Why So Few People Live On The West Coast Of Ireland

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Ireland is a beautiful island comprised of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. But despite being part of two separate countries, both exhibit a similar population trend: the vast majority of each's population hugs the east coast, leaving the west feeling pretty empty! Here's why the vast majority of Ireland's population lives so close to Great Britain.
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Animation by DH Designs (needahittman.com)
Editing by Kat Olsen

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

As someone born and raised in the West of Ireland, it’s largely down to a combination of poorer agricultural land and relative isolation from Ireland’s main trading partners in the EU and UK. This leads to a more scattered population and less prospect of attracting FDI, although American multinationals have stepped in the breach somewhat. The relative lack of people does make for some stunning scenery and generally lower rates of crime, however. As a friend of mine says, don’t tell anyone about how nice it is or they’ll all want to come!

[@27forme2]

Who told you it's nice?

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

@@27forme2 Living there for a good portion of my life told me that; you might have another opinion.

[@noelfleming3567]

Still here in d west no better place as usual waiting for sam😂

[@victoriapendleton4099]

sounds like my kind of place

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

@@noelfleming3567 They’ll be out there tie dying sheep and cutting “Mayo for Sam” into the hills before you know it!

[@eamonosullivan2702]

Totally missed the huge influence of the Famine. The west of Ireland was a lot more densely populalted prior to the famine. The famine and the emmigration that followed for over a hundred years, is a major factor in why the west is less populated. For example the population of the Western province of Connacht in 1841, before the famine, was 1.4 million by by 1971 it was 390K. Munster 1841 2.3 million by 1971 879K. A little research wouldn't kill you. The population decline in Ireland is an emotive subject. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_population_of_Ireland

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

Indeed, my home county of Mayo was one of the most populated counties in Ireland prior to the Famine, now it is only one of two in which the population is falling. The Famine had a catastrophic effect and arguably the population never fully recovered from it.

[@tempejkl]

@@TheLastAngryMan01So did the 1740 famine and Cromwell’s invasion

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

@@tempejkl Quite, “to hell or to Connacht”.

[@ungainlytitan1460]

Through in the post-independence capital flight, add in that the post-independence regime lacked capital, were not all that good at strategic planning and over centralised the state. Significant population growth is recent, as is the development of the transport infrastructure that would encourage more rapid growth in the west.

[@Sacto1654]

It took until the early 21st Century for Ireland to recover its population to more or less 1841 levels. But then, there was a huge diaspora of Irish out of Ireland to the USA and even the UK itself, and in the end they carved out new lives in the new countries the Irish emigrated to.

[@dsclark1954]

I’ve told my son and his wife in Galway that the people he sees every day are an illusion as where he lives is ‘pretty empty’

[@chriscurley7977]

Yes, I suffer from that Galway hallucination as well. Guess Limerick has the same problem.

[@brummiesalteno-81]

It is by comparison. Cork population 225,000 Dublin 1,250,000 Belfast 664,000 By comparison the biggest populated cities on the east coast Galway 85,000 Limerick 60,000

[@skeire1]

Yeah

[@lostShadowLord]

God I didn't know that The Island only had 3 cities. I could swearing that Ireland (the country) had six: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny(depending on who you ask) and that Northern Ireland had Three Belfast, Derry(I know, shut up) and Newry.

[@astafford8865]

​​@@lostShadowLord Lisburn was partioned and made a city. They couldn't help themselves. Oh and the reason were the same

[@rosscooper7778]

Not true that Cork is in the East and you ignored Galway and Limerick the next 2 biggest cities by population both in the West, lazy

[@lunarskyye2680]

Galway is hardly a city now. Cracking town though.

[@LFire12]

@@lunarskyye2680 50,000 is the criteria for a city. Galway 'City' has 85,000 plus.

[@liamg1706]

@@lunarskyye2680 galway is considered a city

[@minecraftbuilds1960]

Derry is larger than both of them mate

[@lunarskyye2680]

@@liamg1706 It is. But it's not much of a city.

[@s.henrlllpoklookout5069]

"The island of Ireland is home to about 7.2 million people." So still almost 1 million less than in 1840

[@kosefix]

That's genuinely messed up.

[@fincorrigan7139]

@@kosefix What's further messed up is the population rose from 2.5M to 8M (i.e. tripled) between 1730 and 1845 (Source: Gurrin, The Death Census of Black '47, Eyewitness Accounts of Ireland's Great Famine 2023)

[@kurtpunchesthings2411]

​@kosefix If I remember correctly, we are the only country on planet Earth with a smaller population in the 21st century than the 18th century

[@horatiotodd8723]

Whats messed up about population tripling in over 100 years? Thats very slow growth for todays standards

[@tempejkl]

@@horatiotodd8723 Between 1901 and 1991 the UK’s population only increased 50%. Ireland’s growth is many times larger than that.

[@NmpK24]

So what defines a 'major' city, given the size and distribution of the population? Limerick and Galway have populations that are not that much less than that of Cork. And are similar to many cities in the UK. The West of Ireland has always been less developed and relied more on agriculture and tourism while Belfast and Dublin always had most of the industry, commerce, and the seats of power. Still, property is still expensive.

[@RazorMouth]

In Ireland if a large town has a cathedral it is considered a city. There are towns here with higher populations than one of our cities, Kilkenny.

[@charlesd3a]

​@@RazorMouth my hometown has a Catholic Cathedral which is called the Cathedral of Saints Columba and of Saint Eunan here in letterkenny of the RC Diocese of Raphoe in letterkenny town. Just a few miles away there is another Cathedral which is also Saint Eunans Cathedral of the church of Ireland which is Anglican Protestant church Diocese in Raphoe town which is actually a ancient City which has a smaller population than letterkenny. Letterkenny is the largest town in the County of Donegal and main industrial commercial center for the county.

[@bannanachops]

Well Cork is larger than Galway, Limerick, Ennis, Castlebar and Ballina combined. So there is a substantial enough difference between Cork City and all urban settlements along the west coast.

