This article is from page 14 of the 2012-04-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
GROWTH to the middle and eastern part of the county and depopulation in the west and north Clare. These were the two contrasting tales told by the official release of the 2011 Census of Population for Clare by the Central Statistics Office last week.
In the map of the county that’s carried above, the vast tracks of land that are coloured white represent areas where the population has decreased, going against the overall trend in the county that saw population jump by 6,396 over the space of five years to over a 100-year high of 117,196.
The census figures are broken down by electoral district, rather than on a parish to parish basis, the statistics revealing that many parts of west and north Clare are now in the grip of a big population decline.
Tullig on the Loophead peninsula is one of the worst hit in west Clare, with its population declining by 16 per cent in five years.
Cahermurphy in the parish of Kilmihil saw its population decrease by 10.9 per cent, Mullagh’s dropped by 7.4 per cent while up in north Clare, Carran’s population declined by 8.7 per cent.
However, not all parts of the west and north were hit – Doonbeg’s population is on the rise as, with 60 more people living there when compared to the last census, which represents a jump of 8.6 per cent, while nearby Dromellihy in Cooraclare saw its population jump by 10.1 per cent.
The same is true of Clondegad, which enjoyed something a surge in population over five years as a 23.9 per cent increase translating into 124 extra people living there.
The urban area of Kilrush saw its population decline by 4.4 per cent, but it was a different story in Kilrush rural as the population grew by 20.5 per cent.
This growth also took place in Kilmihil, which created headlines recently because of the extent of the emigration from the parish actually experienced a population increase of 8.1 per cent. In north Clare the area of Killaspuglonane increased its population by 20 per cent.
The biggest increase in west or north Clare was experienced in Liscannor, which saw its population increase 282 to 374, which represents 32.7 per cent.
However, it’s further east that the biggest increases in terms of numbers are to be seen.
The Ennis urban area actually saw its population decline by 9.8 per cent, in the Ennis rural electoral area an in the outlying parishes there was a big increase.
Ennis rural increased by 6.5 per cent, while along the western corridor this upward trend was mirrored in many places. Crusheen’s population jumped by 20.1 per cent, Doora by 18.5 per cent, the Newgrove area of Doora-Barefield parish by 32.6 per cent, Newmarket-on-Fergus by 6.1 per cent, Mountievers and Castlecrine in Sixmilebridge by 35.5 per cent and 24.8 per cent respectively, Quin by 38.7 per cent, while the biggest percentage shift in the county occurred in Cappavilla in east Clare with the increase from 674 to 1,038 representing 54 per cent.