Irish Demography in a Comparative Context: European Transition Theory vs. A Post-Colonial Understanding

Abstract

While studies of Irish society have concentrated on the effects of colonialism on late industrialisation and Irish social life, less work has been done on the uniqueness of Irish demographic change and its connection to the country's colonial past. The present article argues that Ireland demographic history has more in common with post-colonial societies than with European states that went through the so-called demographic transition. Irish demographic patterns differ even from peripheral societies of Europe, primarily because its historic pattern of emigration allowed for a stable population despite relatively high birth rates and rapidly declining death rates. Ireland's recent economic success, however, has dramatically altered this historic pattern and its vital rates now correspond more closely to the pattern of European countries that experienced an early demographic transition.