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Irish Economy

4.1 Livestock exports from Ireland1, 1887 to 1919
 
Time periodAverage annual exports from Ireland
CattleSheepPigsTotal cattle, sheep & pigs
1887-9692,604599,946499,8141,792,364
1897-9773,882836,642657,5482,268,072
1907-9847,023750,986398,8371,996,846
1917-9791,410628,376188,6511,608,437
Source: Modern Irish Trade and Industry (1920), E.J. Riordan
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.

Photo of flock of sheep

Photo: Flock of sheep

  • Livestock exports from Ireland increased during the pre-war years but fell during World War I.
  • The number of cattle exported rose from an annual average of 692,604 during 1887-9 to reach 847,023 by 1907-9, before falling during the war years to 791,410 by 1917-9.
  • The number of sheep and pigs exported during this time period followed a similar pattern.
4.2 Imports and exports of butter and margarine, 1910 to 1918
 
 ButterMargarineExports less imports
 ImportsExportsImportsExportsButterMargarine
 Cwts£Cwts£Cwts£Cwts£££
191077,945477,798698,9073,584,81054,376142,73771,144186,7533,107,01244,016
191188,472535,207688,3623,671,26456,163146,02473,171190,2453,136,05744,221
191265,731432,555778,7784,159,97275,470196,22263,739165,7213,727,417-30,501
191371,585454,831725,3683,735,64583,807215,80358,091149,5843,280,814-66,219
191473,935467,462855,6084,641,67386,434203,12061,982145,6584,174,211-57,462
191560,048443,942838,0895,751,385109,278305,97884,038235,3065,307,443-70,672
191642,201369,905764,4566,163,427141,751462,463163,219457,0135,793,522-5,450
191729,056303,877675,3306,896,808149,699643,706244,3821,050,8436,592,931407,137
19184,46455,800455,9115,436,73919,912103,542126,353657,0365,380,939553,494
Source: Modern Irish Trade and Industry (1920), E. J. Riordan
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.

Arundel Square, Waterford City 1900 

Photo: Arundel Square, Waterford city 1900

  • Butter and margarine were among the main agricultural items manufactured in 1916. Butter exports increased between 1910 and 1914 but during the war years exports fell back slightly.
  • By 1916 exports of butter in volume terms had declined to 764,456 cwt from 855,608 cwt in 1914. (A cwt or hundredweight, is an Imperial unit of measure equal to 8 stone, 112 pounds or 50.8 kg.)
  • The scarcity of butter during the war years created a strong demand for butter substitutes such as margarine. The quantity of margarine imported rose from 54,376 cwts in 1910 to 141,751 cwts by 1916.
Butter exportsButter importsMargarine exportsMargarine imports
1910698907779457114454376
1911688362884727317156163
1912778778657316373975470
1913725368715855809183807
1914855608739356198286434
19158380896004884038109278
191676445642201163219141751
191767533029056244382149699
1918455911446412635319912
4.3 Commercial shipbuilding in Ireland1, 1910 to 1919
 
YearTonnage of Ships Built
1910165,828
1911183,390
1912163,481
1913130,899
1914256,547
191538,095
191610,900
191778,936
1918182,356
1919222,955
Source: Modern Irish Trade and Industry (1920), E. J. Riordan
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.
  • During the years 1915-1918 the number of people engaged in ship-building in Ireland ranged from 13,000 to 20,000. While a number of different firms were involved in ship building, the principal ones were Harland and Wolfe Ltd. and Workman Clark & Co. Ltd., both located in Belfast.
  • Table 4.3 above shows the scale of activities over the time period 1910 to 1919. To put these figures into context, the Titanic (which was built in Belfast and completed in 1911) had a tonnage of 46,000 tonnes, (a quarter of the ship-building output in 1911).
  • Thus the output of ship-building in Ireland in 1914, at 256,547 tonnes, was the equivalent of over 5 Titanics.
  • It is important to note that although commercial ship building was very low in 1916, at just 10,900 tonnes, this excludes work carried out for the Government for military purposes.       
  • Government related work during the war years was very substantial and some indication can be obtained from the trade data for the export of ships in 1916.
  • The value of ships exported in 1916 was over £6 million compared to just over £3 million in 1913. Even after allowing for price changes this suggests a considerable rise in ship-building activity in 1916.
4.4 Linen yarn and linen goods exported from Ireland1, 1910 to 1917
 
