Not true that Cork is in the East and you ignored Galway and Limerick the next 2 biggest cities by population both in the West, lazy

I’ve told my son and his wife in Galway that the people he sees every day are an illusion as where he lives is ‘pretty empty’

I went to Ireland recently, and it only rained twice; the first time for 4 days, and the second time for 3 days 😂

Totally missed the huge influence of the Famine. The west of Ireland was a lot more densely populalted prior to the famine. The famine and the emmigration that followed for over a hundred years, is a major factor in why the west is less populated. For example the population of the Western province of Connacht in 1841, before the famine, was 1.4 million by by 1971 it was 390K. Munster 1841 2.3 million by 1971 879K. A little research wouldn't kill you. The population decline in Ireland is an emotive subject. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_population_of_Ireland

"The island of Ireland is home to about 7.2 million people." So still almost 1 million less than in 1840

As someone born and raised in the West of Ireland, it’s largely down to a combination of poorer agricultural land and relative isolation from Ireland’s main trading partners in the EU and UK. This leads to a more scattered population and less prospect of attracting FDI, although American multinationals have stepped in the breach somewhat. The relative lack of people does make for some stunning scenery and generally lower rates of crime, however. As a friend of mine says, don’t tell anyone about how nice it is or they’ll all want to come!

Limerick has left the chat, and Galway’s already in the car.

Ireland certainly has a mild climate. We recently visited Wexford and Waterford in Ireland's 'Sunny South-East', and were amazed to see so many palm trees.

Just casually ignoring Limerick and Galway cities while also saying that Cork is on the east coast when that’s just blatantly wrong

So what defines a 'major' city, given the size and distribution of the population? Limerick and Galway have populations that are not that much less than that of Cork. And are similar to many cities in the UK. The West of Ireland has always been less developed and relied more on agriculture and tourism while Belfast and Dublin always had most of the industry, commerce, and the seats of power. Still, property is still expensive.

All the population on the east coast tilts the island to have nice beaches there and high cliffs on the opposite side of the island.

Geoff this population shift is only true post famine. The population of county Mayo in the west in 1841 was almost 400,000, yet now is 130,000. Inhabited by farmers on very small holdings yet In the east it was often bigger landed estates run by the English. The west and south West never recovered population wise. Cork is also is in the south and south West of the country

Like most other countries, NI is Belfast-centric and ROI is Dublin-centric. Governments choose to invest in each of those heavily. Private investment goes there which nobody can control. I think money needs to be more evenly distributed relative to size, problem is Belfast needs massively developed and regenerated in parts with investment, whereas in Dublin the problems are more housing and crime. These cities are much larger than the others. Despite the two being 170km apart, no high speed rail which would be the norm in Europe. All of Ireland deserves a connected railway system also. Infrastructure and transport is a problem on both sides

13:29 not only are Ireland a beautiful island, but the people there are beautiful people also, my company had a project there in the 90'ts and we all simply loved working there, 2 of my colleagues found their wife there and many travelled around the island and they all loved everything, also being in pubs in the evening was so nice, people was easy to talk to and so polite, positive and created a pleasant atmosphere many of us considered it our favourite place to have a project

I've been all over Ireland as my husband is from Ireland. The consistency of the soil in the west is much rockier than the soil in the East. That's a big factor as to why so many in the west left. Farming was simply more of an uphill battle. If you travel from Dublin to Galway by car you'll gradually notice more and more stone fences. I spent some time on one of the Aran Islands off the west coast and the entire island was broken down by stone "fences".

We see the reasons the reasons why Ireland's East coast is more heavily populated than the West duplicated in the UK: better geography and proximity to markets. The UK's population is heavily concentrated in South East England for those reasons. The geographical conditions and climate are more benign in the South East of England, and it is closest to the markets in continental Europe

"Major" is a relative term....In terms of "major cities" on a global scale, with the exception of Belfast and Dublin, many population centres in Ireland are little more than small towns. BTW I live in Ireland. In the England classifications are as follows Major is 200k - England 28, ROI 2, NI 1 Large is 75k to 199,999 - England 85, Ireland 2 largest of which is 102k, NI is 1 Medium is 20k to 74999 - UK 348 ROI Ireland 21 and NI 11 You can see the trend - Several county towns in Ireland would be classed as Large Village/Small town.

I recently moved to the west coast of Ireland. One of the advantages of it being less populated than the east is that property prices are much more reasonable. 😁

Amazing how close those Mesolithic guys from 9,000 years ago look so much like modern Saturday night guys after the pubs have closed.

My family came from County Clare Ireland on the West coast. I visited Ireland and found the Irish so friendly. Western Ireland has a different culture than Eastern Ireland they have kept their old Irish values and culture they seem to feel Eastern Ireland is more like England.

Thanks for the video on Ireland! I appreciate your time, research and presentation of world geography and interesting facts. Maybe consider adjusting your voice and varying the depths and heights of your tone during your videos. Otherwise great job, keep up the good work :)

Wonderful presentation. Pronunciation is pretty spot on. I live in the west and it truly is a beautiful part of the world. The best advice I could give? If your sat nav suggests turning right, take a left. You’ll find hidden valleys, empty beaches and the odd local pub. If you’re lucky you’ll find yourself at a party, a wedding or an Irish funeral. All strangely similar. David in Galway ❤

The west coast of Ireland is very wet and relatively mountainous, is why it’s less populated. There is a similar population trend in Scotland.

Founded in 914 AD by Vikings from Norway, Waterford City is over 1100 years old making it Ireland's oldest City. In 914,the great Viking adventurer and pirate, Regnall, a grandson of Ivor the Boneless, established a base here and built a Longphort or ships haven, which would in time become a modern city. Waterford & Dublin remain the only cities to get Royal city status

Wonderful video. I won't bore you with historical stuff. The West of Ireland is jaw dropping beautiful. Again, fantastic video.

Galway city and limerick city are pretty big cities in the west of ireland now😊

We just returned from Ireland. We saw the southern portion of the Republic. As nice as the cities in the East are. The beauty and peace of the western areas can't be understated. Some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life were in the west. So I think it comes down to one's desires and preferences. The hustle, bustle and culture of cities or the more relaxed and peaceful areas out in the countryside. Either way. It's something I can so highly recommend if given the opportunity. And we're hoping to make it back again one day.

Did a tour of Ireland in 1998, July, I think. 888 miles from Shannon clockwise to Shannon - one week - 5 of us. Lovely Country - everyone was so friendly and helpful.

Another factor is the rainfall, which on the west coast is twice that of the east, and that rain comes in from the west horizontally most of the time due to the high winds.

As a North American of Spanish decent that most people confuse as coming from Irish ancestry, i'd love to learn more about the migration of Celtic people from the Iberian Pennisula into Ireland. Couldn't stop thinkin about that throughout the entire video

Cork is not on the east cost and Limerick is not a coastal town.

You're right about the weather. You really should edit the bit about Cork being in the east though, it's most definitely south. I don't know if there will be a united Ireland in the next 10 years or so, at the moment people are more concerned with more immediate issues like the housing crisis, the cost of living and the health service.

Striking scenery. Great, informative video.

Very interesting. Thank you. Ireland is such a beautiful country.

Pretty sure Ireland didn't get independence in 1949, but rather in 1937 when it became a Republic

A small point on the residents of NI and the EU: there is a provision in the Good Friday Agreement that citizens of NI can choose to have citizenship of UK or the Republic of Ireland or both. So, a portion of the NI population are already EU citizens. But they live in a non-EU state.

