THE IRELAND OF TO-DAY. 29 



persons. The total number of those engaged in 

 the textile industry is 109,588. Apart from this, 

 the clothing industry, including tailors, boot- 

 makers, and hatters, gives the largest amount 

 of work to industrial employees. With the ex- 

 ception of some boot factories, the underlinen 

 industry about Londonderry, which employs 

 about 80,000 hands, ^ is the only industry of 

 this group which comprises big factories. It 

 is however still organised to a large extent as 

 a domestic industry. 



Mining is unimportant. The coal mines send 

 out little more than 100,000 tons. The value of 

 all mine products amounts to about ;^25o,ooo ; 

 the number of persons engaged in mining is 

 about 6,386. Fisheries employ 11,000 indi- 

 viduals. 



In addition to these, three Irish industries of 

 world-wide reputation must be mentioned ; beer- 

 brewing, whiskey-distilling, and the great ship- 

 building yards of Belfast. The 39 beer 

 breweries in Ireland produced in 1901 over three 

 million barrels, of which about two million were 

 consumed at home.- All other firms are over- 

 shadowed by Guinness's Brewery, whose annual 

 profit of late years has been about ^800,000. 

 The 30 whiskey distilleries produced in 1901 

 I4"2 million gallons, of which about 4I- millions 

 were consumed at home.^ Besides these large 



^ " Ireland, Agric. and Ind.," p. 418. 



- " Ireland, Agric. and Ind.," pp. 459 et seq. 



' " Ireland, Agric. and Ind.," p. 499. 