[@SilentEire]

@@bannanachops beat me to it

[@fincorrigan7139]

@@RazorMouth Nope. The Local Government Act of 2001 recognises 6 cities in Ireland (known as county boroughs). Kilkenny has special status due to having a historical charter, granted in 1609 by James I, and was reconstituted as a borough council in 2000. The majority of cathedrals in Ireland are in very modest towns. Cavan Letterkenny Longford Kilmore Monaghan Mullingar Cobh Ennis Killarney Skibbereen Thurles Carlow Enniscorthy Ballaghaderreen Could a sane individual ever imagine Cavan being a city? Relative to it's locale it is a "large" town with a cathedral. Similarly Ennis, which is reasonably large by any standard (Pop: ~28,000) does not have any pretentions as to city status. The one fly in the ointment is Sligo who bleat on about their lack of city status incessantly and this has probably sparked your comment. Fortunately we are not the USA which has cities with a population as low as Monowi Nebraska, which in this case is 1 as of 2020.

[@itsallinthehead]

Limerick has left the chat, and Galway’s already in the car.

[@kaymillerfromTX]

Good. Those aren’t real cities lmfao. Bye.

[@dr.woozie7500]

And neither of them have more than 100k people... learn statistics please

[@jamesleyda365]

Awesome cities🤘🏴‍☠️

[@nlpnt]

Sounds like a pitch for a Foil, Arms and Hog sketch.

[@yermanoffthetelly]

​@@dr.woozie7500 Limerick city's population is 102,287.

[@malteplath]

A small point on the residents of NI and the EU: there is a provision in the Good Friday Agreement that citizens of NI can choose to have citizenship of UK or the Republic of Ireland or both. So, a portion of the NI population are already EU citizens. But they live in a non-EU state.

[@AntonHu]

Seeing the direction that the EU is going, can they change back?

[@CollieJenn]

I would imagine that portion is a majority.

[@wulver810]

All the population on the east coast tilts the island to have nice beaches there and high cliffs on the opposite side of the island.

[@donofon1014]

blarney or malarky ?

[@Dreyno]

Science!

[@noelfleming3567]

Some of d best beaches n Ireland are on d west coast

[@daraj02]

Donegal has the best beaches but not the weather for them

[@victoriapendleton4099]

says US Congressman Hank Johnson, Americas expert on inland tipping over

[@Manchesteru999]

Geoff this population shift is only true post famine. The population of county Mayo in the west in 1841 was almost 400,000, yet now is 130,000. Inhabited by farmers on very small holdings yet In the east it was often bigger landed estates run by the English. The west and south West never recovered population wise. Cork is also is in the south and south West of the country

[@arron1906]

The term "English" is a modern use by Irish historians and used to refer to Protestant landlords. Most were born in Ireland and/or to generational Irish families, but their family line may have originated from or married to Norman aristocracy. Equally, most English, Welsh and Scots today can trace their blood line to before the Normans, as they are the same blood as Irish, but did not move with the Roman and Danish invasions. Thereon, they spent most of their time in London, which is common then and today for the wealthy to congregate around the capital for business and societal reasons, as indeed wealthy landowners in Ireland now congregate around Dublin.

[@Matt-ve4ue]

Like most other countries, NI is Belfast-centric and ROI is Dublin-centric. Governments choose to invest in each of those heavily. Private investment goes there which nobody can control. I think money needs to be more evenly distributed relative to size, problem is Belfast needs massively developed and regenerated in parts with investment, whereas in Dublin the problems are more housing and crime. These cities are much larger than the others. Despite the two being 170km apart, no high speed rail which would be the norm in Europe. All of Ireland deserves a connected railway system also. Infrastructure and transport is a problem on both sides

[@doncarlodivargas5497]

13:29 not only are Ireland a beautiful island, but the people there are beautiful people also, my company had a project there in the 90'ts and we all simply loved working there, 2 of my colleagues found their wife there and many travelled around the island and they all loved everything, also being in pubs in the evening was so nice, people was easy to talk to and so polite, positive and created a pleasant atmosphere many of us considered it our favourite place to have a project

[@radidov5333]

if your skin is not dark

[@doncarlodivargas5497]

@@radidov5333 - they probably don't appreciate people constantly complaining and accusing others

[@carolined5923]

Are you referring to people being cheesed off by the huge influx of refugees.. if so its not because of their skin colour.

[@radidov5333]

​@@doncarlodivargas5497 obviously not all the people but I'm general just this past winter I was with a mate who is italian (dark skin) and man the difference in treatment were...annoying at best. "go ahead and ask for a table for us....they say is full" .. not it wasnt when I went to ask. Shts like that

[@Macca-rb5ok]

@@radidov5333 The racism is a relatively "new" thing whipped up in the past decade or so by social media nutjobs. In the 1990s anyone of any nationality would have been welcomed warmly into Ireland. The innocence has been lost since then, unfortunately, and Ireland is very much a 21st century society now with common 21st century issues.

[@hillarybeautifile]

I've been all over Ireland as my husband is from Ireland. The consistency of the soil in the west is much rockier than the soil in the East. That's a big factor as to why so many in the west left. Farming was simply more of an uphill battle. If you travel from Dublin to Galway by car you'll gradually notice more and more stone fences. I spent some time on one of the Aran Islands off the west coast and the entire island was broken down by stone "fences".

[@VanillaMacaron551]

Drystone walls, I think they may be known as.

