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Potato Famine
The Potato Famine drove one million Irish people overseas. -
Population of Ireland was 4.4 million
Ireland's population was 4.4 million. Over the next hundred years the natural population increase was consistently exceeded by net emigration. -
Emigration rises after World War II
Emigration figures rose dramatically in the ten years following World War II (1951 – 1961). -
Population shrinks to 2.8 million
The country's population shrank from around 4.4 million in 1861 to 2.8 million in 1961. -
Immigration exceeds emigration for first time in 200 years
Ireland, for the first time in over two centuries, switched from being a net supplier to net receiver of migrants. -
Emigration overtook immigration once again
During the 1980s Ireland was hit by another big wave of emigration, when a hunger for work saw 400,000 people leave. -
Unemployment reaches 15.9%
Unemployment levels reach a high of 15.9% in Ireland. -
Ireland reaches migration 'turning point'
Ireland reached its migration “turning point,” becoming the last EU Member State to become a country of net immigration. -
Unemployment drops to 3.6%
Unemployment declined from 15.9% in 1993 to an all-time low of 3.6%. -
Economy grows at 6% each year
Between 2003 and 2008 Ireland’s economy grew by almost 6% each year and its company tax rates were among the lowest in the world -
Period: to
Ireland's economy grew by 6% each year
Between 2003 and 2008 Ireland’s economy grew by almost 6% each year and its company tax rates were among the lowest in the world -
Ireland falls into recession
Ireland becomes the first country in Western Europe to officially fall into recession in the wake of the global financial crisis, after its property bubble bursts. -
Ireland's unemployment rate reaches 11% - the highest since 1996
As Ireland's unemployment rate reaches 11%, the highest since 1996, over 100,000 people take part in protests in the capital, rallying against the government's handling of the economic crisis. -
111 Irish people emigrate daily
Unemployment in Ireland stands at 14.7%, and emigration reaches it’s highest point since the famine.