Census returns for the period between 1841 and 1851, during which the Famine occurred show a decrease in population of the village and surrounding area greater than one quarter of population in the ten-year period due to death and emigration. During the 19th century, however, the settlement acted as the commercial centre for the surrounding region, with residents of outlying districts and nearby villages bringing butter, cheese, and other produce to Belleeks for sales and export to Belfast, and beyond.