[@kwoltekublai3337]

You might get that impression from visiting the Aran Islands, the Burren area in Clare, West Galway and maybe some areas of Kerry?, but the predominant agricultural constraints in the west of Ireland are low subsoil water permeability in the context of double to triple the rainfall in the East of Ireland, all the downstream effects of this, low topsoil levels due to glaciation and large coverage of bogs/"semi bogs". Tbh the video, especially the thumbnail, is kind of strawmanning - Limerick Co. has the same population density as Co. Cork, and Co. Galway would as well if you disregard the area east of the Corrib, which is literally unbroken uninhabitable bogland and Gaeltachts (native Irish speaking areas). The counties in the centre of the country, where some of the best land in the country is located (eg. Tipperary, Offaly, Laois, Kilkenny), have barely higher population density rates than the counties with the worst land. Ireland's population density distribution is literally just cookie cutter urbanisation around the "major" cities of Galway, Limerick, Cork, Dublin, with a much bigger commuter belt around Dublin because of the better economic opportunities, higher house prices, better transport links and being historically urbanised first.

[@johnmcgrath6192]

The soil in most of county Limerick is quite fertile. A Dairy farnmer aunt uncle in that county were mmillionaires from their dairy farm.

[@thephoenix3155]

The west coast of Ireland is very wet and relatively mountainous, is why it’s less populated. There is a similar population trend in Scotland.

[@andreww2619]

hahaha! You try make it sound like the Australian outback, try drive from Dublin (east coast) to Galway (west coast) and you'll see just how "empty" this country is, every town and city is bursting with people. You have not got a clue and I suspect you've never set foot here.

[@senianns9522]

I did that many years ago! Enjoyed my times there! I liked Limerick and Galway. However always in the back of my mind --my return to Thailand. The weather here wins hands down!

[@damiengreenwood7378]

"Major" is a relative term....In terms of "major cities" on a global scale, with the exception of Belfast and Dublin, many population centres in Ireland are little more than small towns. BTW I live in Ireland. In the England classifications are as follows Major is 200k - England 28, ROI 2, NI 1 Large is 75k to 199,999 - England 85, Ireland 2 largest of which is 102k, NI is 1 Medium is 20k to 74999 - UK 348 ROI Ireland 21 and NI 11 You can see the trend - Several county towns in Ireland would be classed as Large Village/Small town.

[@gregcoogan8270]

"Major" is relative, but I think, in terms of cities, a way to know whether or not a city is "major" is to imagine what would happen if it were to disappear or if something catastrophic happens to the city. If the city magically disappears, or something catastrophic happens to it, and the effects of that is distruptive and catastrophic to the region and country, then its a major city. If its on a list of targets in a war, its a major city.

[@derekmcmanus8615]

I would argue that Belfast is a large town and Dublin is a small city to be honest

[@scoggscork]

And in the states, a small little village or town is a city :-)

[@derekmcmanus8615]

@@scoggscork always found that interesting myself

[@SK-hc3qe]

Thanks for the video on Ireland! I appreciate your time, research and presentation of world geography and interesting facts. Maybe consider adjusting your voice and varying the depths and heights of your tone during your videos. Otherwise great job, keep up the good work :)

[@warrensauvage2363]

Founded in 914 AD by Vikings from Norway, Waterford City is over 1100 years old making it Ireland's oldest City. In 914,the great Viking adventurer and pirate, Regnall, a grandson of Ivor the Boneless, established a base here and built a Longphort or ships haven, which would in time become a modern city. Waterford & Dublin remain the only cities to get Royal city status

[@PanglossDr]

None of the Irish cities were founded by the Vikings. All existed long before. What the Vikings did was develop them into more significant size.

[@th8257]

We see the reasons the reasons why Ireland's East coast is more heavily populated than the West duplicated in the UK: better geography and proximity to markets. The UK's population is heavily concentrated in South East England for those reasons. The geographical conditions and climate are more benign in the South East of England, and it is closest to the markets in continental Europe

[@lukecrowley571]

I recently moved to the west coast of Ireland. One of the advantages of it being less populated than the east is that property prices are much more reasonable. 😁

[@JeremyPickett]

Wonderful video. I won't bore you with historical stuff. The West of Ireland is jaw dropping beautiful. Again, fantastic video.

[@margomoore4527]

I was there age 16, in 1966. I was shocked to see palm trees-I mean just like Florida-all over the West coast. I was told it was the warm currents from the Gulf Stream that created such a pleasant climate. The palm trees seemed to like it but it was a bit chilly for me. But visually stunning.

[@JeremyPickett]

@@margomoore4527 isn't it amazing?

[@skeire1]

I think they are a type of African tree that prefer coastal climates due to the lack of winter frost

[@silversolver7809]

Amazing how close those Mesolithic guys from 9,000 years ago look so much like modern Saturday night guys after the pubs have closed.

[@davidpryle3935]

😂🤣 🍺🍻🥃

[@carolined5923]

😅😅😅

[@erikw3999]

We just returned from Ireland. We saw the southern portion of the Republic. As nice as the cities in the East are. The beauty and peace of the western areas can't be understated. Some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life were in the west. So I think it comes down to one's desires and preferences. The hustle, bustle and culture of cities or the more relaxed and peaceful areas out in the countryside. Either way. It's something I can so highly recommend if given the opportunity. And we're hoping to make it back again one day.

[@bobrussell3602]

But what about the weather. This is a serious question. When should I go to avoid rain ?

[@theresanolan1157]

@@bobrussell3602 never..

[@bobrussell3602]

@@theresanolan1157 Thank you, Theresa. Never mind, where I live is pretty wild & rural, so I suppose I'll explore the highways & byways locally. Kind Regards, Bob.

[@fitzstv8506]

@@bobrussell3602 You cannot avoid rain in Ireland it rains somewhere there almost everyday of the year but when it's not raining which is actually more often than many believe there is no place more beautiful in the world. The spring and early summer are the most likely times not to encounter serious rain but even then there is no certainty.

[@bobrussell3602]

@@fitzstv8506 Thank you for your reply. My paternal GGG Grandmother moved to London (sorry about that !) & was known as 'Katie from Cork' so I suppose, I should come over & sample the delights of Ireland. O.K. I know that Cork is on the East side, but we'll let that go for the present (!) I might google the weather forecast, fly over & at short notice & sample the delights of your lovely culture. quote from an explorer..'There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.' Again, thanks for your reply, please keep in touch.

