POPULATION. Owing to its insularity and its position on the extreme outskirts of Europe, Ireland received only the ebb-flo• of the great European migrations, and its population is there fore relatively simple in composition. Three major types are usually recognized. The most primitive is a short blaek-haired, brown-skinned, dolichocephalic race, sometimes called Firbolg in accordance with Irish tradition, which has been defined by anthropologists as Neolithic and non-Aryan, or again as Iberian or a branch of the Mediterranean race. The conquerors of this people were a tall and blond race known in Irish traditions as the Tuatha-de-Danaan. It is not known whether the Tuatha-de-Danaan were a Scandinavian or Celtic-speaking people. They were followed by the Gaelic invasion, probably within historic times—a Celtic-speaking race identified with the predominant Irish type of the present day. Stature and cephalic index in Ire land to-day vary little from the characteristic type of England and Scotland. and the Irish people is discriminated from the English and Scotch mainly on grounds of pigmentation (as among the so-called "black Irish"), language, and temperament. Not taking into consideration the different early immigrants. such as the Scandi navians and the Anglo-Normans. which were largely assimilated with the original stock, there are to-day three fairly distinct racial elements represented in Ireland, a fact which is respon sible in a measure for the social and political troubles which have long disturbed the country. By expulsion and by extermination. the popula tion had been considerably reduced by the end of Cromwell's reign. when the number was esti mated at but a little over half a million. The depopulated districts of Eastern and Northern Ireland were repeopled by settlers from England and Scotland. respectively. and the English became the landowners throughout the other portions of the island. Until after the middle of the eigh teenth century the population grew but slowly, being not infrequently checked by the ravages of famine. But toward the end of that century different causes conspired to bring about a rapid increase in the population. Chief of these was probably the universal adaptation of the potato as the main staple of food, the plant giving more returns for the amount of area and labor devoted to it than other plants. and being well suited to the needs of the people. Connected with this was the increased impetus given to industry in general during the wars with France, and also the decided tendency which developed at this time toward the division of the land into leaseholds.
making the acquisition of a holding easy. Under these influences marriages were entered into early and families were large. 'Whereas. in 1785. esti mates place the population at less than 3.000,000, in 1821 the first official census records the popu lation at 6.800.000, and the census of 1841 showed a population of 8.196.000. Considering that the population was almost wholly rural in composi tion. it was much in excess of that which a healthy economic and social status would permit.
The sequel was precipitated by. the potato blight in 1845. This resulted in a large number of deaths front starvation and disease. but its greatest significance was the starting of the tide of emigration which has continued to depopu late the island to the present time. Prior to the Revolution in the .1meriean colonies the Scotch-irish clement. of Northern Ireland had found its way to the colonies in large numbers. lout not until the time of the famine did the movement affect the Celtic element. It is esti mated that in round numbers there were two million Irish emigrants between 1840 and 1860, and one million in each of the following twenty year periods, most of whom went to the United States. in the aggregate, the male emigrants exceed in number the telltale. though the con trary is true for the Province of Connaught. During the year 1900 the emigrants leaving Ire land numbered 45.300. The births usually ex ceed the deaths by 22.000 or 23,000 annually. The following table gives the population by prov inees for each decade since 1841 and per of decrease of each for the last decade: The Trish language was almost universally used in the rural districts by the Celtic element until about 1835. Considering the resentment Itivh the Celtic element has always held toward the British, the general •hange from the Irish to the English language was remarkable for the little opposition that was made to it, and the rapidity with which it was In I351 18.2 per cent. of the population could speak In 1901 there were 2,197.739 males and 2.258. 807 females. It will be seeit that Munster and Connaught have each declined 11111d1 more than one-half during the m•riod, and the rate of de crease still continues high in those provinces.