THE CENSUS 1851
The grim story of the census of 1851 was the decline in the population of Ireland caused by the famine that started in 1845. Ireland saw a loss of 1,622,739 people since the 1841 census.
The effect of the famine was an increased bitterness at the British government
Even this terrible figure for death and escape by immigration understates the tragedy. The census report said that “the effect of the visitation of famine and pestilence with which it pleased an all-wise Providence to visit Ireland” was that while every other part of the UK showed a healthy increase in population, Ireland had seen the reverse. The total loss of people from