[@davidcurran8039]

Wonderful presentation. Pronunciation is pretty spot on. I live in the west and it truly is a beautiful part of the world. The best advice I could give? If your sat nav suggests turning right, take a left. You’ll find hidden valleys, empty beaches and the odd local pub. If you’re lucky you’ll find yourself at a party, a wedding or an Irish funeral. All strangely similar. David in Galway ❤

[@rmar127]

Surprised you didn’t mention Cromwell. He and his forces were responsible for some heinous crimes against the Irish people.

[@justinflavin]

Cromwell put half a million Irish into slavery. They were exported to the Carribean.

[@Scoob505]

1/4 - 1/2 the population was decimated by him. 'Gods punishment'. As he put it...

[@omumbeejumbee]

As is Leo Varadkar!

[@uingaeoc3905]

Pure invention by the Faiche Repoblichaines and Papal agents. usual false victimhood narrative. .

[@LoCoAde87]

Yes, Leo is comparable to Cromwell 🤡🤡🤡​@@omumbeejumbee

[@fatbhoy2002]

Another factor is the rainfall, which on the west coast is twice that of the east, and that rain comes in from the west horizontally most of the time due to the high winds.

[@maritaberndt6200]

Definitely the rain! I live in County Mayo. Rain!!!!! When we drive to Dublin the weather improves until we arrive in sunshine. I miss the sun! But I don't miss the crowds.😊🌦

[@GemmaMiss]

Appreciate the effort in getting the pronunciations and facts correct 👏🏼

[@kalicokathy1944]

My family came from County Clare Ireland on the West coast. I visited Ireland and found the Irish so friendly. Western Ireland has a different culture than Eastern Ireland they have kept their old Irish values and culture they seem to feel Eastern Ireland is more like England.

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

Indeed. For instance, in the west of Ireland people have their bonfire night on the summer solstice, which is derived from old Celtic tradition. People in the East (if they have one at all) do their bonfires on 5th November, which is derived from English tradition commemorating the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot at Westminster in 1605 (Guy Fawkes Night).

[@redplanet7163]

The way things are going it'll be more like Morocco or Pakistan soon enough.

[@geem8658]

Nobody in Ireland has a bonfire on the 5th.You're obviosly not Irish.

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

@@geem8658 A mhic, I’ve forgotten more about Ireland than I suspect you know.

[@geem8658]

@@TheLastAngryMan01 Are you getting angry?

[@gerarddeegan1164]

Galway city and limerick city are pretty big cities in the west of ireland now😊

[@cd1051]

Just casually ignoring Limerick and Galway cities while also saying that Cork is on the east coast when that’s just blatantly wrong

[@martinbyrne5626]

Your pronunciation is very good. Great video thank you.

[@LedFloyd333]

Ireland certainly has a mild climate. We recently visited Wexford and Waterford in Ireland's 'Sunny South-East', and were amazed to see so many palm trees.

[@anthonymalovrh2912]

Did a tour of Ireland in 1998, July, I think. 888 miles from Shannon clockwise to Shannon - one week - 5 of us. Lovely Country - everyone was so friendly and helpful.

[@EnverZueros]

As a North American of Spanish decent that most people confuse as coming from Irish ancestry, i'd love to learn more about the migration of Celtic people from the Iberian Pennisula into Ireland. Couldn't stop thinkin about that throughout the entire video

[@TheFlatPancakeTheory]

What the fuck is this comment

[@bogbay]

Google the Book of Invasions. The Iberian invasion of Ireland was the final one and the people who came were called Milesians in Ireland. They fought the Tuatha de Danann, the "god race" that built the passage tombs like Newgrange 5,500 years ago, likely the ancestors of those who eventually built Stonehenge

[@Rockhead84]

Striking scenery. Great, informative video.

[@anthonydolio8118]

Very interesting. Thank you. Ireland is such a beautiful country.

[@jamesthomas4077]

Dingle on the West Coast was such a major trading hub that Queen Elizabeth sent her A-Team - Sir Walter Raleigh (of Spanish-Armada burning fame) to destroy the Catholic trading hub. The trade with Spain, Portugal, and France on the West Coast could have been an economic powerhouse - but for the British.

[@RickJaeger]

I can hear the theme already

[@tempejkl]

And they still try to claim colonisation ‘civilised us’

[@mattpotter8725]

I think the reason for this was mainly fearing it could be a major landing stage for an invasion by France or Spain. I'm not sure Dingle, as beautiful as it is, would have made all that bit a difference economically as a port, and to be honest with you I'm glad it didn't develop into a major trading port because it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. There were already ports like Limerick and Cobh that are much better placed. I think the problem was really the English nobles and the landowners they have land to with no thought of the people working the land, just about exploiting them and making money. As a Brit with a third Irish in me (countries Mayo, Roscommon, and Armagh) I can only apologise for what England did to Ireland over the centuries, from Longbow to Cromwell and beyond. I feel most English are ignorant of the history and just not taught about any of it, though that is no excuse.

[@fitzstv8506]

Dingle is today a pretty wealthy place.

[@awesomedallastours]

This video is beyond the Pale.

[@daniellevinson6975]

Is that because he chose to paint the Republic the color of Ulster??

[@leftaroundabout]

I've never even been to Ireland, but I'm inclined to agree with the comments pointing out that the explanation given for the title question in the video is incomplete, if not inaccurate. The geographical aspects for Ireland mostly mirror the situation in both Scotland and Norway (and, I suppose, northern France), but though these have the population skewed to the east as well there are striking historical differences. Particularly in Norway, there is actually more of the population on the West coast than in the flatter&dryer inland regions. In fact, historically this was even more the case - the capital used to be Trondheim, then Bergen, whereas the population growth in the Oslo region is a more recent development. This is because historically, the disadvantages of steep rainswept coasts are actually not as relevant. Most transportation happened by boat anyway, fishing had more significance, rain is mostly a good thing for agriculture, and the hills aren't a show-stopper for traditional farming (they're more of a hindrance for modern industrialized monocultures). The west coast was thus _better_ suited for habitation than the east with its lack of navigable waterways and cold winters. The latter disadvantages apply less to Ireland and Scotland, yet these too used to have a more evenly spread population including the mountainous west and north. It's clear that the actual reasons for the population declines in those regions are more complex than just "rugged landscape" and "proximity to England" (or to Denmark in case of Norway).

