Population of the Republic of Ireland from 1841 to 2011

*image:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland

Here is an image of the population of Ireland from 1841 to 2011. Between 1841 and 1851 you can see a dramatic decrease in the population as the Great Irish Famine began and ended, the famine began in 1845 and ended in 1852. About a million died from starvation and another million emigrated. These are the countries the Irish emigrated to during the famine; England, Scotland, South Wales, North America, and Australia. The cause of this emigration and death was the fact that about two-fifths of our population relied on potatoes and in 1840 the potato blight spread across Europe, killing the main source of food for two-fifths of our population.

*sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland