The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-07-07
IRELAN0's LOST LIFE
Population Decreases Fifty Per Cent
in 75fYears.

The historical and political import
ance of Ireland has created in the
minds of many Americans an exagger-
ated idea of the islands physical pro-
portions and the density OF its popu-
lation.
@The whole of Ireland declares
National Geographical society bulletin
embraces an area slightly less than
the state of Maine, but with a popula-
tion almost six times as dense. In
comparison with the governing coun-
try, ii is three-ffths as large as Eng
land and Wales, with one-ninth the
population The island is one of the
very few sections Of the civilized
world where the population has shown
a marked decrease during the last
century. The first census of the is
land taken in 1921, recorded a popula-
ton almost fifty per cent. larger than
at the present time, while the census
of 184l showed the highwater mark
of more than eight million, nearly
twice the present population OF 1876
00c.
This remarkable decrease, due
largely to emigration, began after the
famine, brought about by the destruct-
i've disease which attacked the potato
crops of lS45. This calamity resulted
In the withdrawal OF more than mil
lion acres from cultivation within two
years. incidentally, the potato, which
has played such an important role in
the life OF ireland, during the last 900
years. is not indigenous TO the island.
but was discovered by the Spanards
in their conquest Of Peru, The coun-
try is directly indebted to Sir Walter
Raleigh for her Irish" potatoes, as .it
was he who brought them from what
| Is now North Carolina and planted
them on his estate near Cork in 1885,
ireland lies on the western rim of
what was once a part of continental
Europe 1t has numerous mountains,
the highest being the McGillicuddy
reefs, (3,414 feet,) in the Killarney re-
| gion, but there is no mountain chain
| or elevated backbone" There is
| more or less well-defned central plain
however. the distinguished feature of
| which Is its bogs-the black bog pro
| ducing the famous peat fuel, dileren-
| tiated from the brown bogs of the
| mountains If the whole island were
brought to a mean level 1t would rise
| 400 feet above the sea.
i I,ls 1ppubg nr ZEALAND M
among its most widely appreciated
| physical characteristics. their scenic
beauty being the inspiration of poets,
painters and musicians. Nor have the
Irish rivers been overlooked in ap-
praisals of the islands beauty. The
Shannon which flows for 25O miles
from the County Cayan, in the north
west TO the Atlantic in the southeast,
is the longest watercourse in the Unit
ed Kingdom. II is navigated by large
steamers for half its length and is
connected with Dublin by means OF
the Grand and the Royal canals.
although coal is found in most of
the so counties into which the island
is divided and there is considerable
iron ore. mining is not an important
industry. Gold was being mined in a
modest way In County Wicklow at the
time of the rebellion of 1898, but the
works we're destroyed and the source
of the metal has never been rediscov
| cred
Agriculture and stock raising are
the chief occupations of the inhabit
ants. At one time the woolen mani
facturers of the island we're formid
able rivals of English factories bu
I hostile legislation gave the industry 1
r check from which II has never recoy
cred. AS the Irish have raised fla
| | for centuries the manufacture Of liner
Il early became one of the important in
dustries of the country. Irish whiske
Is an important article OF export an,
| one of the largest breweries in tn
y | world is located at Dublin The is
[ lands production Of beer Is $4,000
! | barrels annually.
AT Torr Head, on the north, tn
distance to Scotland (Mull of Cantir
is only 13 1.9 miles The Giant
Causeway. a short distance to tn
east of this point is the outcroppin
!, basaltlc formation which in a forme
age joined the two islands