One to two days earlier and you would have timed it perfectly with the Belfast-built RMS Titanic sinking 112 years ago in 1912, back when the whole island was united under UK rule until 10 years later - the last place that infamous ocean liner lowered her anchor was in Cobh (pronounced 'cove', was Queenstown prior to independence). That's how I noticed errors with the flags displayed at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, T N, USA (highly recommended, as are the ones in Belfast, N.I. and Branson, M O, USA if you're in those areas), they don't display the N.I. flag nor those of England (because she first sailed from Southampton) and France (2nd stop Cherbourg) but do with the ROI flag even though the Republic didn't exist yet. As for myself, I'm American like you, about half my ancestry is Irish, and possibly specifically Northern Irish at that, as I'm a Protestant with dark brown hair. But brown eyes since I'm part Sioux! 😊 Love Ireland, their people, landscape, food and culture! 🇮🇪 Now I want some Irish food paired with a green apple soda pop... (that's supposed to be a compliment.)

Surprised you didn’t mention Cromwell. He and his forces were responsible for some heinous crimes against the Irish people.

Appreciate the effort in getting the pronunciations and facts correct 👏🏼

Dingle on the West Coast was such a major trading hub that Queen Elizabeth sent her A-Team - Sir Walter Raleigh (of Spanish-Armada burning fame) to destroy the Catholic trading hub. The trade with Spain, Portugal, and France on the West Coast could have been an economic powerhouse - but for the British.

hahaha! You try make it sound like the Australian outback, try drive from Dublin (east coast) to Galway (west coast) and you'll see just how "empty" this country is, every town and city is bursting with people. You have not got a clue and I suspect you've never set foot here.

There’s no evidence for Celtic Speakers having come from Galicia in Spain to Ireland. It’s much more likely that the route was France to Britain to Ireland.

Your pronunciation is very good. Great video thank you.

There never has been, in recorded history, a united country of Ireland. There was a collection of warring fiefdoms. So therefore your question should they reunite is false

This video is beyond the Pale.

It's to create atmosphere when you stare longingly at the Atlantic Ocean and write poetry.

the western provinces of ireland, munster and connaught, had far bigger populations prior to the mid 1800s then they do today. Population density was actually higher in the west than the east at that stage

We've been talking about going back to Ireland (there in 2003 for a wedding), and on a whim I started filling out the trip form. Alas, although we are in our 60s, our kids range from 7 to 12... I hope you have a great trip 🙂

I've never even been to Ireland, but I'm inclined to agree with the comments pointing out that the explanation given for the title question in the video is incomplete, if not inaccurate. The geographical aspects for Ireland mostly mirror the situation in both Scotland and Norway (and, I suppose, northern France), but though these have the population skewed to the east as well there are striking historical differences. Particularly in Norway, there is actually more of the population on the West coast than in the flatter&dryer inland regions. In fact, historically this was even more the case - the capital used to be Trondheim, then Bergen, whereas the population growth in the Oslo region is a more recent development. This is because historically, the disadvantages of steep rainswept coasts are actually not as relevant. Most transportation happened by boat anyway, fishing had more significance, rain is mostly a good thing for agriculture, and the hills aren't a show-stopper for traditional farming (they're more of a hindrance for modern industrialized monocultures). The west coast was thus _better_ suited for habitation than the east with its lack of navigable waterways and cold winters. The latter disadvantages apply less to Ireland and Scotland, yet these too used to have a more evenly spread population including the mountainous west and north. It's clear that the actual reasons for the population declines in those regions are more complex than just "rugged landscape" and "proximity to England" (or to Denmark in case of Norway).

Let me guess before watching the video: population centers exist where the food, water, and trade ports are. If you don't have all three, you have low populations.

The Plantation slide is funny - three little figures with a trowel each, planting a little planteen-shmanteen. Somehow, I don’t think that exactly how the Plantations manifested 😁

My husband and I are a pair of New Yorkers who moved to rural northwestern Ireland ten years ago. Our home sits along a small road. Our side is the Republic. The other side of the road - is the UK. Border country is its own flavor, and can be confusing at first. How the folks in our nearest village have one accent, and the folks two miles away in the next village (in the UK ) speak with a COMPLETELY different accent - is amazing. Literally a few NYC blocks between them…. Different countries, different histories, different politics - two countries side-by-side - and yet, a wide gulf runs between them. It’s hard to imagine them joined and blended - anytime soon. And about the geography? Two local sayings? “Leitrim land is sold by the gallon.” And “When a crow flies over Leitrim, he brings his own lunch” Thanks for the video, and all the information - nice work!

