Browne — Ethnography of the Mullet, Lmhkea, 8f Portacloy. 607 



townlands having only been temporary. That this loss is entirely due' 

 to emigration is proved by the returns of births and deaths in the 

 registration district of Binghamstown for the decennial period 1884- 

 1893 in which space of time the births numbered 1260, and the 

 deaths 707, an excess of 553, or 22*7 per cent. The following Table, 

 which refers only to the parish of Kilmore, shows the population 

 of the district at each census since 1851, with the number of in- 

 habited houses, average number of inhabitants per house, and of acres 

 per head.^ 



Census. 



Population. 



Houses. 



Inhabitants. ! Acres per 

 per house. ' head. 



1851 

 1861 

 1871 

 1881 

 1891 



7379 

 6452 

 5552 

 5327 

 4111 



1106 



1243 



1054 



911 



694 



6-67 

 0-19 

 5-27 

 5-85 

 5-92 



3-99 

 4-57 

 5-31 

 5-53 



7-17 



The density of population is thus seen to be about 89 per square 

 mile, but varies with locality, being greatest on S. Inishkea, where it 

 is about 304. 



The town of Belmullet, which is not included in the table given 

 above, has fluctuated much since its foundation in 1825. In 1831 its 

 population was 585, and it continued to increase until after 1851, 

 when it had attained its maximum of 935 ; from that time forth it 

 declined. In 1861 its inhabitants numbered 907; in 1871, 849; in 

 1881 there was a slight increase, 852 ; and at the last census, in 1891, 

 the population had fallen to 652, 



It was difficult to lay down any exact boundaries to what, for the 

 purposes of this report, is termed the Portacloy district ; but the three 

 townlands — Srahataggle, Portacloy, and Curraunboy, from which most 

 of those measured at Portacloy came, have been taken to represent it ; 

 in these the population has not undergone the same change as that of 

 Kilmore, the population having risen since 1851, from 248, inhabiting 

 46 houses, to 299 in 53 houses. 



1 In 1831 the population of Kilmore Ems was 9287. 

 R.I. A. PEOC, SEE. III., VOL. III. 



