Given inward migration and social change in Ireland over the past twenty years it is a useful exercise to determine the extent to which Ireland’s population is socially and spatially segregated. Reported here are the results presented at the Social Sciences and Public Policy conference held in Galway, Dec 1-2. Segregation has been calculated using a straightforward aspatial index of dissimilarity that computes the relative size of population of two groups in an area using the demographic data reported in the 2006 census. In this case, 22 groups were compared with a reference group – so Polish nationals to Irish nationals, Travelling community to white Irish community, lone parent families to nuclear families, etc. The data were calculated for the Enumerator Area scale, which have an average population of 968, for the cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford.
In the table, red represents a very high degree of segregation through to green which is a relatively low degree of segregation. What the results show is that the greatest degree of segregation is experienced by the Travelling community, followed by people in local authority housing, followed by non-nationals and ethnic minorities. There is relatively little segregation around social class or status.
There is a clear difference between the four cities, with Limerick having the highest levels of segregation followed by Cork, Waterford and Galway.
The data are in the process of being computed on a time series basis between 1991 and 2006 at the Electoral District scale, and mapped for the four cities at Enumerator Area scale using location quotients and posts about those will follow at some point.
Des McCafferty
Ireland after NAMA 
December 4, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Des, some interesting results, not least because they counter stories about ‘immigrant ghettos’ that surface from time to time. What do you think might account for the comparatively higher scores in Limerick and comparatively lower scores in Galway?
December 4, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Residential segregation levels are largely driven by the housing system, including both the private (market) and public sectors, so if we’re looking for explanations of segregation we need to start there. Interestingly, several of the new immigrant groups showing the highest segregation levels in Limerick, tend to be housed mainly in private rented apartments in the city centre.
Segregation in this case partly reflects the failure to attract the indigenous population to live in these developments.
Des
December 4, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Massive areas of suburbs in Limerick are not counted as part of the city and instead are administered by the County. Although these stats show Limerick to already be the most segregated city in Ireland, I fear the true figures would be much worse if middle class Raheen/Dooradoyle and Castletroy were included.
December 4, 2009 at 7:09 pm
The suburbs of each city are in fact covered by the analysis, so in the case of Limerick all the areas you refer to (as well as Shannon Banks and Westbury in Clare) are included.
December 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Thanks for the clarification.