My wife and I started in Cork and drove around most of the island (clockwise) and ended up in Dublin. An amazing place. I had some people that worked for me in Cork (we are from San Diego). The people that worked for me were shocked that we were driving around the island. I don't think any of them had ever done that before.

An excellent summary 👏🏻🇮🇪

“Closer to anywhere” would be more accurate & less loaded than “closer to Britain” or “closer to England”, especially before Columbus made the New World & Old World aware of each other, when the only thing beyond Ireland seemed to be Iceland.

10:44 - Guh. It doesn't "beg" the question, it *raises* the question!

Thanks for the great analysis. Those damn mountains/hills get in the way, again. Please note the following about Northern Ireland: 1. For the first time in 2021, more people identify themselves as Catholic versus Protesant, 45.7% versus 43.5%. 2. Nationalists now have a majority in N Ireland's assembly for the first time. Nationalists do not want to be part of the UK.

2:21 Wait a minute... Wasn't Viking settlement limited to the eastern coastline? Not only do DNA tests reveal that Scandinavian genes appear mostly in the east, but there's the sheer fact that Vikings were responsible for establishing cities in lieu of agricultural estates.

Walked about 1k kilometers through the centre and east, jaysus bais the shut pubs were devastating. Shoutout Ireland way and biggup my mates and also shoutout to the colour green

Cork is Irelands second city. It's a big place and is in the south west! Galway is also big and not 'pretty empty'!, same for Limerick. Much traffic around Galway, I suppose those jammed roads are an illusion especially Headford Road

Cool video, though the background music is distracting.

1:22 Anyone else notice that the aisle of Anglesey and northwest wales looks like a guy earring a raincoat, pointing accusingly around Wexford

Thank you, Jeff.

I visited Doonbeg and Tralee in July to golf. It was brisk and very cool with a strong wind along the sea at Ballybunion and Trump International. It was Incredible summer weather ❤

Famine. The answer is famine.

Recent archeologist discovered that Roman did significant trade with Wales as well as up and down the Irish Sea. That would also support more human activity on the East Coast of Ireland.

An interesting video. Not to be pedantic, but the name for the country of Ireland is Ireland / Éire as per Bunracht na hEireann, the Irish constitution. Whilst there was a Republic of Ireland Act passed in 1949, this didn't change the name, only declared that the country is a republic. Also, there is no L, O, N, D, O or N in Derry😉

I'm from Wicklow originally, but i grew up in South Kerry, moved to Limerick when I turned 19, and now live in West Clare. I can confirm that the weather is brutal, but there are also more people here than you might think. I certainly would never call the west "empty."

There are some many factual inaccuracies in this video I don't know where to begin. The death toll of the famine, Independent since the 40s, the geographical information is ok but historically very inacurate. The cromwellian invasion should bear some influence on this topic too, "to hell or to Connacht"

I love Bundoran on the coast! Nice surfing

Thanks for the video. My great-grandparents left in the late 19th century; I’ve never been there (yet).

Since a lot of trade and influence passed through Holyhead, perhaps you should've said "England and Wales". It would've made the maps look more sensible.

Ok, 2 minutes in: The Celts most likely came to Ireland the same way most people did, through Britain. The Iberian hypothesis has been pretty much debunked. If you study it linguistically, Goidelic kept the characteristics of older Celtic languages longer while Brythonic had more influences from the mainland.

And remember, the word ‘Londonderry’, has 6 silent letters at the start.

