Famine
The 1831 census recorded the population of Mountmellick and local district at 11,390 people.
At the time of the famine in 1845-1852, the Mountmellick population census recorded 8,000 people. Due to famine and migration the population has steadily decreased to the current population of around 4,905 people (2022 Census).
The major decrease in population was due to the famine and the subsequent decline in Mountmellick's industries. On a positive note, some diaspora return seeking the relaxed lifestyle and bring with them valuable experience of working in foreign countries. As a result of migration, Mountmellick as with many other Irish towns is now the ancestral birthplace of many families throughout the globe, Australia, the USA, Canada, and New Zealand. Australia holds special status as it received over 4,400 female child orphans from Ireland’s Workhouses, including children from the Mountmellick workhouse some of whom were born in the town.
We especially welcome contact and visitations of family descendants from the Mountmellick workhouse and from the town in general with an offer of assistance in tracing their roots. Rather than looking at the heartbreak that migration brings to families, the return of the migrants and their families on holidays brings with them a celebratory atmosphere to the community.
Contact
Address
Patrick Street,
Mountmellick,
County Laois,
Ireland,
R32 KN25
Phone
+353 57 869 7557
