The villages of Belcarra, Shrule, Louisburgh and Bohola are the only Mayo villages to see their population decline since 2016.

That’s according to figures from both 2016 and 2022 censuses, detailed in this morning’s Mayo News.

Shrule had the biggest fall in population of any area in Mayo where the population was greater than 200.

The figures fell from 432 in 2016 to 362 in 2022.

As for Louisburgh, they dropped from 434 to 367, a difference of 67.

Belcarra’s population fell from 228 to 164, while Bohola’s went from 203 to 143.

Interestingly, when looking at all areas in the county with a population of over 200, every other town and village saw their numbers rise in the same time frame.

The population of Mayo as a whole grew by 6% up to 137,970 when comparing the two censuses.

7,463 people account for that rise.

The largest total increase in population came in Castlebar, where the town jumped from 12,068 to 13,054 – a rise of 894.