[@henrywyckoff4301]

Let me guess before watching the video: population centers exist where the food, water, and trade ports are. If you don't have all three, you have low populations.

[@UnicornDreamsPastelSkies]

One to two days earlier and you would have timed it perfectly with the Belfast-built RMS Titanic sinking 112 years ago in 1912, back when the whole island was united under UK rule until 10 years later - the last place that infamous ocean liner lowered her anchor was in Cobh (pronounced 'cove', was Queenstown prior to independence). That's how I noticed errors with the flags displayed at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, T N, USA (highly recommended, as are the ones in Belfast, N.I. and Branson, M O, USA if you're in those areas), they don't display the N.I. flag nor those of England (because she first sailed from Southampton) and France (2nd stop Cherbourg) but do with the ROI flag even though the Republic didn't exist yet. As for myself, I'm American like you, about half my ancestry is Irish, and possibly specifically Northern Irish at that, as I'm a Protestant with dark brown hair. But brown eyes since I'm part Sioux! 😊 Love Ireland, their people, landscape, food and culture! 🇮🇪 Now I want some Irish food paired with a green apple soda pop... (that's supposed to be a compliment.)

[@AG-ni8jm]

Pretty sure Ireland didn't get independence in 1949, but rather in 1937 when it became a Republic

[@garethbrowne3025]

Ireland was officially declared a republic in 1949. The 1937 constitution, although republican in tone, didn't officially remove the position of the king as head of state or break Irealnd's link with the Commonwealth. In short the years '37 to '49 were a bit of a grey area in terms of Ireland's status as an independent country.

[@jqbilbao]

An excellent summary 👏🏻🇮🇪

[@otterdreaming]

We've been talking about going back to Ireland (there in 2003 for a wedding), and on a whim I started filling out the trip form. Alas, although we are in our 60s, our kids range from 7 to 12... I hope you have a great trip 🙂

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

It's to create atmosphere when you stare longingly at the Atlantic Ocean and write poetry.

[@pyhead9916]

Recent archeologist discovered that Roman did significant trade with Wales as well as up and down the Irish Sea. That would also support more human activity on the East Coast of Ireland.

[@bogbay]

What seems to be a roman trading post has been found in North county Dublin by the coast. They made to Ireland here all right but not with swords.

[@voice.of.reason]

Cork is Irelands second city. It's a big place and is in the south west! Galway is also big and not 'pretty empty'!, same for Limerick. Much traffic around Galway, I suppose those jammed roads are an illusion especially Headford Road

[@poladelarosa8399]

Thank you, Jeff.

[@justayoutuber1906]

Background music is too loud and unnecessary.

[@daniellevinson6975]

2:21 Wait a minute... Wasn't Viking settlement limited to the eastern coastline? Not only do DNA tests reveal that Scandinavian genes appear mostly in the east, but there's the sheer fact that Vikings were responsible for establishing cities in lieu of agricultural estates.

[@AmandaSamuels]

There’s no evidence for Celtic Speakers having come from Galicia in Spain to Ireland. It’s much more likely that the route was France to Britain to Ireland.

[@yorkie23D7]

You're right about the weather. You really should edit the bit about Cork being in the east though, it's most definitely south. I don't know if there will be a united Ireland in the next 10 years or so, at the moment people are more concerned with more immediate issues like the housing crisis, the cost of living and the health service.

[@SaxonSuccess]

What about the invasion? Not worried about that? Not even a little bit?

[@janechamblesswright119]

My husband and I are a pair of New Yorkers who moved to rural northwestern Ireland ten years ago. Our home sits along a small road. Our side is the Republic. The other side of the road - is the UK. Border country is its own flavor, and can be confusing at first. How the folks in our nearest village have one accent, and the folks two miles away in the next village (in the UK ) speak with a COMPLETELY different accent - is amazing. Literally a few NYC blocks between them…. Different countries, different histories, different politics - two countries side-by-side - and yet, a wide gulf runs between them. It’s hard to imagine them joined and blended - anytime soon. And about the geography? Two local sayings? “Leitrim land is sold by the gallon.” And “When a crow flies over Leitrim, he brings his own lunch” Thanks for the video, and all the information - nice work!

[@spellandshield]

Props to you for getting out of that dumphole NYC and 10 years ago no less, almost prophetic considering how bad it has gotten.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

No different than Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Harlem, and Staten Island all having different accents. hell, i have heard the differences in Boston’s accents just from going a couple of blocks over from White Dorchester to the rest of Dorchester

[@jaredfontaine2002]

I love Bundoran on the coast! Nice surfing

[@LoCoAde87]

Burdoran is just the best. In a few decades, I hope to retire there, if not sooner.

[@chriswilson6069]

I went to Ireland recently, and it only rained twice; the first time for 4 days, and the second time for 3 days 😂

[@PH0NETIQUE]

Calling Cork East is like calling San Antonio East😂

[@dandemannio4050]

There are some many factual inaccuracies in this video I don't know where to begin. The death toll of the famine, Independent since the 40s, the geographical information is ok but historically very inacurate. The cromwellian invasion should bear some influence on this topic too, "to hell or to Connacht"

[@KevOSMusic]

Ok, 2 minutes in: The Celts most likely came to Ireland the same way most people did, through Britain. The Iberian hypothesis has been pretty much debunked. If you study it linguistically, Goidelic kept the characteristics of older Celtic languages longer while Brythonic had more influences from the mainland.

