This article is from page 16 of the 2006-07-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
THE POPULATION of Clare has increased by 7.3 per cent since the last census in 2002.
That’s an overall increase of 7,523 people, according to the preliminary results of the census of population taken last April.
And analysis of the figures paints a picture of the economic fortunes of the Banner from the depression of the 1950’s when people were leaving in droves, to the explosion of people coming in during the Celtic Tiger and post Celtic Tiger years.
The overall figures puts the county’s population now at 110,800 compared to 103,277 in 2002.
Men outnumber women, with 56,000 males registered in Clare in comparison with 54,800 women.
The first State run census in 1926 recorded 95,064 people living in the county. The lowest population ever recorded here was in 1966 when there were just 73,597 residents.
There was a natural increase due to births and deaths of 3,504 made up of 1,617 more men and 1,887 women.
The records show that between 2002 and 2006, there were 9.4 people coming into the county for every 1,000 people already here.
The largest influx was between 1996 and 2002, when there were 10.4 extra people arriving in Clare for each thousand living here.
Between 1951 and 1956, 15.9 out of every thousand residents were leaving Clare, probably in search of work elsewhere.
There was a slight recovery between 1971 and 1979 – the years which saw massive investment in Shannon – with 7.3 people coming into the county for every thousand already here.
Clare was again haemorrhaging people from 1986 to 1991 when more than 6 in each thousand residents were getting out.
The recovery which is now seeing migrants returning, economic migrants flooding in and refugees and asylum seekers finding a haven here began with an increase of 2.7 people per thousand between 1991 and 1996.
The population of Ennis grew by 7. 5 per cent in the period, with the town now home to 10,305 people, an increase of 1,404.
The areas of Ennis defined as rural also grew, in this case by 9.4 per cent.
Kilrush town lost 2.6 per cent of its population while Ballyvaughan was up by the same amount.
Corofin’s population is up by 7 per cent, Ennistimon by 3.1 per cent, Killadysert by 7.1 per cent and Kilrush by 3.8 per cent. The Meelick area has gained by 10.8 per cent, Scariff by 2 per cent and Tulla by 14.9 per cent.