Almost 10 years ago I had the pleasure of working on a mapping project with The Detail that was also published in the Irish Times. In 2021 NI completed another census, and the grid square data that I relied on for the original project was recently released too.

I’ve now updated my original maps to include a 6th time option: 2021.

Nothing dramatic has changed in those 10 years in NI, but you can start to see some patterns in certain areas. Inner Belfast, especially in the east, and the areas around Stormont and Stranmillis have noticably hollowed out and become less dense

belfast

North Lisburn has grown alot (where I’m from), and the growth has been very integrated in terms of religion. I can confirm there are alot less fields near my parents house now!

lisburn

And East Derry shows a similar story.

derry

Feel free to explore, and see what other patterns you can find!