[@LFCMattNOI]

Is that why the Irish language and the Welsh language are completely different ?

[@KevOSMusic]

@@LFCMattNOI Not completely. If you study both, you'll recognise the relationship & similarities. But yes, Brythonic was able to get a lot more continental influences over the years. Many Brythonic words would've been loaned from Latin & replaced the older Celtic words that remained in Goidelic. Goidelic was isolated for quite some time before the Gaels brought it with them to the Isle of Man and Scotland. Difference wise, I'd liken it to English and German: clearly both Germanic but not really mutually intelligible. Though both younger than the divergence found between Goidelic and Brythonic.

[@davidpryle3935]

I agree. There’s no way that people living in Spain in the millennium bc had vessels to transport large numbers of people across such a vast treacherous stretch of ocean.

[@LFCMattNOI]

@@KevOSMusic what about the cruthin who lived historically in Antrim and down. Unionists in NI try to tell us they were British people native to Ireland/Ulster before the gaels from abroad invaded and drove them out,only for them to return centuries later in the Ulster plantation. I’m guessing that story is a load of rubbish too yeah ?

[@KevOSMusic]

​@@LFCMattNOI A stupid argument. Nearly everyone on the island of Ireland is descended from someone who lived on the island of Great Britain. The real issue was England conquered Ireland but rarely looked after its conquest. Irish rebellion was always in response to poor conditions brought on by the rule of the English, later the British. Irish Independence is a direct result of centuries of poor British rule. Same to be said of all the other previous provinces of the British Empire.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Thank you for the video

[@MrSartorius1]

the western provinces of ireland, munster and connaught, had far bigger populations prior to the mid 1800s then they do today. Population density was actually higher in the west than the east at that stage

[@rmar127]

1:22 Anyone else notice that the aisle of Anglesey and northwest wales looks like a guy earring a raincoat, pointing accusingly around Wexford

[@phubblewubbphubblewubb]

I haven't but I will now look. The landmass of England, Wales and Scotland resembles a man in a large hat riding on a pig, my Dad pointed this out to me and once you see it you keep seeing it!

[@raydunn8262]

Thanks for the great analysis. Those damn mountains/hills get in the way, again. Please note the following about Northern Ireland: 1. For the first time in 2021, more people identify themselves as Catholic versus Protesant, 45.7% versus 43.5%. 2. Nationalists now have a majority in N Ireland's assembly for the first time. Nationalists do not want to be part of the UK.

[@phann860]

Hmm, would you want a million upset Unionists being forcibly integrated into the Republic. Gaza would be a sideshow. Also note the Anglo-Irish no longer exist in the South.

[@DadgeCity]

Since a lot of trade and influence passed through Holyhead, perhaps you should've said "England and Wales". It would've made the maps look more sensible.

[@prickettrp]

“Closer to anywhere” would be more accurate & less loaded than “closer to Britain” or “closer to England”, especially before Columbus made the New World & Old World aware of each other, when the only thing beyond Ireland seemed to be Iceland.

[@kwoltekublai3337]

Low quality engagement bait

[@robdrummond6028]

erm......hold on. you ask ''will Ireland re-unite'' - just for your information (and perhaps a history lesson) Ireland was only ever ''one country'' whilst it was united with England, Wales & Scotland as Great Britian & Ireland. Sorry to burst your balloon. There has never, at least in the last 1,500 years or so - been one country called Ireland. Prior to it being as British as Wales (with the vast majority support of the irish until 1916) it was a myriad of DIFFERENT IRISH KINGDOMS. The ''top spot'' was being King of Dublin - whoever was King of Dublin, was ''King of (Irish) Kings''. Just like almost every other country on earth - all of these competing Kingdoms (including many on the landmass called England - which was also separate kingdoms) fought to establish supremecy over the other close by kingdoms and only in the 1100's did King Diarmait Mac Murchada seek aid from the then King of England (who was also King of much of France) Henry II. No doubt many ill-educated people will stick their oar in here and try desparately to dispute all of this - but I am only bringing the facts, so dont really care. Why does no-one ever talk about the colonisation of Ireland - for the best part of 1,000 years or more, - by THE CATHOLIC CHURCH with all their attrocities, added of course to the home-grown attrocities of the Irish against Irish from within their various separate Kingdoms at the time - and then finally, but not solely, damage done by ''the British'' - of which The Irish actually were, just as today there are also Welsh/British - Scottish/British - Irish/British and English/British. My goodness, dare I say it: Sir Arthur Guiness, Oscar Wilde and dozens more were - after all - Irish/British.

[@genghisthegreat2034]

Hi Geography by Geoff ! I've spent 43 years designing and project managing infrastructure all over Ireland ( Poland, UK, NL, Cayman Islands). It's unfortunately necessary to say, that for 30 of those years, I'd leave my home on the West Coast, to arrive at a site on the East Coast, work the day, and be home by 10pm. You're reading far too much into what you haven't read at all.

[@JayneSmyth-od3wi]

Don't forget that Belfast was an Industrial Revolution city. Everyone moved from the countryside to Belfast, including both of my grandparents families. I'm sure the same probably applies to Dublin.

[@channelite]

Cool video, though the background music is distracting.

[@exoterminator]

That part about the Irish Celts arriving in Ireland from Galicia in Spain - that doesn't sound right to me, or from a quick Google search, whic just says they arrived through Britain. If I'm wrong, please let me know, as it would be a very cool story!

[@Vampire.Vegan.]

There's a Queen's University study (I'll try and find the link) that suggests people and animals may have arrived from Galicia. They studied DNA from badgers and discovered Irish badgers came from Northern Spain. It's an interesting read, that's for sure

[@exoterminator]

@@Vampire.Vegan. that's really interesting, thanks! Definitely send the link if you find it

[@matthewbarry376]

@@exoterminator look up Breogán it'll explain a good bit of detail

[@puffodmuff3981]

@@Vampire.Vegan. Yes, send the link.

