CENSUS 2017: POPULATION UP ACROSS NORTH CORK

CENSUS RESULTS OFFER FASCINATING INSIGHT TO CHANGING IRISH SOCIETY

THE results of census 2016 released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the population of Cork County had increased by 4.2% since 2011.

The figures showed that over the five-year period since the last census the population of the county had grown by 17,409 from 399,802 to 417,211 people.

Cork City experienced a slightly higher rate of increase in its population over the period of 5.4% from 119,230 to 125,657, a jump of 6,427.

The city and county saw its combined population rise from 519,032 in 2011 to 542,868 – an increase of 23,836 or 4.4%.

The population of the Mallow/ Kanturk Municipal District rose from 47,305 to 48,601 over the period, an increase of 1,296 or 2.74%.

Mallow, the largest town in the area saw its population increase by 2.5% from 8,578 to 8,793. Other towns and villages within the district to experience growth over he period included: Kanturk, 1,886 to 1,935 (2.6%); Buttevant, 1,706 to 1,744 (2.2%); Banteer 705 to 725 (2.8%); Dromina 605 to 626 (3.4%) and Castlemagner 582 to 623 (7%).

Conversely, others recorded decreases in their population including: Newmarket, 1,537 to 1,518 (-1.2%), Rahan 916 to 882 (-3.5%), Tullylease 437 to 407 (6.8%) and Kilbrin 349 – 330 (5.4%).

The population of the Fermoy Municipal District increased from 42,125 to 42,226 over the period, a jump of 1,899 or 4.5%.

The number of people living in Fermoy town increased from 2,223 to 2,289 or 2.97%. Other places within the district that saw growth included: Charleville, 4,004 to 4,253 (6.2%); Mitchelstown, 5,059 to 5,135 (1.5%); Rathcormac, 2,107 to 2,387 (13.2%); Castlelyons, 1,040 to 1,124 (8%); Kilworth, 1,545 to 1,658 (7.3%) and Kildorrery 632 to 744 (17.7%).

Aside from a few minor instances, there were no recorded decreases in population across the wider Fermoy rural area.

Moving west, the Blarney/Macroom Municipal District experienced an overall increase of 4,24% from 43,398 to 45,239.

The population of Blarney itself increased from 5,310 to 5,607 (5.59%), with Macroom increasing by a rate of 5.97% from 3,738 to 3,961.

The population of Ballincollig grew by 3.65% from 17,965 to 18,621, with Ovens experiencing the largest percentage increase of 12.06% from 2,090 in 2011 to 2,392 in 2016.

The census results slowed that the numbers in both of the key Dáil electoral constituencies within The Corkman area have also increased over the five-year period.

The population of Cork East jumped by 6.2% from 114,365 121,429. This brought the population per Dáil member of the constituency from 28,591 to 30,317. Interestingly, this is both above the national average (30,138) and considerably higher than the constitutional limit of 30,000 people per TD.

By comparison the increase in the population of the three-seat Cork North-West constituency was a more modest 2.9% going from 86,593 to 89,080. Its population per Dáil member rose from 28,894 to 29,693, just marginally below the constitutional limit.

In 2001 only five constituencies across the country reached the proscribed population per TD, with that number having risen to 25 in the intervening five-years.