People born in Leinster, and especially in County Dublin, were very
well represented during the migrations of the 1840s, but then
declined proportionately through the century. The early Leinster
influx probably reflects the Anglo-Irish in Auckland and the
discharge of soldiers from the British army who were often
recruited around Dublin.
The Irish were predominantly from Munster in the South-west and
Ulster in the North. The Munster immigrants were overwhelmingly of
Catholic background and emigrated in large numbers from Australia
especially during the gold rushes. During the 1870s Munster
Catholics were active in nominating their relatives for assisted
immigration. The numbers from Munster began to decline once
assistance was terminated.
Ulster provided a very significant part of the Irish inflow, and it
became more significant as time progressed. By the eve of the Great
War those from Ulster comprised about 56% of Irish immigrants.
Between a fifth and a quarter of the Ulster settlers were Catholic;
and among the Protestants the numbers of Presbyterians increased
over time. The increasing proportion of the Irish deriving from
Ulster in part reflected the preference for Protestants among New
Zealand immigration authorities.
There were consistently very few immigrants from Connaught.
Poster protesting the government's exclusion of Irishmen from the
benefits of passages to Wellington Province.
(Click on thumbnail for more detail)
[See also the Irish
in New Zealand, a draft Encyclopedia of NZ entry on
the Ministry for Culture and Heritage website].