[@davidpryle3935]

Yeah, I agree. I doubt very much did people in living in Spain in the millennium BC have vessels capable of transporting large numbers of people across such a vast and treacherous stretch of ocean.

[@philblagden]

You need to do more research. Limerick and Galway are both large cities by Irish standards and great places to visit. Cork is not on the West coast but is South-West. Irish governments have primarily focused investment in the capital which has been short sighted and a big mistake. The West of Ireland is a wonderful place with lots to offer.

[@RonanBrowneMusic]

The Plantation slide is funny - three little figures with a trowel each, planting a little planteen-shmanteen. Somehow, I don’t think that exactly how the Plantations manifested 😁

[@katanaridingremy]

So, I just tried to "like" this video and I got an error message saying "resource has been exhausted, e.g. Check quota"

[@tamedshrew235]

I got the same message on other videos- got it when hitting like button too

[@davelindgren5245]

My wife and I started in Cork and drove around most of the island (clockwise) and ended up in Dublin. An amazing place. I had some people that worked for me in Cork (we are from San Diego). The people that worked for me were shocked that we were driving around the island. I don't think any of them had ever done that before.

[@hafluq2979]

Driving in Ireland is peaceful. Not many people and cars around and while the landscapes are bare, they are beautiful in their simplicity. I find it relaxing.

[@Fran-ik6ob]

@@hafluq2979 🤣

[@TheAnthraxBiology]

Short summary and asterisk from an Irish history student just finished his degree: During the height of colonialism, Irish people were forced west of the River Shannon and so the majority of Irish speakers who refused to conform to the new economic system were forced onto the worst land in the country. This created a monoculture of potatoes (which had high yield on bad land divided up amongst many people) and resulted in major famines that killed 10-20% of the country like 1740-41 (blian an air) and 1845-52 (an gorta mór - the more well known one). The latter caused a huge population transfer to the east which was more anglicised and developed. The British invested more in the East where the land was better, they had based the government there, the industry had developed there too etc. and so this continued into independence. Few efforts were made to decentralise the country and both government and economy stayed concentrated in the east - especially Leinster province - post 1922. The asterisk is that we DO have urban centres in the west. There are 6 cities on the island of Ireland - 2 in the North (Belfast and Derry) and 4 in the Republic (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway). He only showed half of them - 2 more are on the west coast and one on the north.

[@padraicflynn9462]

What about Waterford, Bangor, Newry, Lisburn, and Armagh?

[@garbhanmyles]

I live in Derry which is right on the border with Donegal. It’s absolutely beautiful here and people are cool, but as a nature lover I can say that it’s not empty at all. Donegal is becoming saturated with houses, and trees will end up belonging to the realm of myths with the rate they are being chopped down.

[@TrueNativeScot]

The houses are being built for non-white invaders, not even for Irish people, which is sickening

[@johnmc3862]

And remember, the word ‘Londonderry’, has 6 silent letters at the start.

[@devanman7920]

Less people but not that little. The land is a lot worse, the coast is a lot more rugged and the other coast is closer to the U.K

[@DerekFolan]

It's because as you go West you encounter big lakes and big rivers where the surrounding lands are marshlands or as you near the coast it gets very rocky which is bad for farming.

[@darrencorrigan8505]

Thanks, Geoff.

[@artureff3046]

And the second spoken language in Ireland is...Polish. 😮

[@johnmc3862]

Yes by Polish.

[@jimslancio]

I've heard it said that the three most devoutly Catholic countries in the world are Poland, Ireland, and the Vatican, in that order.

[@phann860]

Add Lithuanian and so on, emigration to Ireland has I think reached 70,000 a year with the open borders, multiply by 20 and you reach 1.4 Million give or take, from 3.5 Million.

[@Two4Brew]

My dad's mother was of mostly Irish heritage. I have ancestors from 10 counties. She also had Welsh, English, Scottish and German ancestors, who emigrated to Ireland.

[@fr2ncm9]

Interesting. My mom's family is 100% Irish. Most of them come from the Irish midlands but a few of them aparently moved to Wales at some point in the 19th century.

[@ralphl7643]

Were there ever ports for large sailing ships on the west coast? If the wind is always blowing toward land, they would have difficulty leaving port.

[@bogbay]

Limerick and Galway have been trading with continental Europe for many centuries.

[@monodimensionalbeing7996]

Walked about 1k kilometers through the centre and east, jaysus bais the shut pubs were devastating. Shoutout Ireland way and biggup my mates and also shoutout to the colour green

[@monodimensionalbeing7996]

West* uwu!!!

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

1:52 That isn't true... the Gaels are known in the US the Scots Irish are a unique group of people with charactistics from both the Irish and the Scots because they are an off shot of the scots who settled in Ulster which today has long sinc been conquered by the English and made into the colony of northern Ireland... As a scots irish who came to the Americas just in time to kick the English off them myself this whole video kinda skipped over our history and humongized us as the Ulster(We weren't a single single group for most of our history) with the traitors(They backed the English in the war that got both sides made into english colonies.) the Irish.

[@RickJaeger]

Kindly make use of more punctuation, it will aid the rest of us in understanding what on Earth you're trying to say.

[@Fred-gu6pk]

​@RickJaeger So far as I can tell he is saying he's plastic and rest isn't worth reading.

[@RickJaeger]

@@Fred-gu6pk I don't think he said the word "plastic" once, xo idk what you're talking about.

[@emmatobin3432]

Famine. The answer is famine.

[@phann860]

The Celts in Ireland came from Spain, I would have it more likely they travelled across from the East, of Europe, settled in Germany, France etc and made their way into Britain and thence to Ireland. J Caesar no doubt displaced many when his Gallic Wars kicked off and surely they would have fled in every direction but probably Britain in the first instance in small boats. The population of Ireland (The southern 26 counties) did not triple after the famine. At the outset of the famine the Southern Irish population was 6 Million, after the death of 1 Million and the exodus of at least another 1 Million ( Probably more) by 1960 I think the population was 3.5 Million, a fall of almost 50%. No other country in Europe or maybe the world saw such a decline in such a relatively short period..