YearLinen yarnLinen goods
 lbs£Cwts£
191024,713,6961,596,0931,221,79313,342,998
191124,071,7681,629,8591,113,29612,584,884
191222,616,4961,625,5611,238,98014,005,636
191323,427,9361,732,6911,163,95214,112,918
191420,900,0961,480,4231,196,08614,353,032
191517,847,4241,487,2851,129,10814,904,226
191618,020,5762,027,3151,083,20816,248,120
191724,014,4803,001,8101,048,95823,916,242
Source: Report on the Trade in Imports and Exports at Irish Ports, His Majesty's Stationery Office, Dublin
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.
  • Linen production was a particularly important activity in Ireland in 1916 and there were about 85,000 people employed in flax mills and factories. In 1916, over 18 million lbs of linen yarn was exported, with a value of over £2 million.
  • More than 1 million cwts of linen goods were exported in 1916 with a value of over £16 million. (A cwt, or hundredweight, is an Imperial unit of measure equal to 8 stone, 112 pounds or 50.8 kg.)
  • Prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914, about 70% of these exports were to the United States of America. However between 1914 and 1918, linen was in great demand for military purposes by the British Army for items such as tents, haversacks, hospital equipment and aeroplane fabric.
  • Most of the linen production was concentrated in the counties of Ulster.             
4.5 Production and exports of beer and distillation of spirits in Ireland, 1910 to 1918
 
YearProduction of beerExports of ale and beerExports of porter
 BarrelsBarrels£Hogsheads£
1910:1,8995,792695,9231,838,397
19113,215,0001,6365,113729,2981,926,562
1912:1,2984,170794,4472,098,664
1913:1,3354,339859,0562,269,340
19143,532,0001,6795,541689,6962,446,664
19153,412,0001,9977,256887,5912,500,048
19163,279,0007803,471893,7773,053,738
19172,850,0003621,818508,9872,527,969
19181,603,6797454,917490,4222,431,676
Source: Report on the Trade in Imports and Exports at Irish Ports, His Majesty's Stationery Office, Dublin
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.
  • Government restrictions governing the production of beer and the distillation of spirits were introduced during the war years.
  • The table above shows how these restrictions reduced the number of barrels of beer produced in Ireland from 3.5 million in 1914 to just 2.9 million by 1917. (A barrel of beer was defined as 36 Imperial gallons or 163.7 litres.)
  • These production restrictions had a knock on effect on exports of beer, ale and porter. Exports of porter fell from 887,591 hogsheads in 1915 to just 490,422 by 1918. (A hogshead was a unit of measure and was defined as a barrel and a half.)
  • The Guinness brewery was the main brewery in Ireland and in 1916 it had the largest output of any brewery in the world, brewing more than two-thirds of all beer brewed in Ireland.
  • The levels of duty per barrel of beer rose from 7 shillings 9 pence in 1913 before the war to 25 shillings by 1916 and ultimately rose to 70 shillings by 1919.
exports of porter (hogsheads)
1910695923
1911729298
1912794447
1913859056
1914689696
1915887591
1916893777
1917508987
1918490422
4.6 Annual export and imports at ports in Ireland1 in current and constant prices, 1910 to 1916
£ thousands
YearImportsExportsExports less imports
 Current pricesConstant 1904 pricesCurrent pricesConstant 1904 pricesConstant 1904 prices
191066,43159,62465,89656,968-2,656
191167,61060,32265,07156,330-3,992
191273,95363,22167,16856,710-6,511
191374,46762,98673,87760,567-2,419
191473,99561,17677,31163,2432,067
191587,95059,79084,46358,372-1,418
1916105,20557,358107,17158,8581,500
Source: Report on the Trade in Imports and Exports at Irish Ports during the year ended 31 December 1916, (1918) His Majesty's Stationery Office Dublin
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland

 Downings pier, Co. Donegal

Photo: Downings pier, Co. Donegal

  • There are no National Accounts available for Ireland in 1916. However a number of key indicators can be used to assess economic conditions in Ireland and assess how the Irish economy was faring in 1916.
  • The table above on the value of imports and exports gives a good indication of economic activity.
  • There was a deficit in 1910 of £2.7 million in the balance of trade, i.e., the value of imports was greater than the value of exports.
  • The deficit grew to £6.5 million by 1912 before falling in 1913 and turning to a surplus by 1914 of £2.1 million. By 1916 the surplus in the balance of trade stood at £1.5 million.                  
4.7 Volume growth in exports in Ireland by industry, 1904 to 1916
 
