Maps show emigration patterns before Famine

Ordnance Survey Ireland - the State mapping service has produced a digital archive of its early map series - much of which predates the Great Famine.

Using almost 40,000 maps from its archive the series depicts emigration patterns from Ireland to North America, and are to be launched in Boston later this year.

The digital archive is expected to be an invaluable resource for historians, genealogists and Irish people generally in tracing their origins, while also giving a pictorial representation of where their ancestors lived.

The first complete series was surveyed and mapped by 1842 and the last map published by 1847. More than 2,100 men were employed for the duration of the task and 1,700 maps were made for the series.

The series is still noted for its accuracy and the wealth of detail which includes all the field patterns, every road and byway, administrative and legal boundaries and the definitive place names of the country.

The second series produced by Ordnance Survey Ireland took place in the post-famine period 1888 to 1913 and was completed just prior to Irish Independence. This time the country was mapped in even more detail at a scale of 25 inches to the mile and the series contained some 30,000 maps.

The mapping took place during the great agrarian reforms of post famine Ireland.

The series will be officially launched at a national genealogy conference in Boston from August 30th to September 3rd.

A pre-release of the digital series is available on the web at Irishhistoricmaps.ie.