[@peterkelly1139]

Just wondering where you population number from??

[@SaadAlisArt]

I wish to see both Ireland and Northern Ireland united soon. 🇮🇪🍀

[@vince1229]

Like Israel and Palestine?

[@bigbootros4362]

❤🇬🇧

[@bigbootros4362]

​@@vince1229❤🇮🇱

[@SixHundredandThirteen]

Never 😞

[@jasonknight5863]

I wish also but the reality is taxes are lesser for the Northern Irish people being ruled by Great Britain. So for that reason that everything costs more in the Republic of Ireland for the Northern Irish people. They don’t want that, they want to pay less … so they want to stay part of England. I mean if you were part of United States and things were cheaper than Canada would you want your small state to return back to being part of Canada. If things cost more money… Nope.

[@Fitz42]

I was lucky enough to visit Ireland in the early fall of 2022. During the trip I spent most of my time along the east coast, where much of my family is. The beaches of the east coast are sandy and very walkable. Makes sense as to why there is more settlements on that coast. There’s also the obvious close proximity to Ireland neighbors from the east. The east of Ireland had a more cosmopolitan culture whereas out west there’s a stronger use of the Irish language. Compare that to the sheer cliffs of the west coast, serving as the last bastion of mainland Ireland before the near infinite expanse of the ocean. The Western cliffs are a beautiful display of raw power the ocean has, pretty much Irelands final frontier.

[@jerrygarcia4390]

I visited Doonbeg and Tralee in July to golf. It was brisk and very cool with a strong wind along the sea at Ballybunion and Trump International. It was Incredible summer weather ❤

[@CollieJenn]

Also the Dublin/Wicklow mountains plays a big role in protecting Dublin from the elements.

[@thetruthsetsyoufree1492]

The title is unrealistic to the current situation of the west mainly because it is hugely filling with foreign people, especially with the Muslims. So, the western urbanisation will be inevitably expanded if the government keeps taking more foreign people in. I indirectly heard that Letterkenny in County Donegal is the fastest urban development in this century. I am from Ireland.

[@philexley1853]

What a load of badly written, bigotry driven twaddle.

[@TrueNativeScot]

@@philexley1853He's right. 1 in 5 people in Ireland are non-white invaders, and this number is set to increase. It's ethnic cleansing and it is absolutely evil

[@m.p.7075]

I heard there are 3 mosques in Letterkenny now? Last time I was in the town I watched Packie Bonnar return from the 1990 world cup. You'd struggle to find many Muslims in the whole of Ireland in those days. Crazy how they've allowed a countries demographic to totally transform in a couple of decades and then bleeding heart idiots accuse you of being a bigot for noticing. I've worked in the middle east for a decade. Travelled the world and worked with people from many many countries. I'd challenge anyone to find a person I worked with who would call me a racist but all cultures are not the same and a lot laugh at the idiocy of our western liberal societies. What Ireland is doing to itself at the minute is putting itself on a very very dangerous path.

[@MichihiroHonda]

​​@@m.p.7075yes, Ireland will be unrecognisible within a couple of decades due to their open-door immigration policies. 😌

[@thetruthsetsyoufree1492]

@@MichihiroHonda I think the government is a puppet of the EU’s immigration policies for a very long time. I recently heard that a Mexican guy came into my local and they said that he allegedly came from the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. I’m so spiritually restless because of the spineless government’s lack of responsibility to protect the Irish citizens.

[@joefaney4068]

We never had a famine in Ireland it was genocide

[@silversolver7809]

Last time I checked with friends in England, their schoolbooks still label it a famine. I hope that by the 200th anniversary they'll be mature and courageous enough to put the truth in there-it's apparently already available in 3rd-level English education. Not like it's today's peoples' fault-at worst, a distant relative for members of the aristocracy, like the BBC reporter Laura Trevelyan. I suspect acknowledgement would satisfy most in Ireland today, end the hypocrisy which is quite insulting after all this time.

[@tempejkl]

⁠@@silversolver7809Trevelyan? I heard that name in Fields of Athenry, what significance does it have?

[@conorhaywa5690]

Your friends are liars. And your books tell lies.

[@KevOSMusic]

All famines are human creations & most are genocides.

[@akula9713]

Having very large families and only growing one crop? Potatoes? Not their fault at all🙄

[@JosephCollins-mk5ro]

Loving your country is Normal. Ireland is a beautiful Country.

[@Caoimhin93]

My parents were born in US but both of my mom parents and dads half my dad's family is from Ireland But we're from County Donegal near the north western coast on the republic of Ireland side

[@macewindu5920]

As a man from Ireland, this is very good documentation. Congrats and well done

[@robertsabharwal9787]

Galway is the best city in Ireland ....

[@mikemulrennan7948]

I loved Galway!

[@SergioMach7]

Dublin is a dump anyway

[@fincorrigan7139]

Measured by the number of students who die by alcohol poisoning each year.

[@SergioMach7]

@@fincorrigan7139 Rag week filters out the men from the boys

[@johnmc3862]

Hippie capital of Ireland! Great city though.

[@impulse_xs]

0:20 If you combined the total population in the entire area in red it would roughly make up about 25-30% of the entire population of the island… not bad for 2 coastal city centric countries that have a large portion of rugged, hard to farm land that’s far away from all the historical population centers in closer proximity to England and mainland Europe.

[@kevinburke9940]

Thanks for the video. My great-grandparents left in the late 19th century; I’ve never been there (yet).

[@daniellevinson6975]

Ditto! (I'm talking about Mom's side; Dad's side lacks Irish ancestry, as you may have guessed from my surname.)

[@SaxonSuccess]

Exactly the same for me. And I've no plans to go either.