FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
This week’s column is all about numbers. And starting with home, according to the 2022 Census, here is a list of the population of Kilkenny’s towns and villages.
Kilkenny City: 27,184. Ballyhale: 184. Ballyragget: 1,116. Bennetsbridge: 664. Callan: 2,678. Castlecomer: 1,496. Clogh: 298. Fiddown: 410. Freshford: 593. Goresbridge: 317. Gowran: 847. Graigue-Tinnahinch: 1,506. Inistioge: 315. Johnstown: 450. Kells: 291. Kilmacow: 671. Kilmogany: 256. Knocktopher: 174. Mooneenroe: 739. Mooncoin: 1,184. Mullinavat: 210. Paulstown: 919. Piltown: 1275. Slieverue: 448. Stoneyford: 185. Thomastown: 2,305. Urlingford: 1,196.
In 1700 New York with a population of 3,900 was a smaller city than Kilkenny!
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The population of our Earth is 8.2 billion – 8,191,988,453 to be precise
Following are the five most populated countries in the world: One, India: 1,463,865,525 Two, China: 416,096,094 (the most popular name in China is Wang; there are over 93 million Wangs in China!) Three, U.S.: 347,275,867 Four, Indonesia: 285,721,236 Five, Pakistan: 255,219,554. Russia has a population of 143,997,393.
Following are some European populations: Germany: 84, 075,075 U.K.: 69,551,332 France: 66,747,319 Italy: 59,146,260 Spain: 47,889,958. And then there’s Ireland: 5,308,039 million.
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Until 1857 it was legal for British husbands to sell their wives. The going rate was £3,000 about £460,000 in today’s money (I think). Not bad ,though I personally believe that a good wife is priceless. If you’re married here are some numbers you dare not forget.
We’re talking wedding anniversaries: 1st(Paper), 10th. (Tin), 15th (Crystal), 20th (China), 25th (Silver), 30th(Pearl), 35th (Coral), 40th (Ruby), 45th (Sapphire), 50th (Gold), 55th (Emerald), 60th (Diamond).
According to the HSE report for 2022 the life expectancy for women in Ireland is 84.4 years and 80.8 for men.
One in 10 European babies is conceived in an IKea bed!
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In 2022 there were 187,000 uninsured drivers on Ireland’s roads, four times the EU average. In 2024 the number was 101,881. The dramatic fall coincided with the introduction of the Irish Motor Insurance Data Base in the same year. Insurers feed information into it which assists Gardaí to check motorists roadside. A total of 85,119 is a big drop but there’s a long way to go. 72,000 is the current backlog of Irish learner drivers waiting to do their test.
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Rory McIlroy took home $4.2 million for winning the Masters in Augusta. Shane Lowry netted $67,000 for finishing in 42nd place, tied with three others while J.J. Spaun pocketed $52,920 for finishing 50th! Wow! That’s a helluva lot of money for coming 50th. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2025, Rory McIlroy is worth a massive £260 million! Eveken is the number of Major championships won by Irish golfers since Padraig Harrington’s breakthrough British Open victory in 2007.
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Albert Einstein died in 1955 in Princeton Hospital, New Jersey. His body was cremated the next day but unbeknown to his family, the pathologist, Dr Thomas Stoltz Harvey, had removed Einstein’s brain. The brain was sliced into 240 pieces and 12 sets of microscope slides. Some went to scientific and medical institutions but he kept 170 pieces for himself preserved in jars. He eventually handed them over to the University Medical Centre of Princeton 33 years later in 1988!
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There are more than 13,000 satellites in orbit around Earth, about 10,000 are functioning, that leaves around 3000 pieces of space junk as the possibility of space junk crashes rapidly increases.
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Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, spent at least $250 million to support Donald Trump’s election campaign. In March Trump turned the White House South Lawn into a temporary Tesla car showroom, displaying 5 EVs. Tesla’s profits plummeted by 71%, a backlash over Musk’s involvement with Trump.The number of people travelling from Ireland to the US dropped by 27% in March. $2.2 billion in funds were frozen for Harvard by the White House after the university refused to change its practices.
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Think of a number. Add the next higher number to it. Add 9 and divide by 2, then subtract the original number. The answer will always be 5. Magic or what! Try it at your next dinner party. Nah. Try it in the pub preferably after everyone has had five pints.
And finally, – what’s this: MMXXV? It’s 2025 in Roman numerals.
