Northern Ireland map

An 1848 map of Northern Ireland. The 1841 & 2002 population of Northern Ireiand.

*Northern Ireland map showing the province of Ulster in the famine year of 1848.*
Click for larger view.

This Northern Ireland map shows the province of Ulster as it was in 1848, at the height of the famine that brought unbearable suffering to millions of people.

Death and emigration caused the population to shrink dramatically. Some counties, especially the more rural, have a considerably smaller population density in the 21st century than they did in 1841.

Even allowing for later migration to cities, the figures tell the tale of a devastated population.

Since 1922 the province has been divided so that six counties now make up the separate state of Northern Ireland and are part of the UK, while three counties remain within the Republic of Ireland.

Republic of Ireland: Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan.
Northern Ireland (UK): Antrim, Armagh, Down, Derry (aka Londonderry), Fermanagh, Tyrone.

When conducting Irish genealogy research it is important to make the distinction between the two political states because some records are held in Belfast and others in Dublin. Knowing in which state your ancestors' county now lies can save you valuable research time.

The population of Ulster in 2002 and 1841

County Area in KMs² xxPopulationxx Population per KM² per KM² in 1841

Antrim 2844 566,400 199 125

Armagh 1254 127,700 102 185

Derry 2074 214,800 104 107

Down 2448 416,600 170 148

Fermanagh 1691 54,200 32 93

Tyrone 3155 161,800 51 99

Cavan 1931 56,416 29 126

Donegal 4841 137,383 28 62

Monaghan 1294 52,772 41 155

Source: Republic Census 1841/Census 2002; NI estimates.

Where next?

Download the 1848 Northern Ireland map. (You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader.) It's quite a big file.
See the map of Northern Ireland joined to the south and discover all-Ireland geography facts.

Best genealogy websites for Northern Ireland research.

From Northern Ireland map to Irish Genealogy Toolkit Home.

The Ulster Way

The Ulster Way is a long distance (originally 590 miles) hiking route around Northern Ireland and takes in coastal, city, lake and rural views.

It includes the Mourne Mountains, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Giant's Causeway, Lough Erne, Cavehill and the Sperrin Mountains, and skirts the city of Belfast. Along the way, it visits all six of the Northern Irish counties.

An Ulster Way signpost

In recent years it suffered from lack of maintenance and a number of disputes about rights of access and landowners' liabilities but most of these issues have now been resolved and/or the path diverted in some places.

As a result, the Ulster Way was relaunched in September 2009 with many old signs replaced and the route more clearly marked. The revised route is also longer, stretching over 625 miles.

Northern Ireland Population
in 1831

County Population

Antrim 314,608

Armagh 220,651

Derry 212,416

Down 352,571

Fermanagh 149,555

Tyrone 302,943

Cavan 228,050

Donegal 298,104

Monaghan 195,532