The Irish Census.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 37, 11 September 1902, Page 4

The Irish Census.

Txa completed report of the Irish census was recently issued. Acoording to it the total number of emigrant* from Ireland during ten yean, from 1891 to 1901, was 440,993, compared with 768,105 in the previoua decade, and bringing the number for the past fifty yean to the appalling total of 3,846,393. Of those who left the shores of Ireland during the past deoade no less than 309,626 were between the ages of 20 and 45, and of the remainder 24,786 were under 10 years of age ; 82,834 were over 10 and under 20 ; 16,220 were aged 45 or upwards ; whilst the ages of 60 were unspecified. From the foregoing it will be observed that 705 per cent of the emigrants were between the ages of 20 and 45, that is in the prime of life. The number of emigrants during the past 20 years was equal to an average annual rate of 52*5 of the mean population, the rate for the province of Leinster being 7*B ; Mun»te, 180 ; Ulster, 92 ; and Conuaught, 190 per thousand. County Kerry suffered more heavily than all the other counties from the terrible drain on the population, the average annual rate for that county being 24 6 per thousand, the other counties coming in the following order :— Oalway, 202 ; Clare, 201 ; Leitrim, 194 ; Sligo, 190 ; Mayo, 188 ; Cork, 180 ; Roscommon, 17*1 ; Longford, 158 ; Cavan, 149 ; Limeriok, 147 ; Waterford, 14 7 ; Tipperary, 116 ; Queen's County, 138; Carlow, 129 ; King's County, 12*1 ; Tyrone, 120 ; Donegal, 11*2 ; Monaghan, 10 7 ; Fermanagh, 104 ; Kilkenny, 102 ; Londonderry, 101 ; Westmeath, 100 ; Armagh, 95 ; Antrim, 9*l ; Meath, 90 ; Kildare, 7 4 ; Wexford, 7#o7 # 0 ; Down, 70 ; Louth, 6*3 ; Wicklow, 72 ; and Dublin, 41. From the above it will be observed that in all the five counties of Connaught and in three of the counties of Munster the rate exceeded 16 per thousand. Of those who left the country between 1891 and 1901, as many M 405,565, or 93 6 per cent., went to the oolonies or foreign countries, and 27,961, or 6*4 per cent., to Great Britain. Of the former number 387,489, or 894 per cent., of the total emigrants went to the United States; 8531, or 2 per cent., to Australia ; 6581, or I*s per cent., to Canada ; 841, or o'2 per cent., to New Zealand ; and 2117, or 0"5 per cent., to other oountries ; and of those who left for Great Britain 17,518 went to England or Wales, and 10,443 to Scotland. The table dealing with the religious professions of the people show a steady deoline in the percentage of Catholics to the population as a whole. In. 18G1, when the question of religion was firat taken cognisanoe of in these census returns, Catholics formed 77"6!) per cent, of the whole population ; in 1871 the proportion was76.B'J; in 1881 it was 76 .~>l ; in 1801 it wa-i 7.') 10 ; a- d la^t year it was only 74"21, the actual number amounting to 3 808 CGI in a total population of 4, ir>8,77.j. The percentage of Protestant Episcopalians, on the other hand, has steadily increased, though their a itual nutnoer has fallen off. In 1801 they were 1 1"9(J p»-r ceut of the population; in 1871 they were 12 34 ; in 1881 th. y were 12 3G; in 181)1 they were 1275 ; and laßt year they were 13 03. Similarly Presbyterians increased from 902 per cent, in ISGI to 9-94 per cent, in 11)01 ; while Methodists increased from 0 7S) per cent, in 18G1 to l"00 per cent, in 1901, and all other denominations from 054 to 143 per cent. Catholics have their highest proportion of the population in the province of Connaught. Arranging the provinces in the order of absolute strength of Catholics, it will be found that with the exception of Connaught they follow the same order when placed according to the proportion which the Catholics bear to the whole population. Thus, in Munster there are 1,007,876 Catholics, forming 93*6 per cent, of the population of the province ; Leinßter comes next with an absolute number of 961,768 Catholics.and a proportion of 85*2 per cent. ; Ulster has 699,202 Catholics with a percentage of 44 # 2 of the population ; whilst in Connaught, where the Catholics are 93 - 8 per cent, of the population, they number only 619,815. From these figures it will be apparent that Catholics form the great majority of the inhabitants of each province except Ulster, and even in Ulster they largely exceed in number the numbers of any other denomination, the population of that province reduoed to a basis of 1000 being composed as follows : 442 Catholics, 227 Protestant Episcopalians, 26!) Presbyterians, 30 Methodists, and 32 members of ' all other denominations.'