When you spoke about a United Ireland that really felt like it was out of a text book. But I dont blame you, its hard for anyone not living in Ireland to understand. Its very complex and has no simple answer.

Thanks Jeff! Very cool.

And the second spoken language in Ireland is...Polish. 😮

That part about the Irish Celts arriving in Ireland from Galicia in Spain - that doesn't sound right to me, or from a quick Google search, whic just says they arrived through Britain. If I'm wrong, please let me know, as it would be a very cool story!

Ireland is amazing! I have incredibly fond memories of the my visit there.

Thank you for the video

Less people but not that little. The land is a lot worse, the coast is a lot more rugged and the other coast is closer to the U.K

The "English" colonisers of the 12th century saw themselves more as French especially given that they actually spoke French.

I live on the west coast of Connemara - ask me if rained today (bloody windy too but it's home & I love it!)☘

Little story about one of the castles shown like 2:40 secs in. Castle Roche. I live in not far. The story goes it was built for a lady of some lord or something and when they finishing building it she kicked him of the tower which you can still get to if you can pull yourself up . Apparently theres an underground passage way beneath the castle. Keeping in mind the hill its built on that would make a lot of sense.

So, I just tried to "like" this video and I got an error message saying "resource has been exhausted, e.g. Check quota"

I was lucky enough to visit Ireland in the early fall of 2022. During the trip I spent most of my time along the east coast, where much of my family is. The beaches of the east coast are sandy and very walkable. Makes sense as to why there is more settlements on that coast. There’s also the obvious close proximity to Ireland neighbors from the east. The east of Ireland had a more cosmopolitan culture whereas out west there’s a stronger use of the Irish language. Compare that to the sheer cliffs of the west coast, serving as the last bastion of mainland Ireland before the near infinite expanse of the ocean. The Western cliffs are a beautiful display of raw power the ocean has, pretty much Irelands final frontier.

You need to do more research. Limerick and Galway are both large cities by Irish standards and great places to visit. Cork is not on the West coast but is South-West. Irish governments have primarily focused investment in the capital which has been short sighted and a big mistake. The West of Ireland is a wonderful place with lots to offer.

Also the Dublin/Wicklow mountains plays a big role in protecting Dublin from the elements.

I wish to see both Ireland and Northern Ireland united soon. 🇮🇪🍀

My dad's mother was of mostly Irish heritage. I have ancestors from 10 counties. She also had Welsh, English, Scottish and German ancestors, who emigrated to Ireland.

I looked up the village in Clare my great grandfather was from, and its one street of attached houses, with a few off flung houses in agricultural areas. The church isn't even there anymore, it's in the next town over.

Maybe when your plane stopped off in Dublin airport you should have gotten off instead of just looking out of the window, the west of Ireland is quite well populated from Kerry right up to Donegal, there is even roads and buildings to move and house the people living there.

Low quality engagement bait

1:52 That isn't true... the Gaels are known in the US the Scots Irish are a unique group of people with charactistics from both the Irish and the Scots because they are an off shot of the scots who settled in Ulster which today has long sinc been conquered by the English and made into the colony of northern Ireland... As a scots irish who came to the Americas just in time to kick the English off them myself this whole video kinda skipped over our history and humongized us as the Ulster(We weren't a single single group for most of our history) with the traitors(They backed the English in the war that got both sides made into english colonies.) the Irish.

Born and raised in north West Ireland over last 40 years. Little to no funding heads this way, gotten better in recent years but lacking in general infrastructure

Major Cities/Towns in the West of Ireland you Tralee (town) co. Kerry, Ennis (town) co. Clare, Limerick City, Galway City, Sligo (town). If i miss one let me know..

As a man from Ireland, this is very good documentation. Congrats and well done

Galway is the best city in Ireland ....

You have Limerick, Galway & Derry Cities on the West Coast so I don’t know where your getting your information from but I think you need to do a tour of the “Wild Atlantic Way” 🤷‍♂️🤨🤣🤣

Nice to see my home town of Athy shown in the video!