'Bnowi^B—Ethnographj/ of Inishhofln and Inishnhark. 339 



The distribution of population, inhabited houses, and out-buildings 

 in 1891, was as follows : — 



Islands. 



Area. 



Population. 



Houses. 



Outbuild- 

 ings and 



Farm- 

 steadings. 



Persons. Males. 



Females. 



Inishbofin, 

 Inishsliark, 

 54 other islands, 



A. R. P. 



2312 1 16 

 581 1 30 

 257 3 35 



874 

 123 



450 

 61 



424 

 62 



194 



28 



123 



14 



Totals, . . 



3151 3 1 



997 



511 



486 



*222 



137 



It will be seen that the male population exceeds the female by 95, 

 the cause evidently being the greater emigration of females than of 

 males. 



The drain does not seem to have affected any one class of the 

 males (as regards age) more than another, as the number of men 

 between the ages of 20 and 60 is 203, or slightly more than one-fifth 

 of th.e whole population. 



Since the census was taken some slight change has occurred, for, 

 according to a return obtained on the islands, there are now 186 

 families on Inishbofin, and 26 on Inishshark, being a loss of three 

 families since 1891. A larger number of young people than usual is 

 also said to have emigrated since then. Many of the older men state 

 that emigration has taken away the finest men from the islands, 

 especially Inishshark, and say that formerly the stature of the men 

 was greater than it is now. I must say, however, that those of the 

 elder generation still remaining are not as a rule better built or taller 

 than their sons and grandsons, 



(b.) Acreage and Rental. — The total area is, as stated above, 3151 

 acres, the valuation of whicli, including houses, land, &c., is £572 6.s. 

 A very considerable proportion of the surface of tlie islands is com- 

 monage, the exact amount and distribution of which I am enabled 



* Of these, 215 were inhabited. 



