population density in ireland

population density in ireland

1. historical factors

   • before the great famine- population was almost 6.5 m
     • irelands economy was based entirely on agriculture
       • most of population lived in rural areas
       • prior to the great famine- pop density was 106.9 per km- evenly spread
     • led to death of 1 million
       • further 1 million emigrated
         • majority from the western seaboard- farmers only able to grow potatoes
           • death and outward migration led to a reduced population density along the west

2. physical factors

   • wet climate, unproductive soils and upland relief make the west unattractive for settlement
     • aswell as the peat soils of the midlands and other marshy areas along the river Shannon Basin
       • many of these areas have a pop density of less than 24km per km
         • the isolation of the islands off the west- led to pop decline
           • The blanket islands- abandoned in 1954 due to combination of pop decline and exhaustion of their only fuel source
             • in some fertile areas to the south and east large family-run farms have led to less dense settlements

3. socio economic factors

   • Rural-urban migration accelerated from the 1960s onwards
     • because of economic policies introduced be the irish government
       • These policies attracted MNC's to newly built industrial estates in cities and towns
         • led to most employment opportunities occurring in Ireland's largest cities
           • drawn people away from rural areas
             • result; urban centres have highest pop densities
               • settlements surrounding these urban centres also have high pop densities
   • Dublin has many factors that encourage settlement- employment opportunities, higher wages than the national average and a better range of services
     • as a result of this the urban surrounding areas have a pop density of over 75 per km
       • in order to overcome high property prices and a housing shortage- commuter zone of the city has spread to other counties
         • Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Laois

4. Areas of high density

   • ireland highest pop densities are found in urban centres such as
     • Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway
   • The majority of irelands larger urban areas have developed along coastal lowlands or on the banks of rivers.
     • in 2019 nearly 2 million people in ireland lived within 5km of the coast