Like other parts of County Mayo, Doohoma was adversely affected during the famine years of the 1840s and 1850s. The population of 455 people in 1841 was more than halved to 218 people by 1851. It endured high levels of emigration throughout the years, with the diaspora of Doohoma spreading to countries including England, Scotland, the United States, Australia and Canada. The first main road through the townland was not built until 1847.