JUNIOR CYCLE HISTORY Ireland in the 1800s: Agriculture
In 1841, over 70% of Ireland’s population was still living in the countryside, whereas the majority of Britain’s population lived in towns and cities. Ireland’s population had grown dramatically for a number of reasons. There had been improvements in farming methods, as in Britain, and food was more plentiful. Also, the Irish tended to marry young and have large families.
Ireland exported livestock, such as cattle, and grain to Britain. There was no real effort to develop the kind of widespread industry taking place in Britain. It was claimed that everything would work better if Ireland produced the food to feed people on both islands and Britain did the same with industrial goods. You will learn more about life in rural Ireland in the next chapter.
A rural labourer’s family outside their home CHECKPOINT!
1. By how much did Ireland’s population grow between 1801 and 1841? 2. How were Belfast and Dublin different from the rest of the island? 3. Name two examples of industries that were strong in Ireland in the 1800s. 4. Why were cities so overcrowded? 5. How did this overcrowding affect people’s lives? What problems did they face? 6. Why did Ireland not industrialise like Britain had?
. I can explain what life in Ireland was like in the 1800s. TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD
