IN the early years of the last century the population of Ireland to increase at a rate previously unknown in the history of Europe.
The first reliable figures we have are in the Census of 1841. Looking at the figures we find that Mayo, the poorest and most remote of counties, had the largest rural population in Ireland. The people lived in the most wretched and awful conditions where famine and disease took a dreadful toll. It is incredible that in 1834 Mayo with a population of 366,328 had but a single dispensary to cater for it.
If we look at our own parish we find that in 1841 Burrishoole had 2,165 families and over 12,000 people. The town of Newport had 206 homes which housed 1,091, yet it is in the figures for the rural areas that gives us a better idea of what the conditions must have been like.
The following table of the 1841 census tells us the number of families and people in the various villages. In the census of 1851 the figures on the right hand column tell their own story of the dreadful effect of the famine of 1845 on the people.
CENSUS OF 1841 |
CENSUS OF 1851 | |||
Villages |
Number of Houses |
Total Number of People |
(People left in village after famine) | |
| Houses | People | |||
Cuilmore Carrickeneady Clooneshial Cullentragh Derrycleetagh Derryloughan (East) Derryloughan (North) Derryloughan (South) Derryloughan (Beg) Derryloughan (More) Drumlong Lecarrow Knocknacinneyweel Kilbride Tawneymeeltoge Derrinumera Derryribbeen Drumgar Drimulra Fahy Beg Fahy Mor Knockglass Cartoon Carrowmore |
45 41 12 11 8 16 21 20 8 34 8 42 26 25 7 46 60 15 45 14 8 26 23 32
|
252 221 74 74 34 90 103 105 40 153 39 232 148 138 41 227 330 82 264 73 52 142 116 158 |
29
7 4 1 8 9 2 1 6 23
|
168 132 64 48 23 8 21 55 12 9 32 119 68 21
|
School |
No. on Roll |
Teachers |
Newport Boys Newport Girls Treenbeg Doontrusk Carrickahowla Rossturk Letterlough Newfield Mallranny Derryloughan Ardagh |
171 94 119 165 135 109 56 100 80 104 20 |
Mrs. Ferris Edward Wallace James O'Donnell Patrick Mealy Neal O'Donnell Patrick McSweeney David Moran Amory Kearney John Joyce Michael Daly |
The parish was well provided with schools and we fin 1,188 pupils on roll. The table under tell where the schoo were and numbers on the Roll:
We also find that a John Toura had a Hedge School a Carrickaneady where the children paid one penny per week.
In all the schools the pupils were taught reading, writing and arithmetic, needlework, in the girls school was also taught.
When the famine was over the pattern of life changed very much. The young went to America and England and very often the head of the family went on seasonal work to England in order to pay the rent. The women looked after the home and farm.
The village of Cuilmore was spared the worst effects of the eviction policy of the next years while the villages of Kilbride, Lecarrow, and Carrowmore were completely cleared to make way for the landlords cattle.