 1904190819131916
Linen100.097.5120.0114.5
Cattle100.0111.8148.3142.9
Bacon100.0129.2139.1150.8
Poultry100.0119.3118.0146.5
Butter100.0112.8112.3156.3
Steamers (Ships)100.0134.6134.0:
Cotton Goods100.098.8130.1124.8
Brewing100.0122.7162.1171.8
Whiskey100.093.985.845.6
Woolens100.0169.6234.6332.2
Sheep100.0101.488.687.1
Horses100.0104.3131.925.9
Pigs100.077.139.555.0
Source: Changes in Irish Exports, Journal of the Statistical and Social Enquiry Society of Ireland, February 1919, Professor C. H. Oldham
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.
  • This table shows a detailed analysis of the growth in exports between 1904 and 1916 for the principal exporting sectors.
  • The woollens sector grew in volume by over 200% between 1904 and 1916. Other sectors with strong growth include brewing (increased by nearly 72%), butter (+56%) and bacon (+51%).
  • Several sectors had a decline in exports between 1904 and 1916, including horses (decreased by 74%) and pigs (decreased by 45%).
4.8 Wholesale Price Index in Ireland1, 1914 to 1918
 June 1914=100
Time periodWholesale Price Index
December 1914125.7
December 1915159.4
December 1916224.0
December 1917266.7
December 1918298.6
Source: Monthly Statistical Statement, Dept of Agricluture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, February 1920
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.
  • The trend in prices is an essential element in understanding the economic performance in 1916. As 1916 is mid-way through the First World War, a considerable level of inflation would be expected.
  • There is no Consumer Price Index available for 1916, however the Wholesale Price Index from 1916 is given in the table above.
  • This Wholesale Price Index shows that by the end of 1916 prices had risen by 124% since June 1914, (the war started on July 28 1914).
  • Unless wage inflation was outpacing price inflation in 1916, which is very unlikely, in general families must have experienced a real reduction in the purchasing power of their £.
  • These increases in prices were driven up by war time scarcities and also by Government policy which increased taxes and duties on various products.
4.9 Government revenue and expenditure in Ireland1, 1911 to 1917
£
YearGovernment RevenueGovernment expenditureBalance
1911/1210,688,00011,533,500-845,500
1912/1310,731,50012,137,000-1,405,500
1913/1411,134,50012,357,000-1,222,500
1914/1512,389,50012,656,000-266,500
1915/1617,929,00012,597,0005,332,000
1916/1723,766,50012,686,00011,080,500
Source: The Public Finances of Ireland, Journal of the Statistical and Social Enquiry Society of Ireland, January 1920, Professor C. H. Oldham
1 Data in this table refers to the island of Ireland.

Custom House, Dublin City

Photo: Custom House, Dublin City

  • The Government spent £11.5 million on the island of Ireland in 1911 and raised £10.7 million in revenue, giving a deficit of about £0.8 million. By 1916 the overall fiscal situation in Ireland was very favourable for the British Government with a very substantial surplus in the government accounts of £11 million.
  • The deficit of £0.8 million in 1911, (before the start of World War I), had turned to a surplus of £5.3 million in 1915, (one year after the start of the war).
  • By 1916 nearly £24 million was raised in Ireland by the British government but just over half of this, £12.6 million, was spent in Ireland, giving a surplus of over £11 million towards the war effort in Britain.
  • Taxes on imported goods such as tea, sugar and tobacco and increased duties on alcoholic products, as well as a lowering of the exemption limit for income tax, contributed to the large increase in Government revenue between 1913 and 1916.
  • Total revenue collected by the British Government in 1916 was £564.7 million and revenue raised in Ireland accounted for about 4% of this.
Government RevenueGovernment expenditure
1911/121068800011533500
1912/131073150012137000
1913/141113450012357000
1914/151238950012656000
1915/161792900012597000
1916/172376650012686000

The year 1916 for the economy of the thirty two county Ireland presents contrasting pictures from an economic standpoint. Rather than looking at the economic fortunes of families the focus in this section has been on economic activities such as the production, export and import of goods and raw materials together with trends in prices and the overall fiscal situation.

 

There were successful shipbuilding and textile production activities concentrated in the north of Ireland and Food and agricultural output was increasing in 1916. However the restrictions on Brewing and Distilling activities did have some adverse impact by 1916 but did not result in any structural changes in these activities.

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