Browne — The Ethnography of Garmnna and Lettenmillen. 239 



3. Vital Statistics : — 



(a) Population. — Strange though it may appear when one considers 

 the desolate and barren condition of these islands, yet it is a fact that 

 the population to which they afford a home has hardly been affected 

 by the drain of emigration which has so reduced the number of 

 inhabitants in richer and more fertile districts in the "West of Ireland. 

 In spite of the hard conditions of life, and the apparently unattractive 

 nature of the locality, emigration has been slight, and the population 

 has sensibly increased since 1851, as will be seen at a glance at the 

 tables given below : — 



Census. 



Population. 



Houses. 



Inhabitants 

 per house. 



Acres per 

 head. 



1851 



1725 



224 



7-70 



4-09 



1861 



1865 



374 



4-98 



3-79 



1871 



2196 



438 



5-01 



3-21 



1881 



2739 



478 



5-73 



2-61 



1891 



2506 



431 



5-81 



2-81 



The density of population is, it will be seen, really greater than 

 appears when account is taken of the poor quality of the soil and of 

 the population of Garumna being practically confined to the belt of 

 land near the shore. The actual density is 228 per square mile of 

 surface. There appear to be signs of a slight decrease from emigration 

 in the decade 1881-1891. 



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

 was as follows in 1891 : — 







Population. 





Out- 

 ofEces and 







Persons. 



Males. 



Females. 





larm- 

 steadings. 



Garumna, . . 



5870 ^' n 



1706 



846 



860 



289 



114 



Lettermullen, . 



787 2 5 



549 



286 



263 



97 



44 



Inishark, . . 



64 2 19 



40 



20 



20 



6 







Dinish, 



95 3 3 



50 



21 



29 



10 



5 



Crappagh, . . 



117 3 28 



31 



15 



16 



4 



3 



Furnace, 



218 3 6 



130 



73 



57 



25 



9 



Totals, . . 



7155 2 17 



2506 



1261 



1245 



431 



175 



