually Mayo; those roots keep showing.